GREASE, COOKING

Restaurants and roadside food vendors, except those run by Non-Profit Organizations or other groups for special events, are licensed by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Proper disposal requirements for cooking grease are usually part of the permit or license to operate. Mobile operations are required to have access to a commissary service for waste disposal.

Grease and oils are usually restricted from being discharged into the sanitary sewer system. Check with your local sewer operator for restrictions or permit requirements. Grease and oils are generally not compatible with septic tank systems. Septic systems are regulated by DOH. Small amounts can be mixed with used oil.

Contact a commercial hauler (Yellow Pages - Grease Traps or Septic Tanks) for service or the DOH for guidance. Cooking grease is usually recycled into other products such as soap and more recently bio-diesel fuel.