From The Associated Press, Friday, June 18, 2010:
The Anchorage area’s private trash hauler, Alaska Waste, is picking up used food-frying oil and has started turning it into biodiesel to power its trucks.The company showed off its new $3 million plant Thursday in south Anchorage where it turned out its first batch of biodiesel last week.
Alaska Waste is collecting oil from 240 restaurants, groceries, hotels and hospitals from Girdwood to Wasilla.
The Anchorage Daily News reports that previously most of the food grease from Anchorage had been dumped in landfills or barged to the Lower 48.
Alaska Waste built the plant to capitalize on a useful product, reduce air pollution and keep grease out of the landfill, said Jeff Riley, Alaska Waste’s chief operating officer. In the future, the company might team up with local fuel distributors to enable Anchorage residents to purchase some of the biodiesel. It creates fewer greenhouse gas emissions than regular diesel, he said.