Who cares about the Grease Bin?
Restaurants are busy places once again, and how to care for the grease bin is never top of mind. But, if your grease bin sits out back or on the side of your restaurant, it is a reflection of your restaurant and makes an impression on the many customers who will see it as they enter your restaurant. You wouldn’t want them to see this grease bin:
Can you forgive them for thinking twice about going into a restaurant whose food bin looks like a mess? Here is how to care for the grease bin.
Carrying heavy pans of grease
Make sure your grease bin is accessible. A clear path, free of obstructions, is critical to the safety of employees who have the unenviable job of hauling grease. Place it close to the kitchen and be sure there is a clear and easy path from kitchen to bin. Spilled grease can result in employees slipping, falling or getting burned.
Pouring the oil in the grease bin
Lift the lid, ensure there is room to pour—and pour carefully—through the grate. Make sure you are pouring only used cooking oil and not waste water or foodstuffs. Take your time. Ensure the area is well lit.
Pouring things other than cooking oil will contaminate your oil, cost your UCO collector money and possibly prevent you from getting a rebate.
After you pour the oil, wipe down the lid, the grate and the side of the bin. Oil can harden quickly in winter weather. Hardened oil on the grate can block the next pour and cause spills. Oil running down the side of the bin will make for slips and falls on future trips.
Close the lid of the grease bin
Yes it is obvious, but don’t forget to close the lid. UCO collectors see open lids all the time. Leaving it open allows rainwater and other contaminants in, which might prevent cost-effective recycling of the oil into biodiesel fuel costing your restaurant money.
Cleaning up the inevitable spills
Invariably spills will occur, both in the kitchen and outside. Keep a bag of kitty litter onhand to soak up the spill immediately after it occurs. Leaving oil on the floor or sidewalk is a prescription for disaster and possibly a lawsuit. Slips, burns and falls cost restaurants $12B each year.
What about an indoor system?
The best solution, if you have the space, is to switch to an indoor UCO system and eliminate the trips to the grease bin and the inherent risks. With a direct connect system to transfer oil your employees never have to handle hot oil again. The safest and easiest solution is here.
Call Rebirth Biofuels today to discuss your options