Article: From Deep Fryer to Fuel Tank; Leesburg Trolley Runs on Discarded Vegetable Oil

When gas prices soared last summer, John Larson didn't fret. And he didn't buy a hybrid car. Instead, the Leesburg resident whipped around town in his Volkswagen Beetle that was powered by a diesel engine he equipped to run on vegetable oil.

If it worked for his Beetle, perhaps it could work for local buses, Larson reasoned. So he approached Leesburg officials about converting the Town Trolley.

Because of Larson's efforts, the trolley is running on cooking oil discarded by local restaurants -- a green milestone that town and transit officials celebrated Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"You don't see that every day," Leesburg Mayor Kristen C. Umstattd said as she looked at a ...

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