Turn cooking oil into biofuel and protect septic systems, Sussex County says

The Recycling Center will now be collecting cooking oil for recycling into biofuel.

The new program will support a statewide effort to reduce municipal solid food waste by 50% by 2030.

“We have partnered with Loeffel’s Waste Oil Services LLC to provide this exciting opportunity to reduce food waste in Sussex County,” said Dawn Latincsics, recycling coordinator at the Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority (SCMA). “Residents are encouraged to collect and recycle their used cooking oil for a beneficial use as biofuel.”

She said improper disposal of cooking oil can cause problems for kitchen plumbing, septic and sewer systems.

There is no charge to recycle the cooking oil. The program will accept vegetable, canola, corn, olive, peanut, sesame, soybean, and sunflower oils.

Matt Gregorio owns Loeffel’s Waste Oil Services. “We pick it up from the MUA or local restaurants and transport it down to a couple of different terminals,” he said. “It is then cleaned and shipped out to be used for biofuels. We don’t charge the recycling center as we get paid on the other end when the end product goes toward clean energy.”

Jon Morris, the solid waste superintendent, said the MUA is excited to be partnering with Loeffel’s. “We’re always looking for new opportunities for ways to keep waste out of the landfill,” he said.

“People can either put the oil back in the bottles they received it in or dump it in the 100-gallon receptacle we have here,” he said. “It’s important to recycle cooking oil as it can reek havoc on your septic system and will plug it up pretty bad. It’s also not good for our sewer systems.”

Latincsics said the cooking oil program joins the MUA’s other free “non-traditional” recycling programs offered to all residents, including rechargeable batteries, foam packaging, computers and printers, and televisions.

You don’t have to hire a recycling company to come to your curb. The Recycling Center is conveniently located in the middle of the county.

The waste facilities are located at 34 South Route 94 in Lafayette. GPS does not recognize this address so use 34 Route 94, Lafayette, NJ 07484. For further information and hours, visit scmua.org/Cit-e-Access/webpage.cfm?TID=121&TPID=11902.