Greasezilla Builds National FOG Infrastructure Network to Take Processing Burden Off Municipalities

By Trenchless Technology Staff September 30, 2026

Grease – known in the wastewater industry as FOG (fats, oils and grease) — is the most common cause of reported sewer blockages. It accounts for 47 percent of them, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Greasezilla, a product and service of Downey Ridge Environmental Co., announced the operational opening of its second regional processing hub in Ashland, Virginia. This is in advance of an additional 30-site national infrastructure expansion. One that is designed to take the burden of processing hauled grease-trap waste off municipalities. The regional hub advances a national rollout with a potential infrastructure value exceeding $150 million.

The challenge extends beyond keeping FOG out of sewer systems. Even when FOG is properly captured in grease traps, millions of gallons of collected waste must be hauled away for processing, requiring dedicated infrastructure to receive, process and manage the material.

“Cities have spent years working to keep FOG out of sewer systems, but the infrastructure for managing what gets captured hasn’t kept pace,” said Brian Levine, executive vice president of Greasezilla. “Our model is to invest the capital, build and operate a national network of regional processing centers, taking the burden off municipalities while giving haulers a fast, reliable place to unload.”

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The Ashland facility is the second build-own-operate (BOO) hub in Greasezilla’s national network, following Knoxville, Tennessee. It builds on Greasezilla technology already operating at 24 independently owned sites nationwide.

BOO Model

Greasezilla is now applying that proven technology to a BOO model. The company will develop turnkey regional infrastructure to receive, process and recover hauled grease-trap waste.

“Cities enforce grease trap rules to protect sewer lines, but haulers still need an efficient place to unload. It’s like requiring trash pickup without providing a landfill,” said Ron Crosier, CEO of Greasezilla. “Ashland gives haulers a reliable destination while protecting municipal infrastructure, without requiring municipalities to develop and operate their own FOG processing infrastructure.”

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Strategically positioned between Richmond, Virginia and Washington, D.C., the Ashland facility can process up to 15 million gallons of FOG annually. Intelligent receiving bays allow approved haulers to use fobs or access cards for around-the-clock access and offload in under 30 minutes. This reduces truck turnaround time. A supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) interface enables remote plant access. Automated traceability systems help ease the burden on drivers.

The system processes grease-trap waste without chemicals. It separates out brown grease that can be used as a feedstock for renewable fuels. Other recovered materials can be directed to applications including anaerobic digestion and composting. This supports Greasezilla’s operating principle that “Nothing Goes to Waste.”

With Ashland now joining Knoxville, Greasezilla is moving ahead with its nationwide expansion. The company’s site development team is actively pursuing locations in Wisconsin, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, Georgia and New Jersey.

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“We’ve spent years perfecting and deploying our core technology,” Levine says. “Now we’re scaling it as a nationwide infrastructure platform. Ashland demonstrates how we can build regional capacity around market demands and replicate that model across the country.”

SOURCE – Greasezilla