SAN FRANCISCO The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is launching a citywide program next week to recover restaurant fryer oil and other fats for conversion into biodiesel fuel, which could then be used to power municipal vehicles.
Apublic relations representative for the new program, called SFGreaseCycle, indicated that a website for restaurateurs looking to participate would be unveiled Oct. 26. It described the initiative as the first of its kind.
Many individual restaurants and chains currently channel used fryer oil to parties that convert it into biodiesel fuel. Some restaurant operators also have switched to vehicles that use that alternative to gasoline. However, such efforts have apparently not been coordinated on a citywide basis.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has drafted a policy called “Clean Air, Clean Water” with the stated goal of making “renewable energy and energy efficiency priorities within city government,” according to the Public Utilities Commission’s website.
