Restaurant Theft Shows Used Cooking Oil Becoming a Hot Commodity

Something other than Greek delicacies are a hot commodity at Ertan Makara's Roswell Road restaurant.

Last week, the owner of popular Makara Mediterranenan discovered a woman pumping used grease from a container into a white box truck at the back of his restaurant. The woman said she had a work order to pump it but could not produce any documents.

Sandy Springs Police say two women were involved in the incident. One of the women acted as a decoy inside the restaurant, according to Capt. Steve Rose.

The women escaped in the truck. The stolen grease is said to be valued at $100.

Information from Rose says the used grease can yield 30 to 40 cents per pound. Bigger rendering companies will turn leftover grease into animal feed, cosmetics, soap and other products. It is also a commodity for renewable fuels.