August 26, 2010
That used cooking oil from your kitchen can power Dallas school buses
Dallas Water Utilities Grease Abatement Program is teaming up with Dallas County Schools to recycle used cooking oil into biofuel for county school buses
(Dallas, Texas) As children across the Metroplex go back to school this week, Dallas Water Utilities Grease Abatement Program (www.ceasethegrease.org) and Dallas County Schools (www.dcschools.com) are partnering to turn used cooking oil into environmentally friendly biofuel to help run the district’s 1,700 school buses. It’s a recycling campaign that will come full circle when the students who ride the buses (and their families) help fuel them.
“We are joining forces to recycle a challenging waste product that too often ends up in sewers and landfills instead of being recycled,” said Helen Cantril Dulac of Dallas Water Utilities. “This partnership will bring another resource to fuel the buses and we encourage the community to participate by recycling your used cooking oil. Pour it into a plastic container with a screw top lid and bring it to one of our recycling centers.”
Dallas County Schools (DCS) is one of the largest pupil transportation fleets in the U.S., transporting 60,000 school students daily. DCS, which operates school buses for Dallas and other school districts in the county, collects and recycles waste vegetable oil from restaurants and food manufacturers for use as biofuel. Now, the two organizations will work together to collect used cooking oil from residents across the city of Dallas.
“Promoting clean air by using alternative fuels is a priority for Dallas County Schools,” said Larry Duncan, president of Dallas County Schools Board of Trustees. “That’s why we’ve worked to incorporate biofuel into everyday transportation operations. In addition, biofuel reduces fuel costs, saves taxpayers money and reduces our dependence on foreign oil.”
Recycling cooking oil to biofuel is a fairly easy process. The cooking oil is transported to the district’s plant in Kleberg where it is cleaned and contaminants are removed through a filtering process. Once clear of debris and foreign substances, it is ready to be used as fuel or processed into biofuel, also known as B100. Biofuel is blended with regular diesel fuel to run the 1,700 school buses operated by Dallas County Schools. Biofuel reduces the production of greenhouse gases, particulate matter and other pollutants harmful to the environment.
Dallas residents can take used cooking oil to the Elliott’s Hardware on Maple Avenue in Dallas, the Green Spot Market and Fuels, Café Italiano, Richland College or Mountain View College. The oil should be placed in a plastic container with a screw top lid. Address locations can be found at www.ceasethegrease.org.
About Dallas Water Utilities Grease Abatement Program:
The Grease Abatement Program conducts public outreach to Dallas residents to decrease the amount of fats, oils and grease (FOG) in the sanitary sewer system. Grease causes frequent blockages in sewer pipes resulting in sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). An SSO is when untreated sewage is released into the environment before reaching the wastewater treatment plant. Grease related SSOs have been increasing over the years due to discharges of FOG by Dallas residents and businesses. This causes wastewater to back up in a pipe and flow out manholes. Untreated sewage can flow into storm drain inlets, creeks, lakes or rivers. If not addressed, SSOs can result in property damage, strong odors, and environmental, health and safety problems.
About Dallas County Schools:
Dallas County Schools (DCS) is a county school district providing services to independent school districts throughout the State of Texas. DCS consists of a team of more than 2,000 professionals providing services for more than 425,000 students within Dallas County and exponentially more statewide
