The City of Arlington will join the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and seven other area cities in hosting the First Annual Region-Wide Holiday Grease Round Up December 6-13, 2014.

Arlington residents will be able to dispose of used cooking oil by putting the oil into a sealed, waterproof container and dropping it off at Tierra Verde Golf Course on December 6^th, 2014 between 8AM-Noon. Participating residents will be entered into a raffle for free rounds of golf at Arlington golf courses. Cooking oil collected at Tierra Verde Golf Course will be used to create biodiesel used to operate the golf course lawnmowers. Arlington residents may also dispose of used cooking oil (and other household hazardous waste products) at the Environmental Collection Center located at 6400 Bridge St, Fort Worth, TX, 76112. More information can be found at http://ceasethegreasentx.com/roundup.asp

"It’s really important that people dispose of cooking oil safely and not pour it down the drain, because it can block sewer drains, get into waterways and threaten wildlife," said Joe Gildersleeve, Water Resource Services Manager, City of Arlington Water Utilities, "Recycling the oil prevents water pollution, reduces landfill waste, and produces an alternative energy source which is cleaner and greener. By participating in this event, we hope to raise awareness about keeping fats, oils, and grease out of the drain as well as make it easy for our residents to recycle their used cooking oil."

NCTCOG and the participating cities are working with a wide range of non-governmental partners to make this event successful, including Dallas County Schools, Alliance Processors, Whole Foods, and the Audobon-rated Tierra Verde Golf Course.

Arlington, Addison, Cedar Hill, Coppell, Dallas, Fort Worth, Garland, and Mansfield are all hosting collection events for used cooking oil and grease between December 6-13. Information about all of the collection events can be found at http://ceasethegreasentx.com .