Empty gallon vinegar jugs and used vegetable oil are bolstering a fresh business idea in Polk County.
A collaboration between Mountain View BBQ’s Shane Blackwell and Be Kind Solution’s Tawana Weicker has allowed the restaurant to become greener in an innovative way that has been quickly catching on around the country in recent years.
Blackwell and his staff collect used vegetable oil from their fryers and trade it with Weicker, who then uses it to create biodiesel and cleaning solutions and soaps with the glycerin byproduct.
In return, Mountain View gets a handy supply of cleaning solutions and soaps to use around the restaurant.
“The product I was having to buy to clean up grease and such in the restaurant, you had to wear eye protection and hand protection. You don’t have to with this – it isn’t harsh,” Blackwell said.
Mountain View cashier and Blackwell’s sister-in-law Elizabeth Russell first spurred Weicker’s interest in biodiesel, and two months ago served as the catalyst for pulling the restaurant on board.
Weicker, who was Russell’s English teacher in high school, heard the then senior speak about biodiesel production as part of her senior project. Weicker began doing research on her own and learned she could get a lot of use out of the alternative fuel.
Now she takes used vegetable oil from Mountain View, filters, processes and cleans it. When she separates the glycerin from the biodiesel, Weicker must distill and refine it for 40 hours before transforming it into her non-toxic products.
“I honestly don’t use any other soap now,” Russell said. “This is better for the environment. You could eat it and it won’t harm you.”
Mountain View washes dishes with the solution and uses it for hand soap in the restrooms. Blackwell said they now carry the products for sale as well.
Blackwell said he believes consumers would be surprised by how effective the product is and by how good it makes them feel to support a new local venture.
To learn more about Be Kind Solutions, visit bekindsolutions.blogspot.com.