The City of Columbia launched the Southern Fried Fuel program in 2009 and has averaged 1,000 gallons of oil per year collected.

Used cooking oil is accepted for recycling at:

City of Columbia Public Works 
2910 Colonial Drive Columbia, SC 29203
Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Directions

Make sure cooking oil is free of water, soap suds and food scraps.

The used cooking oil collected is taken to Midlands Biofuels, a local business, and then converted into Certified South Carolina biofuel and used to power one of the City’s garbage trucks along with other City vehicles!

City of Columbia truck that runs on biofuel from the recycled cooking oil.

Powering the City fleet on a cleaner-burning, renewable fuel, helps with air quality and the environment. Biofuels produce 15 to 75 percent fewer greenhouse emissions than conventional fuels. Biodiesel is better for an engine than conventional diesel, providing greater lubrication and leaving fewer particular deposits behind.

Biodiesel is a renewable, clean-burning diesel replacement that can be used in existing diesel engines without modification. This clean alternative fuel is biodegradable, nontoxic and, best of all, it’s a domestic fuel. Biodiesel is made from a diverse mix of recycled sources including recycled cooking oil, agricultural oils and animal fats called feedstock.

When fats, oils and grease are poured down the sink, it coats the inside of pipes and causes blockages causing sewer back ups in homes and businesses. These can also create overflows into streams and creeks.

Each year, the City spends an average of $1.5 million unclogging and cleaning waste water collection lines.

BioJoe and the Midlands Biofuels team has been fueling Public Works since 2009. Midlands Biofuels has been collecting used cooking oil from the City and has been supplying biodiesel for our trucks for over 6 years now.