Distinguish yellow grease from brown grease to route each to the correct recycling or disposal pathway

Steps

1. Confirm the waste stream's source: 'yellow grease' is generally used cooking oil collected directly from fryers/griddles into dedicated containers, considered relatively clean because it primarily contacted food during cooking rather than wastewater
2. Confirm 'brown grease' is the FOG and solids captured inside a grease trap/interceptor, generally considered contaminated because it has mixed with wastewater, food particles, and drain-line residue
3. Route yellow grease to a licensed cooking-oil recycler/renderer for processing into animal feed, industrial products, or biodiesel feedstock, using only state-licensed/permitted collectors
4. Route brown grease (interceptor waste) to a permitted grease-trap-waste transporter for disposal via landfill, or where locally available, to rendering, anaerobic digestion, or biodiesel-feedstock processing, recognizing that brown grease requires more purification and is generally lower-value than yellow grease
5. Confirm with the applicable state environmental agency (e.g., a state's rendering/collection licensing program) which permits or licenses apply to collectors of each grease type, since some states impose collector/transporter licensing specifically to curb theft and improper disposal
6. Determine which federal or state agency has jurisdiction over the specific end use (EPA, DOT, FDA, or state/local authorities can each have a role depending on whether the material becomes feed, fuel, or industrial input) before finalizing a disposal contract