Why You Should Recycle Your Used Cooking Oil

Recycling your used cooking oil is simply the best thing you could do for your business, the environment, and the economy.

When you waste not, you shall want not. In business, you should try to get as much ROI as possible, and tell you what … the $6 billion used oil recycling industry will give you part of your money back.

Honestly, you have absolutely nothing to lose by recycling your used frying oil, and you have everything to gain. It is a win-win situation for you, for the environment, for your business and for the economy.

To explain the main benefits of recycling your old cooking oil, we shall divide the benefits into three. These are:

• Environmental benefits
• Economic benefits
• Health benefits

1. Environmental benefits

Imagine having a huge restaurant that generates tens of gallons of used fryer oil every day. Now, imagine not having a proper means to dispose of that oil, and having most of it ending up in the landfills. That would be debilitating for the environment.

But with the recycling industry growing fast, not even a drop of this oil has to end up in the soil, or in the sewerage systems.

Does not clog sewerage systems

Research shows that on average, a mid-sized restaurant produces about 7000 pounds of used cooking oil every year. The big ones can pump out up to 30,000 pounds of used oil a year.

If you run such a business, sensitize the kitchen staff such that they never pour any of this oil down the sink. If that happens, it will go to clog the sewer systems, and you could be fined for this improper disposal of the oil.

Since this oil has to pass through your kitchen plumbing system to get to the sewer, it will also clog your system. This will lead to costly repairs.

Can be recycled to bio-diesel

Imagine having all your restaurant supplies coming on trucks that run on bio-diesel, which was recycled from your used cooking oil. That is like eating your cake and having it!

When the recycling company collects your old cooking oil, it is taken through a complex process. It is stripped of all the food material, and the result is the purest biofuel that you can get anywhere.

Biofuel can be used for many things, among them powering trucks, cars, farm machinery, and many more.

Less landfill waste

Fast food restaurants generate copious amounts of used cooking oil, more than the average that we quoted. You do not want even a quarter of this oil to find its way into landfills.

Usually, if such oil would find its way into the landfills, it would leak to the water table and contaminate the water sources.

Less greenhouse emissions

Bio-diesel has fewer emissions, actually, 80 percent less as compared to fossil fuels. This is a win for the ozone layer. You will be doing mother nature one good turn.

2. Economic benefits

The used cooking oil collection industry is so big, and to mention just once more, it is a multi-billion dollar industry. This means it also pumps a lot of money in the economy.

Here are its economic benefits:

Direct and indirect employment

From the chemical engineers who work at the recycling plant, the drivers, the factory workers and many more, this industry employs so many people. It also employs the resellers who buy the bio-diesel in bulk and resell it in retail quantities.

Good for the local economy

The good thing is the people who work in an industry will spend the money they earn in their community. Therefore, this empowers communities, giving people more purchasing power and making lives better.

Lower repair costs

If you are disposing of your used cooking oil properly, there will be fewer plumbing costs to foot in your plumbing systems.

Cleaning is also easier, since there is less spillage of the oil in your kitchen. After the oil is cooled down, it is poured into the collection containers, to await collection.

It is a source of income for your business

The used cooking oil recycling company that you contract to collect your cooking oil is going to supply the collection containers. They will do this at no cost to you.

All you have to do is collect the used oil in these containers, cover it up and then wait for collection. In addition, the recycling company pays you for the oil. You earn money from your used oil.

Fewer costs

You will save money on your cleaning costs since there will be no oil spillages. You shall also save on the garbage disposal costs since there is less to dispose.

3. Health benefits

There are immense health benefits that we enjoy when we recycle used cooking oil. First, the authorities require you to practice proper disposal methods.

You are required to ensure that none of the used oil gets to the sewerage system by installing a grease interceptor, and maintaining it properly.

You will need to contract a reputable grease trap installation company to install the interceptor. The same company is going to do the work of maintaining the grease tank, and carrying away the old fats, oils, and grease that they collect.

It is cleaner for your business

This is another vital consideration, because oil spillages can increase the work load. However, spilled oil with food material attracts bugs, insects, bacteria and rodents. You surely do not want these baddies anywhere near your food business.

By having collection containers where all the old oil can be stored, you will be able to keep your business premises cleaner, and you will pass all the health compliance inspections.

Conclusion

There are tens of benefits of recycling your used cooking oil, which can be in very large amounts. Instead of trying to handle all of this oil on your own, just contract a good recycling company that can handle the oil disposal for you.

The best thing yet is that the company will pay you to collect your used oil. You will play a big part in propping up the local economy, and the biggest benefits are for the environment.

Whether you have a large food business that pumps out a lot of used cooking oil, or you have a small restaurant that gives a few gallons of used oil a day, please do your part. If not for the money, do it for saving the environment.