CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A cooking oil collection effort in suburban Elmhurst, Downers Grove and Addison over Thanksgiving weekend diverted more than 2,241 pounds of the greasy substance from sewer systems, organizers said.
As they have for a decade, the not-for-profit group SCARCE collected cooking oil that may have been used to fry Thanksgiving turkeys over the weekend. A few years ago, founder Kay McKeen told WBBM they accepted some really old, unused vegetable oil that a woman found while cleaning out her grandparents' pantry in Carol Stream.
“I think it was August 1983 corn oil,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh, jeez.’”
While Thanksgiving is the busiest time at these oil collection sites, a dozen municipal facilities in DuPage County recycle cooking oil year-round to keep it from clogging pipes.
“This collection allows us to save money at our home, save money for our villages, but also to take that cooking oil and turn it into a biofuel,” she said.
That renewable energy can be used to power cars and planes. McKeen said they work with Green Grease Environmental to convert the leftover cooking oil.
Editor's note: Organizers previously stated that volunteers in Addison collected 365 gallons of leftover cooking oil. That number was incorrect and reflected the 2022 total. The 2023 total in Addison was 48.5 gallons. WBBM regrets the error.
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