Scotland Police has announced that organized crime gangs are targeting fish and chip shops, fast-food outlets, and other restaurants to steal used cooking oil and then resell it.
"I think this is a major problem on a national level, with the cost of a single barrel ranging between £30 and £40 ($40-50). If you are traveling at night and targeting 10 outlets regularly, that is considered a good income," said Andrew Crook, chairman of the National Federation of Fish Friers.
Grant Cranston, a partner in Hilton restaurant ownership, told BBC Scotland's "Breakfast" program that he was alerted to the risk of thefts in the city through a newspaper article. He said: "I reviewed the CCTV and noticed that the used oil container had been moved slightly, which surprised me. I then rewound the video by about 30 minutes and found a person stealing the used oil."
Typically, this oil is left in containers outside the premises to be collected and recycled for potential use as biofuel—a renewable fuel used in transport such as buses and tractors. UK government statistics indicate that approximately 70% of the biofuel produced in the United Kingdom is made from used cooking oil.
Throughout Scotland, 178 incidents of cooking oil theft were reported between April and October of last year. Prices paid by food suppliers for the oil vary depending on the quantity available for collection and its quality, but according to sector experts, a restaurant could get around 30 pence (less than a dollar) per liter.
On average, used cooking oil theft costs the British treasury £25 million ($34 million) annually in lost customs duties. According to Scottish Police, the total losses incurred by food service companies last year amounted to around £20,000 ($27,000).
The used oil is often sold to licensed oil recycling companies, which in turn manufacture products like biodiesel, whose use has grown significantly with advancements in fuel production technology.
