WVO poachers, time to fight back

[jwfchase]

Two comments, one "on-thread" and one slightly off:

This same company has been heralded in the Kamloops media as SuperGreen, I've started another thread for those of us in Kamloops to hopefully get organized and try to start a Co-Op here before this company moves in.

On an off thread track:

For those of you storing WVO at home (ESPECIALLY if it's in your attached garage): Used vegetable oil is not a particularily volatile fuel, as you know. Not too likely to start a fire or explode. HOWEVER, there is a heap of stored energy available, or you wouldn't be interested in using it to power your vehicle. If, God forbid, you ever had a housefire-- you have one MASSIVE fuel load stored in/near (250gal+ is a lot of fuel!) your home once it reaches the right temperature that will seriously threaten your life safety, and really annoy your friendly neighbourhood firefighter who will be faced with a massive flare-up when water is applied from a firehose (think stovetop greasefire).

Anyhow, just a thought, and yes, I am biased. (Any guesses on my occupation?...)

[Kuan]

Yeah, time to fight back is right. A few restaurants here have been approached too.

I totally agree on an Island cooperative. Its the only way forward.

I'll tell you what the Cowichan Biodiesel Coop (CBDC) is doing as I am somewhat involved as a local producer.

The CBDC has a coop membership over 100 members now I think. THe coop has bumper stickers that say "smell better" for members and supporters. The restaurant program has stickers that say "eat better". The intention is to create connections with restaurants and help promote them to coop members as "healthy" eating locations. (ie good oil).

As the coop grows the more power it will have to influence restaurants. If we can get different chapters going even better. Power to the people.

What kind of restaurants are you guys/gals picking up from? Are they locally owned and operated or chains?
I think its important to work with locally owned restaurants where owners are both part of the community and can make final decisions about what happens.

[konadog]

Mmmm, not 100% sure, but I have heard from a couple of different sources that there is a commercial operation collecting, filtering an selling WVO here in CR. Someone even said "he's got all the restaurants around, selling oil for 50 cents a liter" If true, I hope I can still get a restaurant of my own... Anyone else up know anything about this? I'll do a little more digging on my own and report back.

[Kuan]

And then there is straight up oil theft coming to a greasy spoon near you:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflif ... index.html

[psilosin]

I was watching CTV News channel this morning and they had a story on about teh battle for grease between the WVO burners and some bio-diesel company in the Berkley, CA area. Apparently the bio-diesel company pays 35cents/gallon to the restaurants and had setup a number of custom collectors at various restaurants. Now they have to add locks etc because the oil keeps getting jacked from them. (Risking jail time to steal waste veggie oil...lol you know you are a crack-head skid when...)

With climbing dino oil prices I think WVO will only continue to grow in value. The days of free greasin' might be coming to an end. Still even if you have to pay a restaurant up to 50cents/gal for WVO, you would still be way ahead of teh game at todays dino prices.

[tracied]

This is a copy of the email correspondence I had with the ERM guy. I would be curious to know your thoughts. My thoughts are evasive much? lol Anyway, whether there is truth to what he says or not about WVO being bad for the planet (what????) and the engine, the fact is, they are gaining a monopoly in WVO. I was wondering how long it would take someone to come up with something like what they are doing. Emails below
:
Tracie,

We don't sell waste oil. In fact, we strongly urge you not to burn it as a fuel because the carbon pollution from the glycerides are bad. Biodiesel removes the glycerides.

Candidly,

Robert J. Greene

--- On Tue, 5/27/08, Tracie DeCecco wrote:

From: Tracie DeCecco
Subject: Re: WVO (my reply)
To: erm4oil@yahoo.ca
Received: Tuesday, May 27, 2008, 3:36 AM

Hi Robert,
You are talking about biodiesel and not straight waste oil right? I don't have a fax machine actually so anything you can email me would be great.

Thanks,
tracie

On 26-May-08, at 8:33 PM, Robert Greene wrote:

Hi Tracie,

Thank you for your email. I am home now but if you give me a fax number, I can send you a list of 10 locations that sell biodiesel to the public.


We are a wholesaler and do not sell to the public.


Warmest Regards,


ERM BioSource

Robert J Greene

--- On Tue, 5/27/08, Tracie DeCecco wrote:

From: Tracie DeCecco
Subject: WVO
To: ERM4OIL@yahoo.ca
Received: Tuesday, May 27, 2008, 12:46 AM

Where does the oil that you collect go and what is done with it after
you pick it up from the restaurants? Can the public have access to/
purchase the WVO? If restaurants are participating in your program,
how does it affect the public who wish to convert to WVO, vs
biodiesel blends? I have been trying to find out where I can get WVO
for my vehicle. I would very much appreciate any info you can give me.

Thanks so much,
Tracie

So. I would be very happy to participate in any kind of local equivalent and I think offering some kind of "advertising" to the restaurants involved in the form of decals or whatever as someone mentioned, is a great idea.

[Kuan]

Went to pick up from one of my restaurants today and the barrel was empty. Spoke to the Kitchen manager and they decided to go with the Island Processing pickup $0.05 deal.

They had great oil too, 100L/week. Now got to hit the pavement again. Its getting harder already to source oil. Especially since for the restaurants its just easier to keep their Island Processing bins and now get paid instead of paying...

If anyone has any excess WVO, please let me know. I'm willing to pay for raw unfiltered oil for making Biodiesel.

[AprilChris]

I don't suppose that anyone knows of a company or coop in the Nanaimo area that's getting WVO filtered and out to people?

[Adam]

Ahhh, me

[toddtomorrow]

Has there been any talk of a Vancouver based WVO co-op?

Todd