Grease Theft Security: Protecting Your Business and the Environment
Grease theft is a rising crime that impacts businesses and the environment. But why should you be concerned about grease theft? Every year, restaurant industries lose millions in revenue for used oil theft. On top of this, businesses must spend additional money on the property damage caused by these offenses.
Another factor is the environmental harm these crimes cause, such as water and air pollution. Grease theft can even compromise the safety of employees and consumers.
Preventing used oil theft is one of the best solutions for protecting businesses, the ecosystem and the greater good. But before you can avoid grease theft, you must understand the consequences of this crime and the various available security measures for safeguarding your cooking oil.
What Is Grease Theft?
Grease theft is an illegal activity where criminals steal used cooking oil or yellow grease from restaurants. These offenders break into restaurant premises and improperly and unlawfully offload used oil tanks, often causing property damage and endangering the environment, employees and public.
Grease theft happens because used cooking oil can be valuable. Along with rendered animal fat, cooking oil can be used to create various products like biodiesel and oleochemicals for soap, paint and detergent manufacturing. Criminals steal, recycle and sell leftover oil because it can be a commercially viable solution.
While rendering leftover cooking oil is legitimate, it is only lawful and safe when done by reputable companies. Unlike criminals, licensed companies use advanced equipment and appropriate techniques for collecting and recycling yellow grease, preventing property and environmental harm.
How Does Grease Theft Affect Businesses?
Grease theft can impact your business and its surroundings in several ways:
Employee and Public Safety
When intruders steal grease, they endanger employees and anyone who gets in their way. These criminals often use dangerous and improper methods for transporting stolen grease, which can lead to accidents, harming customers and the public.
Equipment Damages
Criminals who steal grease might have little knowledge of how grease tanks work and use extreme measures to pry them open and steal the contents. Improper opening can cause container damage and grease spills.
Loss in Revenue
Selling grease to reputable renders or companies can be commercially viable for businesses. Grease stealing prevents restaurants from selling their used oil, causing a loss in potential revenue. Additionally, restaurants must pay to clean grease spills and repair or replace equipment and damaged or lost property.
How Does Grease Theft Impact the Environment?
Grease theft can have severe consequences for the environment, including:
Water Pollution
Legitimate rendering facilities follow government regulations and use environmentally safe methods for filtering and converting used oil into renewable diesel and other products. Often, people who steal grease do not have suitable equipment and facilities to render leftover cooking oil correctly, and it often ends up in public water systems, lakes and rivers. This contamination can be hazardous for wildlife and humans.
Climate Change
Environmentally safe fat and oil rendering removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, limiting its impact on the atmosphere. Illegal grease rendering often doesn’t include removing these harmful chemicals with the proper precoders and tools, increasing the risk of air pollution and further contributing to climate change.
How To Protect Your Business From Grease Theft
While grease theft poses many challenges for hospitality industries, there are several ways to protect your businesses and the environment from these crimes. Here are some preventive measures for grease theft:
1. Anti-Theft Equipment
Anti-theft equipment can have various lock mechanisms, making it challenging for criminals to steal grease and damage property. Examples include:
- Indoor containers: These systems are ideal for storing used cooking oil indoors. They come in numerous sizes, making it convenient for restaurants to keep them in an appropriate space, secure from intruders.
- Enclosed containers: If you keep your used cooking oil container outdoors, investing in enclosed systems is an excellent way to deter intruders. These containers have lock features and mechanisms limiting access to authorized employees.
- Pipe locks: Exposed or outdoor piping can be convenient for criminals to siphon used oil. Pipe locks help you secure your outdoor piping and limit grease thefts. They have unique specifications, meaning they are only compatible with your systems, preventing criminals from stealing and using them.
2. Surveillance Features
Installing security features like cameras and alarm systems in and around buildings is one way to deter criminals. These features also make it more convenient for law enforcement to catch and prosecute criminals who steal and illegally recycle used oil.
3. Staff Training and Awareness
While employees are often not trained as security guards, you can equip them with the knowledge to identify grease theft. You can provide frequent training to help identify signs of grease theft and report it before it happens. A greater awareness can increase community vigilance, reducing theft attempts and crimes.
4. Reputable Grease Management and Recycling
One of the best grease theft prevention methods is partnering with reputable oil management and recycling companies. These businesses can provide services like grease collection and rendering and equipment solutions for mitigating grease theft.
Reputable companies use top-of-the-line tools to ensure your containers are safe and secure. They also offer grease removal services, limiting your used oil quantities on site, which can lower theft attempts.
Another factor is keeping records and proof of grease disposal. Reputable companies keep documentation and proof of disposal, helping you account for used oil quantities and identify stolen contents.
Safeguard Your Business and the Environment From Grease Theft With Baker Commodities
Grease theft is a severe crime that harms businesses and the environment. Preventive maintenance is one of the best ways to reduce these crimes and safeguard companies, employees, customers and the ecosystem.
At Baker Commodities, we know the importance of preventing grease theft to safeguard your business and the environment. With over 80 years of industry experience, we provide reputable and trusted used oil collection and disposal solutions.
We collect and recycle used cooking oil and use trusted rendering processes for manufacturing safe and legal byproducts. Additionally, we offer various used cooking containers and safety features like enclosed containers, fresh oil systems, remote control and pipe locks to help you store and deliver used oil safely and efficiently.
With our Total Grease Management® services, you can rely on us for frequent and authorized grease disposal that complies with local municipal regulations and environmental standards. Our services let you track and monitor your used oil supply, helping you identify signs of grease theft.
Contact us online to learn more about our used oil collection and disposal services.
