This reminded me of a vandalism case filmed as part of the HGTV show Flip or Flop, but on a much larger scale:
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Strange the article didn’t investigate who this boss is?
Follow that thought.
The implication is that the ‘Boss’ is a broker and sells to a biodiesel refinery. There is only one close enough to make transporting grease worthwhile: Virginia Biodiesel Refinery, due east of Richmond at West Point. How do you determine if used grease you’re buying is stolen? [crickets]
$2/gal for a feedstock makes the refined biodiesel extravagantly expensive as fuel, only practical as a 2-5% additive to restore the lubricity lost from de-sulfuring regular diesel.
Yes, I drive a VW TDI.
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You have pegged the problem of thievery, it is super hard to steal enough with less effort than working. Sure I could totally steal a few thousand dollars this afternoon, but what about tomorrow, and then, and then, and then? Unless you are already rich and can steal millions, it is simply easier to work.
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Usually, used cooking grease or oil is filthy and requires some amount of cleanup before it can be converted to biodiesel. Unless the bio plant is equipped to do this, it usually goes through a secondary outfit that does this. (here’s one example - Cooking Oil Recycling, Disposal, & Hood Cleaning Richmond)
Also, there is a mechanism in the EPA’s RIN generation system that requires the generator (the biodiesel manufacturer) to disclose and list the supplier of the feedstock to assure they are on an approved list. This EPA-maintained list determines what type of RIN can be generated and what class of biodiesel can be made from it. (RIN stands for Renewable Index Number) These RINs are then sold to companies that do not want to purchase and blend renewable fuels into their products (Exxon, Shell, Chevron, etc.) That’s why the EPA administrator giving “hardship” exemptions to these companies have crippled biodiesel companies. The RINs were a way of leveling the playing field. Tipping it to the big boys has effectively wiped out the small biodiesel producer (like me).
ETA: - I do not know what record keeping grease collectors must do to make sure their collection of used grease is not stolen.
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And this in particular is an example of the kind of theft that is, at best, marginally worth it, because if they’re charged, they’re charged based on the value of goods of which they’re only getting the tiniest of fractions.
It’s like bank robbery - given how seriously it’s treated, the punishment far outweighs the relatively small amounts of money that bank robbers can hope to get. So it’s fairly rare - it’s usually the first such offense of desperate idiots.
It’s the Soylent Green New Deal.
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there was warlords who made gunpowder out of the bodies of their fallen enemies
ah, the circle of life
Elton John and all that.
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