A local Chick-fil-A in Athens, Georgia, has had at least 700 gallons of used peanut oil stolen from the store’s dumpster in the past couple of months, USA Today reported Monday.
The manager of the restaurant reported a loss valued at around $2,000 as a result of the repeated heists, according to USA Today.
The latest theft reportedly occurred at around 3 a.m. on October 5 at the Atlanta Highway Chick-fil-A, before the oil was scheduled for recycling. Two suspects equipped with a rented U-Haul box truck managed to siphon off several thousand dollars’ worth of oil after cutting off the locks on the back gate where the grease trap was located, the manager told the police, according to the outlet.
The manager told police approximately 700 to 800 gallons of oil worth $2000 had been stolen. https://t.co/KrBUHCxahU
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) October 16, 2023
Theft of used cooking oil is “not uncommon,” Lt. Jody Thompson told Fox 5 Atlanta. (RELATED: Man Turns Himself In After Allegedly Stealing 200 Gallons Of Cooking Oil: Police)
“It can be refined and sold, and it can be used as fuel,” Thompson said, according to Fox News. “There are several different markets for the oil that recyclers can utilize.”
Restaurants often sell used cooking oil to biodiesel companies. The industry suffers losses estimated at $45-75 million every year from this type of crime, according to the Department of Homeland Security.