FOG Recycling in the Big Easy
Safeway Used Oil and Grease is a trusted provider of grease trap and oil cleaning services for the greater New Orleans region. A family-owned and operated business in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, Safeway has been successfully building their restaurant and commercial kitchen client base in the New Orleans metro area for many years.
The Challenge
Area disposal options were becoming severely limited, leaving Safeway and other pumpers to compete for grease disposal at the few nearby commercial waste sites. Unfortunately, the demand resulted long wait times and steep tipping fees.
When the site of the largest grease disposal company shut down for several weeks, the situation became dire. Grease trap pumping came to a standstill.
Traps and interceptors needed to be serviced, pumping trucks were full,
grease was escaping into the sewers and there were no nearby sites able to
accept it. As a result, pumpers had to drive hundreds of miles to find disposal locations, adding significant costs.
The Solution
Safeway learned about Greasezilla during a monthly meeting of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans. The prospect of installing a system that could alleviate disposal problems was intriguing enough for Safeway to reach out for information. The Greasezilla team arranged for Safeway to visit another client installation site to view the system first-hand. The team explained the mechanical aspects of Greasezilla’s equipment and process and thoroughly answered all questions. Safeway installed their Greasezilla system January 2021 and immediately put it to work processing grease trap waste. Other pumpers soon began inquiring if they could tip at Safeway.
“We are now going on five months in operation and things are working flawlessly.”
Carlo Cacioppo, Safeway Oil & Grease
The Result
Safeway is reaping the benefits of their system. Not only is the company saving on disposal tipping fees, but they are also gaining revenue by accepting grease from area pumpers. Additionally, Safeway is selling both the Brown Grease Advanced Biofuel (ABF) and the BOD-rich batter layer created by the Greasezilla process. With significantly increased cash flow and profitability, Safeway is ready to add another reactor tank and is considering opening another site beyond the New Orleans metropolitan area.
