The so-called “brown grease” collects in the grease traps of restaurants, schools and cafeterias. It’s different from the grease used in deep fryers. Democratic Senator Christine Kehoe of San Diego calls it toxic:
Kehoe: “These contaminants include fat, oil and grease from food preparation, pesticides and industrial cleaners.”
Eateries pay to have brown grease hauled away. But Kehoe says the state doesn’t have a good system to track where it ends up. And she says illegal dumping is a big problem for sewers and waterways. Kehoe has written legislation that would require the State Water Resources Control Board to set up a program to track grease disposal. It would be paid for through a fee on grease haulers.