Valley Proteins...

I never woulda thought they'd be so big. I guess I shoulda figured that since they're mentioned in every BioDiesel discussion I've looked into, they were pretty major... But they've got two regional locations within an hour's drive from me and four locations in my state, NOT counting the corperate headquarters...

Talk about David vs. Goliath, Sheesh...

I just drove behind every small Chinese Carry Out within a mile of me, then every Seafood joint, then every Chicken place, then the fast food places... (Working down the grades.) That logo and the two local phone numbers becaome quite familiar.


So, I'd like to be able to negociate with the resturants to persuade them away from "The Man" and to give their grease to me. I decided to study my opponent...

1.) Charges a fee.
2.) Judges the waste output of the resturant and supplies an adequate container for their grease.
3.) Keeps Container in good shape, empties regularly, in accordance with laws and regulations.
4.) Provides other services such as grease trap maintenance and drain line cleaning.


So in my negociation, I'd like to go down a pro and con list...

1.) This is where I got em beat! I'm free! Though not all free things are good... Like a punch in the face, or a flaming bag of poop on your front porch... I'll have to provide more.

2.) Uhhh... I guess... I can get a hold of 55 gallon drums easily. (Hydraulic fluid drums from work... I already have 4. I have a 275 gal tank in the back yard to empty them into. Just keep them in rotation. The bungs can keep the rain and debris out of them too.

3.) This one's where I've got questions...
A.) Laws?! There are laws for this? Ummm. Can anyone go into detail on this?
B.) I'll empty 'em regularly... But how can I judge if the supplier will overload me prior to this? I'll deal with not enough by adding more resturants.
C.) I can get more drums if need be and toss broken ones.

4.) Definitely not. I'm not going to be responsible got plumbing. I'm not licensed either.



So yeah... Anyone got any tips on getting some grease?

 

Start talking to the resturant owners. FInd out if the fee they pay is flat for as much oil they can generate or if it's based on how often the renderer has to come out.

If it's based on how often then you can save them money. If not you have one more challange. Since if you talk them into canceling the contract with 'the man' then you will get all grease good or bad.


Erick

 

This raises another question I've been wondering about. Has anyone ever approached one of these grease haulers to see how much it would cost to buy oil from them? I'm thinking that if your supply of free oil is running short it would still be cheaper to buy some from them (assuming they'll sell it to you) than buying #2 from the local gas station.....

 

Sure, My brother-in law works for Baker Commodities in Tacoma [one of the largest waste grease haulers on the left coast] and they will gladly sell oil to you...........FOR $2.60 A GALLON, FOB Tacoma, Wash.

 

How should I suggest putting the oil in a 55 gallon drum?

At home, I cut the top off of a gallon of milk or bleach or windshield washer spray and use it as a funnel...

That might be a little less convinient to the resturanteer than the top of a dumpster or a completely open 55 gallon drum.

 

Seriously?!? $2.60 a gallon if I go to Tacoma to get it!?! That's nuts. Obviously they aren't interested in selling it....

 

What I did (and it works great) is... I used a plastic drum (you can usually get them from a car wash) cut the top out leaving the lip. Then I made a lid out of plywood thats about two inches wider than the drum, cut it in half used a piano hinge all the way across the top with with a strip of an old inner tube under the hinge as a water proof gasket and sealed it with deck sealer. Then glued three 1"x1"x2" blocks evenly around the underside of the half that doesn't open and used 1-1/2" screws to screw through the blocks into the top lip to secure it.
That way when they dump the oil in all they have to do is flip open the one half and dump it in. I just asked them to keep the lid closed when they're done.
(The easier you make it for them the better chance you have of getting the oil).
To remove the oil I use a 2" gas pump bushed down for a 1" hose It will even pump the thick cold oil in the winter. No fuss no mess just throw the suction hose in and start the pump. I pump into a tank in the back of the Powerstroke.

 

I talked to a company that picks up oil in my area last week. he told me they charge .21 cents a pound, but you have to buy a truckload which is 46000 lbs.Not a bad price.

 

I like it!

There's a Pepsi plant near here that sells food grade plastic drums for $5 a pop. I was looking at those for a rainwater irrigation system for my lawn.

Couple that with some milk crates from the local bakery, flip it upside down, and I can just put plumbing into the base of it.

 

I dunno' man, that's still $1.50-$1.60 a gallon (assuming ~7.5lbs/gallon). By the time you subtract out the 10%-20% volume you lose during reaction (glycerol, water, and soap) and add in $.60-$.80 per gallon for the cost of methanol, lye, magnesol, electricity etc. you're up to around $2.25-$2.75 a gallon for the finished bio.

Not much of a return on the time and labor investment....

 

$.21 a pound is close to that 2.60 a gal

 

Well, we know that water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon, and that oil is lighter than water. So if the oil weighs between 7.5 and 8 pounds per gallon....

7.5 x $.21 = $1.57 per gallon
or
8 x $.21 = $1.68 per gallon

 

I just know that a guy around here priced me oil at .28 a pound, then said that was about 2.20 a gallon. Also for pickup I found some steel 55 gal drums with removable tops, the top pops on, then has a metal ring with a bolt through it to tighten. but when we leave them at a restraunt we put a cement block on it to keep it tight, that way they don't need a wrench to open it., We then just have a FILL_RITE pump like what goes in a Farmers tractor tank, we have it hooked to the battery, stick it over in the drum, and suck it dry. When we get enough restraunts we are going to upgrade to a gasoline water pump with a 3 inch inlet and outlet, suck a 55 gal drum dry in 2 min or so.

 

My my, how times have changed...

I still haven't built the BioDiesel reactor. (I don't burn enough Diesel... I put maybe 3000 Miles on my truck within the last year and most of that was on a one time road trip... And I STILL haven't found a Diesel engine suitable for a Ranger sized vehicle.)


Now it turns out that Valley is paying restaurants for their grease.

Is anyone else encountering this?

How do you compete?

 

Local company around here has started paying companies that produce 1000+ gallons/month. They are paying $.50/gallon. I asked them about buying oil from them, they said sure, $3.50/gallon and I have to buy a tanker.

I got lined up with some places and am getting ~100 gallons week. Only problem is thieves have emptied a couple of my barrels already, DOH!