MILLBRAE, CA — Since the implementation of a new grease-receiving method in January 2007, the city's Water Pollution Control Plant has recycled 1 million gallons of used kitchen grease, a milestone that will be celebrated this morning during a ceremony at the plant.
The grease-recycling system, designed by plant superintendent Joe Magner and former superintendent Dick York, has decreased the city's carbon footprint by 1.2 million pounds in the past year and provides 80 percent of the power needed to run the plant, according to the city.
The approximately $6.1 million project is entirely self-funding, earning money from reduced electricity purchase costs and revenue from the waste grease hauling company Liquid Environmental Solutions.
"We're extremely proud," Mayor Gina Papan said last week. "It's a fabulous program that really makes you realize what impact a single city can have in affecting the environment."
Papan also commended city staff "for reaching outside the box and coming up with this innovative idea."
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