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Q&A
Council Member Paladino inquires about yellow and brown grease disposal
2:12:52
ยท
3 min
Council Member Vickie Paladino engages in a Q&A session with Commissioner Liz Crotty about the differences between yellow and brown grease, their disposal methods, and related issues in waste management. The discussion covers the recycling potential of different types of grease and touches on some unexpected aspects of the grease disposal industry.
- Yellow grease can be recycled for biofuel and has a secondary market, while brown grease cannot be resold.
- The conversation reveals the existence of a secondary market for items typically considered as garbage, such as cardboard and grease.
- An anecdote about grease theft in Nassau and Suffolk counties highlights the value of recyclable grease.
Vickie Paladino
2:12:52
Can you explain to me please what is the difference in yellow grease and brown grease and I mean, sounds really dumb and I'm sorry for that, but I just need to know.
Liz Crotty
2:13:05
I I'm not an expert in grease either but per Google, yellow grease is clean grease that can be recycled for biofuel and there is a secondary market for that yellow grease.
2:13:19
Brown grease has been tainted by fats, oils and waste water and water.
2:13:27
So that comes from a restaurant, should I Yes, and that cannot be resold.
Vickie Paladino
2:13:32
Resold, right.
Liz Crotty
2:13:33
That's the basic difference between yellow grease has a secondary market.
2:13:39
And I think, tell the woman, the interesting thing about garbage that people do not really realize who are not in garbage is that there is a tremendous secondary market for some of the items that people refer to typically as garbage, cardboard being one of the largest ones, grease being the second one.
Vickie Paladino
2:14:00
Interesting.
Liz Crotty
2:14:01
Yeah.
2:14:01
So it's very interesting but and very niche as we like it.
Vickie Paladino
2:14:05
It is but it's very good.
Liz Crotty
2:14:06
Yeah.
2:14:07
So
Vickie Paladino
2:14:07
I mean, it makes but where do you where do you bring this enormous amount of Greece that I'm sure you collect?
2:14:15
Where does it go?
Liz Crotty
2:14:16
It has to go to specific, I'm sure, transfer stations.
2:14:19
Also to anecdotally, BIC has worked with the State Department of DEP in investigations and in Nassau and Suffolk.
2:14:28
We've had other grease investigations because interestingly, this is very off topic, but when you are in a restaurant in New York City, it's it's inside the restaurant.
2:14:38
But in Nassau and Suffolk or outside of New York City, usually the grease is stored outside and there is a theft ring of that grease since there is a recycled market on it.
2:14:50
And I think Nassau about a year or two ago, had a whole investigation in which we
Vickie Paladino
2:14:55
we participated.
2:14:56
It just sounds doesn't it sound like a little funny?
2:14:59
I mean, I don't mean to make I mean, because anything that can be recycled and reused, obviously, at the weight the way that 8,000,000 people in the city of New York generate garbage is all good.
2:15:12
You know, I was just it just sounded funny.
2:15:15
I wanted to be able to explain to people exactly what we're talking about here.
2:15:19
Now just, if you're at a service station and you're getting your oil changed, is that oil?
2:15:27
Is that grease?
2:15:28
And what do we do with that?
Liz Crotty
2:15:29
You know, I I that's beyond my pay grade.
2:15:32
I don't
Frank Marshall
2:15:32
know.
2:15:33
I I didn't
Liz Crotty
2:15:33
appreciate it.
2:15:34
I'm sorry.
2:15:35
But I'm sure we could we could No.
2:15:36
That's good.
2:15:37
But I mean, I I do try and stay conversational on the items that we do haul.
2:15:44
So that is, you know, yellow grease is not I don't think it's typical of automotive grease.
2:15:50
I think it's cooking grease.
Vickie Paladino
2:15:53
Thank you very much.
2:15:53
I appreciate your sense of humor as well.
2:15:55
Thank you.
Shaun Abreu
2:15:56
Thank you.
2:15:56
This panel is officially excused.
Liz Crotty
2:15:58
Okay thank you.