TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — If you've ever been to Mississippi Mudds in Tonawanda, the cooking oil used for your french fries eventually makes its way to two containers outside in the parking lot.
Drivers like Mark Pokornowski with Buffalo Biodiesel pick up that used oil.
"The first thing I do when I get here is I evaluate the whole situation, so I walk over to the vats," Pokornowski explained.
But in his eight years on the job, Pokornowski has noticed a concerning trend.
"Have you ever been to a restaurant or business and the oil has been stolen," 7 News' Kristen Mirand asked.
"Oh yeah, lots of them," Pokornowski responded.
Restaurants have been selling their oil to Buffalo Biodiesel for 18 years now. At the facility in the Town of Tonawanda, Chief Operating Officer, Tom George said, they process the oil for refineries that turn it into biodiesel, but thieves are getting ahead of them.
"And then they are turning around and selling it to the refineries," George said, "This is starting to you know really be something that we need to take notice of and start reacting on it."
George said the company lost $10 million in revenue from these thefts, and this year they're on track to lose even more.
"This being an alternative to a fuel source, a petroleum source, it's so highly valued," he added.
"It's frustrating when you get there and it's empty from theft because like I said that's taking money out of everyone's pockets," Pokornowski said.
Now, Buffalo Biodiesel hopes more steps are taken to stop these thieves and end a problem that's hurting business.
"Well, I wish we could catch the people and stop the thefts because then everybody's life could be easier," Pokornowski said.
The company has added an investigator to help stop these thieves in their tracks.
