Why is my collection bin missing… and where is my used cooking oil? This is the puzzling question that commercial kitchen operators have been pondering more and more over the past year, and will continue to think about as 2012 will be a year in which cooking oil theft is projected to increase. Last year, hundreds of thousands of gallons of used cooking oil was stolen as a result of rising oil prices and a discrepancy on how the perpetrators should be charged. This is leaving owners and law enforcement authorities baffled by what to do.

You can place looking mechanisms on the bins or move the problem inside, but the easiest way to prevent oil theft is simply not to store any on site. Sounds simple enough, but the oil must still be removed and recycled responsibly. Many kitchens are now turning to Filta for a bin-free solution. Many of our locations have outfitted their FiltaFry service vans with waste oil tanks and are able to remove the oil directly from the fryers at the time of cleaning. The response to FiltaBio has been overwhelming, and more and more commercial kitchens select the eco-friendly service that removes the bins and barrels from the service location. By removing the problem, pests and perpetrators find themselves looking elsewhere to satisfy their desires. From there, the oil is safely transported to be made into biodiesel, the environmentally friendly alternative to petrochemical-based diesel. So say “bye-bye” to your bins and barrels. Right from your fryer to the Filta van…no bin required. For information on the FiltaBio service, contact your local FiltaMan.

Earth Day this past April was a great celebration of the sustainability practices that various organizations, companies, and households have put into place. In light of these practices, Filta is a key provider of eco friendly solutions to the world. Filta is a proud supporter of organizations that help promote the environment and IDEAS at UCF is one of those organizations that Filta supports. Filta believes that IDEAS is a great representative of sustainability for the Earth and they parallel well with Filta’s stance on sustainability and the environment.

Intellectual Decisions on Environmental Awareness Solutions (IDEAS) is a youth-led, grassroots, International sustainability movement growing across universities, K-12 schools and communities around the World, providing people of all ages with the opportunities to grow their ideas and leave a positive impact for generations to come. The UCF chapter mission is to Educate, Engage, and Empower people of all ages in Sustainability through a database of resources, initiatives and experiential learning activities to create positive environmental change on campus and in their community.

The International Franchise Association recently held their annual conference in Orlando, FL where they announced this year’s Certified Franchise Executives (CFE). Tom Dunn, a long time leader in the franchise industry, was recognized at the annual conference as a CFE. This designation requires the completion of a meticulous academic study presented by the IFA’s Educational Foundation. The study program enhances franchising professionals’ understanding of both the industry’s fundamental and complex aspects. It also provides specialized knowledge, industry recognition, peer-level networking, and professional standing.

Mr. Dunn is very pleased to have earned this recognition and stated, “Since first joining the IFA several years ago, it was my goal to earn the CFE designation. The designation is given to those individuals who have dedicated their careers to franchising and have become students of our industry. I want to thank the employees of Filta, our Franchise Owners and Suppliers as well as my friends at the IFA for their support.” Currently, there are about 1,400 franchise executives that are enrolled in the program or have received their CFE certification, and over 300 IFA Member Companies have one or more executives enrolled in the program.

The IFA is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. Since its inception in 1960, the International Franchise Association has represented and protected the interests of the franchise community as well as the American entrepreneurial spirit. IFA’s mission is to protect, enhance and promote franchising through government relations, public relations and educational programs.

Saturday night’s game with the LSU Tigers vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide is the most anticipated matchup of the season. And while LSU goes into the game ranked #1 in the Polls, Alabama has the clear “Green” advantage. While the 100,000 plus fans enjoy the hospitality of Bryant Denny Stadium, there are a few companies behind the scenes that will be working to ensure those fans have a good time while reducing the environmental impact of the crowd. The University of Alabama, along with Centerplate, Southern Food Service and Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions, have created sustainability solutions to manage the large amount of cooking oil that will be used during the game.

Centerplate and Southern Food Services, who manage the majority of foodservice for Bryant Denny, turned to local Filta Franchisee JJ Paul to manage the cooking oil and deep fryers. It is his responsibility to ensure the stadium’s cooking oil and fryers are in top shape from event to event.

The services provided to the University have generated some impressive results. The Stadium now uses 4,200 fewer pounds of oil then it previously did. The reduction in oil consumption saves money, but it also creates a measurable reduction in environmental impact. To give you some perspective – That saves 8.6 Acres of land, 6.1 Million gallons of water and reduces carbon emissions by a whopping 3,287 pounds – that is the equivalent of planting 470 trees. The Green advantage clearly goes to the home team.

Centerplate specializes in the design and management of quick-serve, catering, restaurant and retail hospitality services to over 250 premier sports, convention, and entertainment venues across North America.

Southern Foodservice Management provides onsite dining, catering and vending services to business & industry, education and government clients. Founded in 1951, the Birmingham, Alabama-headquartered company provides quality food, great service, exceptional value and a pleasant experience to dining customers at client sites nationwide.

Filta has been named for the third consecutive year as a Best of Orlando recipient in the Green Services category. The U.S. Commerce Association “Best of Local Business” Awards Program recognizes outstanding local business across the nation. Award recipients are said to have achieved “exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category” by “enhancing the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.”

In 2011, Filta became a Three Time Award Winner, which places the company into the top 1% of Award recipients nationwide. Tom Dunn, Filta’s COO stated, “We are proud to have built a company that has been recognized as a top green company across the nation.”

On behalf of Filta, we would like to thank USCA for their recognition of the “green” and environmentally friendly services that Filta Franchise Owners provide to their respective markets.

All over the country, customers are enjoying the benefits of the FiltaFry service.

Take a look at what Katie Johnson, Food & Beverage Manager of the West Michigan Whitecaps has to say…

A recent video contest amongst the Filta Franchise Owner network resulted in the winner seen here.

Executive Chef of the Hilton Garden Inn, Neal Justice, gives his views on the FiltaFry service. It’s hilarious.

Chef Neal gave us a second interview (shortly before he returned to his trailer and demanded better lighting before he would come out again).

Forty years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever. While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity – an unprecedented opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous, clean energy economy now and for the future.

Earth Day 2010 can be a turning point to advance climate policy, energy efficiency, renewable energy and green jobs. Earth Day Network is galvanizing millions who make personal commitments to sustainability. Earth Day 2010 is a pivotal opportunity for individuals, corporations and governments to join together and create a global green economy. Join the more than one billion people in 190 countries that are taking action for Earth Day.

Visit http://www.earthday.org/