Table of Contents
Why your frying oil deserves a second life
Palm Beach County’s sewer lines average two major FOG (fats, oils, grease) blockages every week, most traced to kitchen drains. The Solid Waste Authority (SWA) runs a free recycling program that keeps roughly 108,500 pounds of residential oil out of pipes each year, then channels it into local biodiesel production. That closed loop system protects waterways, reduces taxpayer maintenance costs, and shrinks the county’s carbon footprint. If you’ve ever paid a plumber after a holiday fry fest, you already know the personal economics: a ten minute drop off beats a $250 emergency callout.
The regulations (and penalties) you should know
Florida Statute 403.413 makes it illegal to dump grease into storm drains, while Palm Beach County Ordinance 17 7 empowers code officers to fine homeowners up to $500 per incident. SWA’s Home Chemical & Recycling Centers (HCRCs) accept household quantities at no charge, but they cap containers at five gallons and refuse anything mixed with water or food scraps. Commercial kitchens must hire a licensed hauler; inspectors check manifests during routine health visits, so masquerading as “residential” can cost a restaurant its permit. Knowing these guardrails keeps you compliant and avoids surprise fees.
Drop off directory (seven countywide sites)
| Home Chemical & Recycling Center | Address & Core Hours |
|---|---|
| Jupiter (North County) | 14185 Military Trail; Mon to Fri 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| West Palm Beach | 6161 N. Jog Rd; Mon to Fri 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Royal Palm Beach | 9743 Weisman Way; Mon to Fri 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Lantana (Central County) | 1810 Lantana Rd; Mon to Fri 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. |
| Delray Beach – West | 13400 S. State Rd 7; Mon to Fri 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Delray Beach – East | 1901 SW 4th Ave; Mon to Fri 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Belle Glade | 1701 State Rd 15; Mon to Fri 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
All centers are drive through; attendants will direct you to a yellow “UCO” drum. Check holiday closures at swa.org or 561 697 2700 before loading the car. If you have more than 10 gallons of used cooking oil please call your local used cooking oil recycling company.
What to expect on site: step by step
Pull into the HCRC lane marked “Household Hazardous Waste.” An attendant verifies your container is residential sized (≤ 5 gal) and free of water. You’ll unscrew the cap, pour the oil into a 300 gallon collection tote, and keep your jug (they’re recycled separately). Average on site time is under five minutes; Saturday self service lanes in West Palm move fastest before 10 a.m. Pro tip from facility staff: leave the cap off for 30 seconds after pouring to let residual drips fall, saving clean up work for the crew and preventing slippery floors.
Preparing oil for transport (expert tips)
Let oil cool to room temperature; warm oil warps plastic and may trigger a spill inspection. Use HDPE #2 jugs (milk, OJ, or the original fry oil jug); wax coated cartons also pass muster. Strain out food bits with a metal sieve; the county’s biodiesel processor rejects loads with > 1% solids, and contaminated batches get land filled. Store sealed jugs upright in a shallow bin during the drive; SWA statistics show 40% of on site spills happen in the last mile when containers tip in trunks. Labeling “Used Cooking Oil – Palm Beach County” speeds the attendant’s visual check.
Alternatives: curbside events & pickup services
If mobility is an issue, watch for SWA’s quarterly “Grease Buster” pop ups at GreenMarket (West Palm) and Carlin Park (Jupiter); they feature on the spot collection and free funnel giveaways. During Thanksgiving week, SWA partners with Grease Connections to stage mobile tanks outside Publix stores, perfect for one off turkey fry gallons. Year round, licensed haulers such as Grease Connections will collect ≥ 30 gallons from HOA clubhouses for a modest fee and issue a recycling certificate, handy for condo board reporting. Always verify the hauler’s Florida DEP registration before scheduling.
After drop off: from kitchen to clean diesel
Your jug’s journey doesn’t end at the tote. SWA trucks the oil to a Doral biodiesel plant, opened in 2023 and scaled for 7.5 million gallons per year. There, the oil is filtered, esterified, and blended into B20 fuel that powers county fleet vehicles and standby generators. Each gallon recycled avoids 16 pounds of CO₂ compared with petroleum diesel, a climate benefit equivalent to taking 1,400 cars off I 95 for a day at current recycling volumes. The glycerin by product becomes soap and livestock feed, closing yet another loop.
