How To Get Used Oil From Restaurants

Used oil from restaurants can be a very useful commodity, but you have to know where to find it. By finding local restaurant owners willing to give you their oil, you have helped them find a recycling outlet for something they might have just tossed away.

Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO) is any vegetable oil that can be harnessed to power diesel engines. If you source your SVO from restaurants, then it is commonly called Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO).

Here are some particular tips for sourcing used cooking oil from restaurants:

• You will have the best luck in densely populated urban areas like cities where you are certain to find more than a few restaurants who are willing to provide you with their used cooking oil. Many of these restaurants might be dumping the oil in the trash or paying to have it removed, so you would be doing them a favor.


• You will need to provide barrels to the restaurant to allow them to store their spent oils. Make sure the barrels are labeled with your contact information in case a restaurant employee needs to contact you.


• Some restaurants will give it away for free while others will charge you for it.  Restaurants will occasionally have a contract with a large buyer of oils, usually at a price of less than a dollar per gallon of used vegetable oil. Even though you might offer more money to them, they might not want to deal with a small operator as they don’t know how reliable you will be.