Cooking Oil Used For Alternative Fuel

A new recycling program is turning yesterday's leftovers into tomorrow's fuel. News On 6's Jeffrey Smith reports Sand Springs is experimenting with a new way to create environmentally-friendly fuel.

You fill up an ordinary bottle with used cooking oil. You Drop it off at the recycling center. And then that waste will be turned into an alternative fuel that can clean up the air we breathe. It's the latest craze in the fight to keep Green Country, green.

Todd Stephens is pouring converted cooking oil into his car. It's the same stuff you can buy at Sam's Club. And it runs like a charm.

Stephens owns Tulsa BioFuels. It's a local company that converts used cooking oil from frying pans into usable fuel. On Saturday, they opened their fourth collection center in Sand Springs.

"We provide a bin for the collection of waste cooking oil," said Todd Stephens, Tulsa BioFuels Owner. "They can come by and drop it off, and we'll take it and turn it into a clean burning alternative fuel."

That fuel is called biodiesel. Stephens says he can turn cooking oil waste into a fuel that's more environmentally-friendly than regular gas.

"Cooking oil is made from a renewable resource. You can grow plants back. Petroleum is finite. You can't grow any more," said Stephens.

Plus, he says biodiesel burns 70% cleaner than gasoline.

"If you go to the pump and choose biodiesel instead of diesel, immediately, you're making a conscious decision, and you're improving the air quality around you by 70%. That's the way it's better," said Stephens.

He says it's easy to help out. Just by cooking a normal meal you can do something great for the environment.

"They fry it, and just drain it from the bottom of the fryer. They bring it to us, and we turn it into biodiesel," said Stephens.

There are recycling programs for oil also set up in Broken Arrow, Jenks, and Midtown Tulsa.

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