Thing: Greasy recycling bin

>> Where does all the used oil from the deep fryer go? Back into your next burger, the roundabout way
by PHILIP PREVILLE

You spot them from time to time, in back alleys and on sidestreets around the corner from your favourite greasy spoon: big iron boxes with a French-language label marked "recyclage de graisse de restaurant." Yes, it means what you think it means. Grease is recyclable.

Grease storage: The bin's exterior is made of steel; lift the lid and you'll find a series of 45-gallon steel drums. When time comes to clean the kitchen of your local restaurant, the vegetable oil (or pork fat, or beef fat, or combination thereof) that's been in the deep fryer, cooking all the fries and chicken burgers, gets dumped here. Some joints change the oil twice a week, others let it linger far longer--technically it can stay fresh (or at least not rancid) for weeks.

Grease collection: There are a handful of grease recycling companies in Quebec; this bin belongs to Recyclage Kébec, the province's largest grease recycler. Their trucks do the rounds regularly, collecting the 45-gallon drums of coagulated grease and transporting them to the company's treatment plant at the eastern tip of the island.

Grease purification: Once at the plant, the grease is put into a large vat and heated until it melts. The company uses a vibrating steel mesh to remove all the stray fry bits and petrified chunks of the Colonel's secret recipe. They then separate the water from the oil using a decanting process. The grease is then heated one last time to burn off any impurities, and the job is done.

Grease reconsumption: From there the recycled grease--now a purified mixture of cow, pig and vegetable fats--is sold to farms and animal-feed companies. Farms mix the "re-grease" with grains and other foodstuffs, then feed it to chickens, cattle and other livestock. "It adds protein to their intake," explains Recyclage Kébec's Marc Hamelin. Once fattened up on re-grease, the animals are then slaughtered for human consumption.

Final factoid: Hamelin would not divulge how much grease Recyclage Kébec collects. But he did say that, at last count, there were over 15,000 restaurants across Quebec. This being the poutine province, that's a lot of grease. :