Free Used Cooking Oil Pickup in Tacoma & the South Sound

We collect fryer oil from restaurant kitchens across Tacoma, Fife, Puyallup, Federal Way, and the surrounding South Sound. You get a free locked bin, a digital manifest after every pickup, and no contract to sign.

Used cooking oil pickup truck servicing restaurants in Tacoma and Pierce County

5.0 on Google
From real restaurant reviews
Licensed & insured
Recycled into clean fuel
Free locked bin
Delivered and placed for you
Manifest every pickup
Inspection-ready, 7-year records

Free used cooking oil pickup

Free Restaurant Grease Pickup Across Tacoma and the South Sound

Used cooking oil pickup in Tacoma should be the easiest line item you manage, and for most South Sound kitchens it is the flakiest. The hauler stops returning calls, the bin behind the kitchen overflows before the next visit, and when an inspector asks for your grease records you are digging through a drawer of old invoices. We hear the same story from teriyaki shops on South Tacoma Way, seafood spots along Ruston Way, pho counters in Federal Way, and taco trucks near the Puyallup fairgrounds. Oil Guyz exists to make this boring again: free scheduled pickup for restaurants across Tacoma and the South Sound, no contract, no monthly fee, and a record of every gallon that leaves your kitchen.

Here is the whole arrangement. We place a free locked bin sized to your volume, right where you store oil today. The driver pumps it out where it sits. We never swap containers, and if you already use barrels or caddies we pump those in place too. After every pickup you get a digital manifest logging the date, gallons collected, who collected it, and where the oil went. Those are the exact fields Puyallup's sewer code requires kitchens to keep on file for three years, so the paperwork problem solves itself. The service is free because we are paid for the oil: it goes to a licensed renderer and becomes biodiesel feedstock and animal feed ingredients, with nothing sent to landfill.

Grease rules in the South Sound depend on whose sewer you are on. City of Tacoma Environmental Services enforces the FOG Management Policy for Tacoma and, through interlocal agreements, Fife and neighboring areas. Pierce County's Sewer Division inspects kitchens across its service area, including University Place, and samples discharge against a 100 mg/L grease limit. Auburn ties an approved FOG Control Plan to the business license itself, and Gig Harbor will not let a kitchen discharge interceptor effluent without an operational permit. Layer on the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, which inspects food establishments one to four times a year, and the fastest way to end any inspection conversation is a clean stack of pickup manifests.

Get Free Pickup in Tacoma

Free locked bin · No contract · No minimum. Service across Tacoma starts this week.

5.0 on GoogleCDFA-Licensed

Prefer to talk? Call (253) 322-7880

Why Oil Guyz

The typical hauler vs Oil Guyz

Same pickup. A very different experience for your Tacoma kitchen.

Typical hauler

Oil Guyz

Cost to you

Pickup fees, or your oil for nothing

Free pickup, free container

Contract

Long-term lock-in

No contract, cancel anytime

Missed pickup

Voicemail and excuses

A real person makes it right

Compliance paperwork

You chase the manifest

Emailed after every pickup, 7-yr records kept

Who answers

A call center, or no one

A real person who knows your kitchen

Why now

A county or health check can ask for your records any day, and switching costs you nothing. There is no contract to break and no gap in service. Get set up before your bin overflows or an inspector asks.

Get Free Pickup in Tacoma

Everything included

Everything your Tacoma kitchen gets, free

One plan that takes used cooking oil off your plate for good. Most haulers charge for pickup or lock you into a contract. Yours does neither.

Costs you nothing

Free pickup, free bin, free paperwork. We are paid for the oil, not by you.

Reliable, on your schedule

Scheduled pickups on the cadence you set. A real person owns your route.

Inspection-proof

A compliant manifest after every pickup. 7-year records kept.

Recurring scheduled pickupsWeekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. You set the cadence.Free
A commercial collection containerDelivered and placed where it works for your kitchen.$150 to buyFree
Compliant digital manifest after every pickupEmailed the moment your container is serviced. Inspection-ready.Free
7 years of records, kept for youProducing history for an inspection takes seconds.Free
A real person who answersNo phone-tag, no no-show black hole.Free
No contract, month to monthCancel anytime. No penalty, no removal fee.Free

Total cost to you

No contract. Cancel anytime.

Typically $150+ to set up elsewhere, plus monthly fees

It's free because we are paid for the oil, not by you. We recycle it into clean fuel, so pickup and the bin cost you nothing.

Claim My Free Bin + Pickup

Free sizing tool

Right-size your free bin in seconds

Tell us how much oil your kitchen goes through and we will show you the bin and pickup schedule that fits, no overflowing bins, no wasted trips.

Free bin, sized right

What size bin does your kitchen need?

We aim to fill it 75 to 90% in a month, so one monthly pickup keeps it from overflowing.

1. Pick the closest match

2. Used oil you make per week

gal / week

3. Where will it sit?

Monthly pickup

130-gallon outdoor bin

~83% full each month

A 130-gallon outdoor bin lands around 83% full over a month, so one pickup a month keeps it from ever overflowing.

Get my free bin (253) 322-7880

This is an estimate to get you close. We confirm the right bin when we place it, and if your volume changes we swap you to a better size at no charge.

Local compliance

Tacoma and South Sound FOG Rules for Restaurants

Verified 2026-07-04

FOG enforcement in the South Sound is split across sewer authorities, not one agency. City of Tacoma Environmental Services regulates food service establishments on Tacoma's wastewater system under Tacoma Municipal Code 12.08C.500, including the Fife, Fircrest, and Ruston interlocal areas, while Pierce County, Puyallup, Auburn, Lakehaven, and Gig Harbor each run their own programs. Wherever you cook, the core obligations are the same: keep a properly sized grease interceptor, clean it on the required schedule using qualified vendors, and keep the maintenance and oil collection records your authority demands.

Who regulates grease from your kitchen

City of Tacoma Environmental Services Department

Enforces the FOG Management Policy for all food service establishments on Tacoma's wastewater system, including the Fife, Fircrest, and Ruston interlocal areas

Official program page

Pierce County Planning and Public Works, Sewer Division

Runs the grease interceptor and pretreatment program for the county sewer service area; inspects restaurants and samples discharge against a 100 mg/L local limit

Official program page

City of Puyallup Public Works

City sewer utility; enforces grease interceptor and cooking oil recordkeeping rules under Puyallup Municipal Code ch. 14.06

Official program page

City of Auburn Public Works, Sewer Utility

Runs Auburn's FOG Reduction Program; a city-approved FOG Control Plan is required as part of the business license

Official program page

Lakehaven Water and Sewer District

Sewer district headquartered in Federal Way; its Pretreatment Section handles FOG and commercial pretreatment for district sewer customers

Official program page

City of Gig Harbor Wastewater Division

Administers the Grease Ordinance (GHMC ch. 13.30) and issues grease interceptor operational permits for the city-owned treatment system

Official program page

What inspectors expect from a Tacoma restaurant

Tacoma's FOG policy covers more than TacomaTacoma Municipal Code 12.08C.500
If your kitchen discharges wastewater containing FOG into Tacoma's system, the city's FOG Management Policy applies. That includes restaurants inside Tacoma plus the interlocal agreement areas of Fife, Fircrest, Ruston, and portions of Pierce County. Being outside city limits does not put you outside the program. Source: City of Tacoma FOG Management Policy Clarification Sheet (Jan. 2025)
Clean grease interceptors on Tacoma's scheduleTacoma Municipal Code 12.08C.500
Gravity grease interceptors must be cleaned by a licensed vendor at least twice a year, or sooner once FOG reaches 25 percent of a compartment's capacity. Hydromechanical interceptors get cleaned monthly, and even self-cleaning units need a licensed pumper every three months. Waiting for a backup is not a schedule. Source: City of Tacoma FOG Management Policy Clarification Sheet (Jan. 2025)
Report service within seven days, keep records five yearsTacoma Municipal Code 12.08C.500
Tacoma requires food service establishments to document every grease device maintenance activity, submit the report electronically within seven days of service, and keep hard copies on file for five years. If your current hauler leaves no paper trail, that gap is yours to explain, not theirs. Source: City of Tacoma FOG Management Policy Clarification Sheet (Jan. 2025)
Pierce County: interceptors required in the sewer service area
Most commercial food service establishments in Pierce County's sewer service area, restaurants, cafes, and bars included, are required to install a grease interceptor to control the fat, oil, and grease entering the public sewer system. If your building connects to a county sewer, assume this applies to you. Source: Pierce County Grease Interceptor requirements
Puyallup: pump in full every three months, keep three years of recordsPuyallup Municipal Code ch. 14.06, Article III (Ord. 2881 § 1, 2007)
Puyallup grease interceptors must be pumped in full every three months, or sooner once surface FOG and settled solids reach 25 percent of the unit's liquid depth. All maintenance and compliance records stay on site for at least three years, with a maintenance log posted at each device. Source: City of Puyallup Sewer Use Code excerpt (PMC ch. 14.06)
Puyallup regulates your cooking oil pickup paperwork directlyPuyallup Municipal Code ch. 14.06, Article III (Ord. 2881 § 1, 2007)
Puyallup is explicit about used cooking oil: collection and disposal records must be kept on site for at least three years, and each log entry must show the collection date, gallons collected, the company and person who performed the collection, and the disposal method. A pickup with no manifest is a compliance hole. Source: City of Puyallup Sewer Use Code excerpt (PMC ch. 14.06)
Auburn: no FOG Control Plan, no business license
Since 2010, any Auburn establishment that serves or prepares food where grease could reach the sanitary sewer must have a city-approved FOG Control Plan as part of the business license application. The program is built to meet King County Metro discharge requirements, so it is not optional paperwork. Source: City of Auburn Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) Program
Gig Harbor: a permit just to discharge interceptor effluentGig Harbor Municipal Code 13.30.112
Gig Harbor makes it unlawful to discharge grease interceptor effluent to the city's treatment system without a grease interceptor operational permit from the wastewater supervisor. If you are opening or taking over a kitchen in Gig Harbor, the permit belongs at the top of your checklist. Source: Gig Harbor Municipal Code 13.30.112

Your used cooking oil options, honestly

Free licensed pickup service

Best option

The route the authorities themselves point to. Pierce County tells restaurants to work with a hauler who knows local grease rules, and Auburn's guidance says to collect fryer grease and contact a grease recycler. A no-cost collection service that leaves a manifest after every pickup also satisfies the recordkeeping rules in Tacoma and Puyallup without adding a bill.

Get free pickup

Tacoma's household drop-off site (10-gallon cap)

Allowed, but

The City of Tacoma's Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 3510 South Mullen Street accepts cooking oil free, up to 10 gallons. It is aimed at households. A kitchen producing 20 to 100 gallons a month cannot realistically run disposal through it, and drop-offs create no paper trail for sewer authority records.

Paying a grease hauler

Allowed, but

Paid haulers exist, and for interceptor pumping you need one: Tacoma requires a licensed vendor and Auburn requires certified waste haulers for interceptor maintenance. For the fryer oil itself, paying is usually unnecessary. The oil has value, which is why collection services will take it at no charge and document every gallon.

What never to do: the drain or the dumpster

Never

Pouring fryer oil down the drain risks fines under Tacoma's code, and the Environmental Services Director can suspend wastewater service when a violation poses an environmental risk. A grease-caused backup also triggers mandatory reports: kitchen wastewater backups go to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, and sanitary sewer overflows go to the Washington Department of Ecology.

Which agency covers your city

Tacoma: City of Tacoma Environmental Services enforces the FOG Management Policy for city kitchens under Tacoma Municipal Code 12.08C.500.
Auburn: City of Auburn Public Works runs the FOG Reduction Program; a FOG Control Plan is tied to the business license.
Fife: Fife owns its collection system, but Tacoma Environmental Services is the FOG authority via interlocal agreement (treatment at Tacoma's Portland Avenue plant).
University Place: Pierce County's Sewer Division provides most sewer service and applies county grease interceptor rules and the 100 mg/L limit.
Puyallup: City of Puyallup Public Works enforces its own Sewer Use Ordinance, PMC ch. 14.06 Article III.
Federal Way: Lakehaven Water and Sewer District's Pretreatment Section handles FOG pretreatment for its sewer customers in the Federal Way area.
Gig Harbor: City of Gig Harbor Wastewater Division administers GHMC ch. 13.30 and requires a grease interceptor operational permit.

Primary sources (last verified 2026-07-04)

Rules change. We re-check these pages on a regular cycle, but your permit, your lease, and your inspector always win. When in doubt, call the agency listed for your city, or call us and we will point you to the right office.

What Tacoma kitchens say about Oil Guyz

Verbatim Google reviews from the restaurants we serve. On time, genuinely free, and the compliance paperwork is always handled.

5.0on Google

“These dudes really bailed me out of a tough situation. My previous oil collection service had been really screwing me over. Spent 4 weeks of unanswered phone calls, texts, and empty promises with a company we've been using for two years just to get a used oil recepticle, all to no avail. We were sitting on 6 fryers with of oil I that I had nowhere to put. Called Joey and The Oil Guyz and he got me set up just a few hours later. Used oil container, service agreement, answered all of my questions. We're running a very odd program where our schedule is all over the place, so having a "regular" pick up schedule is out of the question. We worked out a way for quick/easy retrieval in about 5 minutes. Can't recommend these guys enough.”

Myk Espinoza

Oakland Ballers · Oakland, CA · Google review

“Joey took care of our needs quickly, efficiently and professionally. I highly reccoemnd his service to anyone!”

Kengo Kido

Google review

“Prompt response from Joey. Great service with problem solving. Highly recommended!”

Brenda Wu

Google review

“Fast and great to work with!”

Camille Bamford

Google review

“Fast efficient service”

John Kim

Google review

“These dudes really bailed me out of a tough situation. My previous oil collection service had been really screwing me over. Spent 4 weeks of unanswered phone calls, texts, and empty promises with a company we've been using for two years just to get a used oil recepticle, all to no avail. We were sitting on 6 fryers with of oil I that I had nowhere to put. Called Joey and The Oil Guyz and he got me set up just a few hours later. Used oil container, service agreement, answered all of my questions. We're running a very odd program where our schedule is all over the place, so having a "regular" pick up schedule is out of the question. We worked out a way for quick/easy retrieval in about 5 minutes. Can't recommend these guys enough.”

Myk Espinoza

Oakland Ballers · Oakland, CA · Google review

“Joey took care of our needs quickly, efficiently and professionally. I highly reccoemnd his service to anyone!”

Kengo Kido

Google review

“Prompt response from Joey. Great service with problem solving. Highly recommended!”

Brenda Wu

Google review

“Fast and great to work with!”

Camille Bamford

Google review

“Fast efficient service”

John Kim

Google review

Coverage

Cities we serve in Tacoma

One Tacoma route, 24 cities. The same free pickup, free locked bin, and compliance manifest everywhere on the route.

Auburn Federal Way Fife Gig Harbor Puyallup Tacoma University PlaceDes MoinesKentLakewoodParklandSeattleSpanaway

More Tacoma communities on the route

Bonney Lake:: Pickup routes cover SR-410 Commercial Strip, Lake Tapps Parkway and Sumner-Tapps Highway.
Burien:: Pickup routes cover Olde Burien, Town Square and SW 152nd Corridor.
DuPont:: Pickup routes cover Center Drive Village Core, Northwest Landing and Hoffman Hill.
Lacey:: Pickup routes cover Martin Way Corridor, Hawks Prairie and Marvin Road.
Olympia:: Pickup routes cover Downtown Olympia, Capitol Campus and Capitol Way.
Renton:: Pickup routes cover Downtown Renton, The Landing and South 3rd Corridor.
SeaTac:: Pickup routes cover Airport Hotel Corridor, International Boulevard and Angle Lake.
Steilacoom:: Pickup routes cover Lafayette Street Waterfront, Historic Downtown Core and Ferry Terminal District.
Sumner:: Pickup routes cover Downtown Sumner, Main Street Historic District and SR-410 Corridor.
Tukwila:: Pickup routes cover Westfield Southcenter, Southcenter Boulevard and Strander Boulevard.
Tumwater:: Pickup routes cover Brewery District, Tumwater Falls and Capitol Boulevard.

Tacoma local line:

(253) 322-7880

Oil Guyz Service Area in Tacoma County

We provide free used cooking oil pickup and recycling to restaurants throughout Tacoma County and surrounding areas.

Open in Google Maps

Restaurant Outside Tacoma?

Oil Guyz is expanding fast. Drop your state and city and we will email you the moment we light up your area.

No used cooking oil pickup in your area yet?

Tell us your city. We’ll text you the day free pickups reach you.

Answers

Used cooking oil pickup in Tacoma, FAQ

Yes. We are paid by the renderer that turns your oil into biodiesel feedstock and animal feed ingredients, so we do not need to charge the kitchen. There is no contract, no monthly fee, and no per-pickup charge, and the locked bin is free too. That is also why a paid fryer-oil hauling bill is worth questioning: the material has value. Kitchens producing roughly 250 gallons or more a month can ask about a rebate when they sign up. For everyone else the deal stays simple: the oil gets collected on schedule, you get a manifest for your records, and nothing hits your P&L.

Most kitchens get their first pickup within a week of signing up. If a bin is already overflowing, call us; we often make it out the same day. Phones are answered around the clock, and a team member picks up, so a Friday-night grease problem does not have to wait for Monday. From there, pickups run on a schedule matched to your fryer volume, whether you are in Tacoma, Puyallup, Auburn, or out on the Gig Harbor side. If the pace turns out wrong, we adjust it. You can also see your pickup history and manifests in the online portal whenever you need them.

A free locked bin sized to your volume, placed where you store oil today: behind the kitchen, in the alley enclosure, wherever the oil already lives. The driver pumps it out right where it sits, so the bin your staff knows never moves and stays locked between pickups. We never swap containers. Already using barrels or caddies? We pump those in place too, so nothing about your setup has to change. There are no rental fees, no deposits, and no charge if the bin ever needs to be replaced.

It goes to a licensed renderer, where it is processed into biodiesel feedstock and animal feed ingredients. Nothing goes to landfill. Under Washington rules, that is exactly how the state wants this material handled: the Department of Ecology's used oil standards (WAC 173-303-515) expressly exclude vegetable oil, so used cooking oil collected for recycling is not managed as dangerous waste the way petroleum oil is. What matters for your kitchen is the record. Every pickup ends with a digital manifest showing the date, gallons, collector, and destination, the same information Puyallup requires in a cooking oil collection log and any inspector will recognize.

Almost certainly, if you are on a public sewer. Pierce County requires most commercial food service establishments in its sewer service area to install one. Puyallup's code sweeps in restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels, hospitals, grocery stores, school kitchens, and butcher shops. Gig Harbor sizes the requirement by drainage fixture units: zero to four are exempt, five through nine need an approved hydromechanical interceptor, and ten or more require a gravity grease interceptor. Tacoma sets the cleaning schedule for whichever type you have. The one thing an interceptor never handles is the fryer oil itself; that gets collected separately, which is where a pickup service comes in.

It depends on the city, and the retention periods are real. Tacoma wants every maintenance activity documented, reported electronically within seven days of service, and hard copies kept for five years. Puyallup requires interceptor records on site for three years, plus a separate cooking oil collection log showing date, gallons, collector, and disposal method. Auburn requires maintenance logs for every business with a grease retention device. Gig Harbor wants trip tickets and a service log kept on premises for at least three years. A digital manifest after every oil pickup covers the cooking oil side of that stack automatically, which is exactly why we send one every time.

No, and the enforcement here is not theoretical. Tacoma's code authorizes fines for FOG violations, and the Environmental Services Director can suspend a building's wastewater service when a violation poses an environmental risk. Pierce County staff inspect restaurants across the sewer service area, can sample your discharge, and hold it against a 100 mg/L grease limit. If grease causes a backup or an overflow, reporting is mandatory: kitchen wastewater backups go to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, and sanitary sewer overflows go to the Washington Department of Ecology. Free collection exists, so there is no scenario where the drain is worth it.

No. The Washington State Department of Ecology's used oil management standards (WAC 173-303-515) define used oil as refined petroleum or synthetic oil, and the state's guidance lists vegetable oil as expressly not used oil. So fryer oil collected for recycling is not handled as dangerous waste. That does not make it unregulated: your sewer authority still bars it from the drain, and cities like Puyallup still require collection records on site. It mostly means recycling is straightforward. The oil rides to a licensed renderer, becomes biodiesel feedstock or animal feed ingredients, and the manifest documents the chain from your kitchen to the destination.

Get Free Used Cooking Oil Pickup. First Stop in 3 to 5 Days.

Picture the bin that never overflows and the compliant digital manifest already in your inbox. Used cooking oil pickup is free because we are paid for the oil, not by you. Every week you wait is another overflowing bin and another gap in your records. Free locked bin, confirmed in 24 hours and dropped this week, first pickup in 3 to 5 business days, no contract, cancel anytime. New routes are scheduled in the order they come in, so get on the list today.

Get My Free Pickup (714) 880-4788

Or call (714) 880-4788 and talk to a real person today.