What’s cooking for that leftover kitchen grease after your Thanksgiving feast? Perhaps a second life as a local source of sustainably refined biodiesel fuel. A local partnership between King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division and General Biodiesel — working together to keep grease out of the sewer system — is offering safe disposal and recycling of unwanted cooking fats. By recycling used cooking oil into a locally produced biodiesel fuel to power cars, buses and trucks, everyone can contribute to a cleaner Puget Sound region.

Used or unwanted cooking oil and grease can be taken directly to one of the following drop-off locations either on the Island or in Seattle.

Mercer Island Presbyterian Church: 3605 84th Ave. S.E., Mercer Island (the collection tank is located just inside the north driveway).

General Biodiesel’s main office: 4034 West Marginal Way S.W., Seattle.

Drop-offs are open and publicly available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division wants to help people keep fats, oils and grease — also known as FOG — out of the sewer system, where it can contribute to line blockages and cause raw sewage overflows that put public health and the environment at risk. FOG can also cause clogs and back-ups in residential plumbing, leading to messy, expensive clean-ups.

King County and General Biodiesel offer these tips for residents looking to protect their plumbing through proper disposal of their holiday fats, oils and grease:

· Collect grease from pots, pans and grills into a safe transport container before taking to the above collection locations.

· Never pour oil or grease into a drain or toilet.

· Never put grease or meats in garbage disposals.

· If you cannot drop it off, put it out with your weekly garbage.

· Let grease solidify in the container before putting it out with your garbage.

· Before putting large amounts of cooking oil in the garbage, mix it with an absorbent material like sawdust or kitty litter. Consider dividing large amounts over several collection days.

· Put baskets and strainers in sinks to catch food scraps.

More information on keeping sewers “fat-free” is available at www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Education/ThingsYouCanDo/FOG.aspx or by calling (206) 684-1280 or 711 TTY.

General Biodiesel is a Seattle-based enterprise that processes and refines regionally generated used cooking oil, grease and renderings into EPA-registered, road-use biodiesel — local waste stream, creating local green economy jobs and producing low-carbon fuel for local use. Learn more about General Biodiesel at www.generalbiodiesel.com.