Cooking Oils are perhaps one of the most important ingredients found in our daily food habits. We use cooking oils to cook/fry or to dress different delicious dishes. Can you think of a day without consuming cooking oils? No, you can’t. But have you ever wondered what happens to those cooking oils after they are being used once? Can we reuse them? Can you through them in the ground with other junks or pour them in the kitchen sink? Go through this article to know all about USED COOKING OILS.
Statistics say that almost 63% of the people of the USA don’t like to cook at home. There are more than 70000 restaurants and another type of food businesses in different cities of California. These restaurants produce an unbelievable amount of Used Cooking Oils every month, approximately 3 billion gallons in all of the USA.
Did you know if used cooking oils can be treated properly, they can be found in different consumable and really useful goods? The leftover cooking oils can be processed into biodiesel that can contribute to national energy storage in a great way. Used cooking oils can also be turned into animal feeds, or different commercial goods such as solvents, paints, cleansers, lotions, tires, soaps, etc. Clearly, waste cooking oils can be a valuable resource if they can be treated in the right fashion.
It is obligated by the law all over the USA that restaurants or any type of business in the foods and beverage industry must handle their used cooking oils responsibly. It must not be dumped with other junks or poured in the kitchen sink but should be stored within the establishment, and hand them over to a licensed IKG Hauler (they are also called UCO Collector) when the time comes.
Cooking oils that have already been used once is toxic and obviously should not be used more than once. If UCOs are not treated properly and disposed of irresponsibly, that can result in various severe environmental damages, and the consequences might cost a lot. So, it is very important to increase the used cooking oil recovery rate, in fact, it is expected to increase by 2.6% in 2022 in the USA according to IBIS. While handing overused cooking oils one must also remember to select a used cooking collection company that is licensed by the government. It is very critical that the collection and recovery operation must be participated and implemented only by the experts for the best result.
There’s no doubt that recycling is the best way to dispose of used cooking oils but many restaurants still are not disposing of their used cooking oils in the right fashion. Lack of awareness is one of the prime reasons behind this irresponsible act. As mentioned above, used cooking oils can be recycled into different really useful things and can help both national and individual economies. Used cooking oils may seem dirty and sticky but also surely helps the environment once it is properly recycled.
Here’s why you should recycle your used cooking oils-
There’s no doubt that recycling is the best way to dispose of used cooking oils but many restaurants still are not disposing of their used cooking oils in the right fashion. Lack of awareness is one of the prime reasons behind this irresponsible act. As mentioned above, used cooking oils can be recycled into different really useful things and can help both national and individual economies. Used cooking oils may seem dirty and sticky but also surely help the environment once it is properly recycled.
- UCO as alternative sustainable energy source: One of the more popular products that used cooking oils are vastly recycled into is biodiesel which can easily replace petroleum-based diesel. Biofuels are also used in heating buildings or establishments. EPA (Environment Protection Agency) claims that biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 57-86%. So, by helping recycle used cooking oils into biofuels you’re helping sustain and expand this cleaner fuel source, therefore in ensuring a safe and green world.
- Recycling UCO can prevent different plumbing problems: Perhaps, it seems much easy and time saving to just to pour used cooking oils in the kitchen sink, but the consequences can be severe and costly. UCOs are sticky and can easily create clogs in the inside wall of your plumbing pipes, eventually can block the whole sewer system. When you run a restaurant or any type of business in the food and beverage industry, the last thing you want is a clog in your sewerage pipe which can cost you lots of money to repair or even shut down of your business for a while. Moreover, the oil that may get past your plumbing pipes can create blockage in the city sewerage system causing even a bigger problem.
- Recycling UCO can reduce your restaurant’s Carbon Footprint: The term ‘carbon footprint’ refers to the amount of greenhouse gas you generate, and the contribution of your restaurant in greenhouse emission. There’s no better way to reduce this other than recycling. Recycling used cooking oils is without a doubt the best way to reduce your carbon footprint as it redirects valuable materials for other uses rather than sending them to a landfill.
- Recycle your used cooking oils to create a better impression on your customers: We are all childrens of the nature, and share the same amount of responsibility towards our environment. Treating used cooking oils in a restaurant is parhaps the most irresponsible way to ruin mother nature. On the other hand, we can contribute in creating a greener, safer environment frinedly neighbourhood by simply recycling or helping to recycle used cooking oils, which will also create a massive positive impact on your customers mindset.
