Sugarloaf Purchases 500 Gallons of Biodiesel Made from Area Waste Oil
CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine — Expanding a program launched last year, Sugarloaf, Maine’s premier ski and golf resort, has purchased 500 gallons of biodiesel from Bean’s Commercial Grease in Vassalboro, and plans to run all of its off-road diesel engines on a biodiesel blend.
The 500 gallons of biodiesel were made from waste vegetable oil from Sugarloaf’s many restaurants, and will be mixed with 10,000 gallons of standard off-road diesel, creating a B5 mix that will be used in the resort’s off-road vehicles, including shuttle buses and grooming equipment.
Mike Wiltse, a Sugarloaf Ski Patroller who launched the biodiesel program last year, collected the vegetable oil from the resort’s restaurants throughout the winter and transported it to Bean’s Commerical Grease Inc., producers of GreenBean Bio Fuel.
Wiltse, who produced 350 gallons of biodiesel for Sugarloaf last year in his own factory, this year turned to Bean’s Commercial Grease in order to meet a higher demand at the resort.
“It allowed us to produce more than I would have been able to produce by myself,” Wiltse said. “We’re still working out the bugs as to how to streamline the whole process, but our eventual goal is to use 100 percent of waste grease from area restaurants toward the biodiesel project.”
According to Wiltse the amount of vegetable oil collected this winter amounts to roughly 1.5 months worth of grease for Sugarloaf’s restaurants.
Burning biodiesel or biodiesel blends reduces the emissions of numerous pollutants, including sulfur, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter. The biodiesel project is part of Sugarloaf’s and parent company Boyne Resorts’ ongoing efforts to reduce their environmental footprints, including initiatives such as enhanced recycling programs and more energy efficient snowmaking procedures using Boyne Low-E Fan Guns.
About the Sugarloaf Resort – Located in Carrabassett Valley, ME, Sugarloaf is recognized as one of the top winter and golf resorts in the world and is home to the only lift-serviced above treeline skiing and riding in the East and one of Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses. Sugarloaf is a member of the Boyne Resorts family of resorts and attractions.