Crime | cooking oil Restaurants' Used Grease Draws Thieves Once scorned, it's 'become gold'; can be turned into biodiesel By Kevin Spak Posted May 30, 2008 7:40 AM CDT Copied Wesley Caddell, business developer for Blue Sky Bio-Fuels, looks at drums of cooking oils at his plant in Oakland, Calif., Monday, May 19, 2008. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma) For decades restaurants have thrown away their used cooking grease without a second thought; now, they’re trying to protect it from thieves. Almost anyone can convert the yellow grease into cheap biodiesel using kits sold on the internet, and restaurant oil bins have become go-to destinations for everyone from environmentalists to thieves who siphon tanks in the dead of the night. The grease is now traded on the commodities market, fetching almost $2.50 a gallon; some restaurants are selling it for extra revenue. “Fryer grease has become gold,” said one restaurateur. “And just over a year ago, I had to pay someone to take it away.” But grease thieves say they’re doing nothing wrong; many restaurants store the grease out by the trash, where it’s fair game. Read These Next New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Man accused of killing his daughters might be dead. White House rolls with Trump's 'daddy' nickname. Iran's supreme leader makes first public comments since ceasefire. Report an error