Along with copper one of the trendy items for thieves right now is frying oil. Thieves are stealing this as fast as they can get a hold of it.

While the processed oil is sold to cosmetic and fertilizer companies, the oil is also sold to biofuel companies, which use it to power vehicles with engines designed to run on frying oil. With gasoline prices hovering around $4 a gallon in recent months, the market for processed frying oil can precipitate thefts like the ones in Newburyport, New Hampshire last week.

In that heist, thieves got away with more than 2,000 pounds of processed oil from a local Chinese restaurant. Because of the value of the used cooking oil, restaurants save the oil to resell themselves.

The estimated the value of the stolen oil between $400 and $500.

Frying oil thefts are becoming an increasing problem, as thieves across the country have recognized the value of what most consider something to be discarded. Part of that reason, Bruno said, is the push by some to find alternatives to gasoline-powered cars. One alternative that has sparked a cottage industry of sorts across the country is adapting car engines to run on biofuels, such as used frying oil.

Is it just me or do things seem to be getting worse? How long before we have to worry about looters going through our compost pile?