The value of processed fryer oil has increased, and there have been reports of thefts in multiple states.

Much to the surprise of many people, processed fryer oil, which is called [yellow grease](http://www.answers.com/topic/yellow-grease “Answers.com’s Yellow Grease Page”), is actually not trash. The grease is traded on the booming commodities market. Its value has increased in recent months to historic highs, driven by the even higher prices of gas and ethanol, making it an ever more popular form of biodiesel to fuel cars and trucks.

While there have been reports of thefts in multiple states, law enforcement officials do not compile national statistics and it remains unclear whether this is part of a passing trend or something more serious. The suspects in a growing number of grease thefts fall into a range of categories, as grease theft is a crime of opportunity. They include do-it-yourself environmentalists worried about their carbon footprints, warring waste management firms trying to beat each other on the sly, and petty thieves who are profiting from the oil’s rising value on the black market.

[Read](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/30/us/30grease.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin “Read the Article”) (New York Times)