Council approves pilot to capture restaurant brown grease, authorizes expansion up to 75 sites

The Government Efficiency, Innovation and Audits Committee on April 21 approved $200,000 to launch a Bureau of Sanitation “Fork to Fuel” pilot to collect contaminated kitchen grease (so-called “brown grease”) from restaurants and test its suitability as a renewable-diesel feedstock, and authorized up to $250,000 in additional funding to expand installations to a total of up to 75 food-service establishments (FSEs).

The pilot will cover planning, selection and installation of automatic grease-removal devices under sinks at up to 20 participating restaurants, plus outreach, inspections and initial collection and testing. The committee added an instruction allowing the Bureau of Sanitation to expend up to $250,000 more to expand the number of FSE installations if the department secures buyers for the feedstock and can demonstrate the project can scale.

Why it matters: grease that now often enters sewer infrastructure can cause blockages and require treatment; converting higher‑quality brown grease into a usable feedstock for renewable diesel could both reduce sewer maintenance costs and create a local circular‑economy product. The pilot also aims to test whether local biofuel producers will accept brown grease as a feedstock and whether a market can be established.

Karina Affleck, an environmental engineer in the Bureau of Sanitation’s industrial waste management division, told the committee the project will test automatic grease-removal devices that can produce material with roughly 90% grease content, compared with much lower concentrations from passive grease traps. “Right now what we’re seeing is brown grease… it’s very hard to establish exactly how much brown grease we can expect,” Affleck said, noting the pilot will start with up to 20 restaurants and focus on sites likely to generate more grease.

Affleck said the project team has discussed feedstock testing and potential partners with World Energy, a renewable‑diesel producer in Paramount that has agreed to accept the pilot samples and provide analysis. The department said the pilot also will track maintenance needs for the devices and coordinate required plumbing plans with Building and Safety and the County health department.

Committee discussion focused on scale and equity. Chair Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez urged the Bureau to target small, independent restaurants in environmental‑justice neighborhoods and asked staff to pursue plan‑check fee waivers where possible. Councilmember Bob Blumenfield pushed for clarity on market commitments from buyers; staff said World Energy has agreed to take pilot volumes and the department will seek additional buyers if the program expands.

Public comment included members of the Innovation and Performance Commission who said the commission prioritized projects that produce near‑term savings; Commissioner Rita Via said the commission had recommended holding some items because of the city’s tight budget but supported the Fork to Fuel and other projects the committee advanced.

The motion, made and called into the record by Chair Rodriguez, sets up a new appropriation of $200,000 from the Innovation Fund and authorizes the Bureau of Sanitation to “separately track all encumbrances and expenditures” and to return unspent funds at year end. The committee’s additional instruction authorizes the expenditure of up to $250,000 more to implement expanded FSE installations (up to 75 total), contingent on the department demonstrating market capacity and installation plans.

What’s next: the Bureau will select manufacturers and participating restaurants, submit plumbing plans for approvals, install devices, collect and have samples analyzed by the fuel partner, and provide progress reports and lessons learned to the Innovation and Performance Commission as required by the committee’s instruction.