In the first three months since the Tompkins County Recycling and Solid Waste Center added a collection station for liquid cooking fats, oils and grease (FOG), nearly 275 gallons of material have been dropped off by residents.

The FOG collection station is part of the newly redesigned food scraps drop spot at the facility at 160 Commercial Avenue in Ithaca. It allows residents easy access to properly dispose of their household cooking oils, animal fats and grease in an environmentally safe manner while diverting it from the local water supply.

The FOG will be processed by Buffalo Biodiesel and recycled into a renewable, biodegradable fuel that is produced domestically.  Biodiesel is a cleaner-burning, sustainable replacement for petroleum diesel fuel.

The County Solid Waste Division would also like to remind residents the FOG station is for liquids only, and any solid food material should be emptied into the adjacent food scraps totes.

Residents can stop by the Solid Waste Division office to obtain a free, specially-designed funnel to conveniently empty their liquid FOG into a reusable container of their choice, and a label for that container. The container can then be brought to the collection station, poured into the waiting stainless steel basin and taken home to refill.

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