State Police warn Onondaga County businesses about used oil thefts
State Police said thieves are targeting used cooking oil because it can be turned into fuel. The warning reaches Onondaga County restaurants as theft attempts rise across Upstate New York.
New York State Police warned businesses across Upstate New York after multiple attempts to steal used cooking oil from restaurant storage tanks, a crime tied to the oil’s resale value. The alert is a business security issue for Onondaga County restaurants, where grease left outside or in accessible containers can now draw the same kind of attention seen elsewhere in the region.
Used cooking oil is no longer just kitchen waste. State Police said thieves want it because it can be recycled into fuel, and federal energy guidance describes recycled restaurant grease as a feedstock for biodiesel. That market value has turned a material that once had little worth into something worth stealing, especially from commercial kitchens that produce it in steady volume.
The warning lands as reports of used cooking oil theft have spread across Upstate New York. A separate report said attempts were on the rise in the Southern Tier, and another described State Police as looking into widespread reports of the thefts, underscoring that the problem is showing up in more than one part of the state. For Onondaga County operators, that means the risk is no longer confined to isolated restaurants or one county line.
State Police have urged businesses to protect their used cooking oil by installing security cameras around storage areas and keeping storage tanks well lit. Those are the most immediate steps now for restaurants that leave collection tanks, barrels or other grease containers outside the building or in dimly lit pickup spots.
Restaurant owners should also treat any tampering around grease storage as a warning sign. Containers that are moved, open, or left in low-visibility areas are easier targets, and the theft pattern described by State Police shows how quickly an ordinary waste stream can become a target when buyers exist on the other end of the market.
For restaurants in Onondaga County and across Central New York, the message from troopers is simple: used cooking oil has enough resale value to attract thieves, and unsecured storage makes that value easy to exploit.
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