Would you steal used kitchen grease?

The Detroit News ( April 9) reports that 2 men were busted in Westland, a suburb of Detroit, for trying to steal nearly 1,000 pounds of so-called "yellow grease" from a coney island restaurant. They were trapped in the alley behind the restaurant by a legitimate grease disposal company employee, who blocked them in with his car. They are apparently part of an organized ring of grease thieves operating in souheastern Michigan. The grease would have been worth about $160.

This kind of used cooking oil can easily be used for biodoesel, and it's market value closely parallels the price of crude oil. In Ann Arbor Michigan, the enterprising owners of some Mexican food joints have put 2 used car rental company minibuses on the road as "Party Buses" around the University of Michigan campus. They installed biodiesel conversion kits in them, painted them red, and provide discount transportauion in the campus/downtown area. They are also available to fraternities, sororities, and other organizations who need group transportation.

The exhaust from these vehicles is reported to smell like chimichangas.