Summarize the following:
Locate a source for vegetable oil that has been used in cooking. Contact local fast food restaurants, cafeterias, hotels and other commercial food establishments to see if you can take their waste oil, or pay a very small fee for it. You may compete with rendering companies, who also pay restaurants to take used oil off their hands. Try a restaurant that sells a lot of fried food, like French fries or fried chicken, as they are very likely to have large quantities of used oil that they need to dispose of. Ask restaurants if they use canola or olive oil, as these are typically the best oils for creating biodiesel. Avoid hydrogenated oils, which are generally higher in Free Fatty Acids and cause problems in biodiesel production. You can buy new cooking oil from the grocery store, but using waste oil is less expensive and helps reduce waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill or in sewer pipes. Look at the oil you obtain to roughly determine its quality. It should look darker than fresh or unused vegetable oil, and will likely include small food matter left from the frying process. If the oil appears milky or cloudy, do not use it, as it is likely too high in water content and/or animal fats, which will interfere in the biodiesel production process. Make sure to follow the proper procedures to dispose of cooking oil that you do not use. Contact your local waste management company or ask the restaurant you obtained the oil from to find out how they safely dispose of the oil. Take any transparent plastic jug from juice, soda, or any other household product and pour your used oil into it for storage. Ensure that any storage jug is completely clean, dry, and free of any other residue or materials, including water. Use a container with a tight lid and no cracks or leaks. The oil may already have come to you in an acceptable container when you obtained it from a restaurant or other source. However, you will need several clean containers (at least 3) on hand for storing oil at each stage of the filtration process. Label oil containers, and all other materials used in biodiesel production, clearly. At this stage, you can label the oil as "used oil" or "unfiltered oil" in order to avoid confusion in later steps of the process.
Obtain used cooking oil. Examine the oil. Pour your oil into clear plastic containers.