What to do with used cooking oil?
Cooking oil is one of the main contaminants on our planet, causing several environmental, structural and public impacts that are often irreparable.
Because it is a type of waste with so many impacts at various levels, it must be valued and, therefore, recycled. Find out how to do this in this article.
How to recycle used cooking oil?
Disposing of used cooking oil (UCO) down the sewer system is not an option due to the negative impact it has on our homes, soil, public water supply, waterways and the climate. But what are the solutions?
Place used cooking oil in oilers
After using the UCO, you should let it cool down to room temperature and then you can place it in a plastic bottle or jug with a screw cap or a container approved for this purpose. Then simply deposit the container in the appropriate place: the oil container.
Recently, Prio launched the Prio Top Level project through which it makes several oil dispensers available at its service stations, including an “advanced oil dispenser” that offers users a tank to store UCO.
With this project, the aim is to have more than 800 oil tanks spread from north to south of the country by 2020. The used cooking oil collected from Prio's oil tanks and other oil tanks in Portugal, such as those found in large commercial areas, is sent to a treatment and recovery unit for this waste to produce biodiesel.
A large part of the used cooking oil collected is converted into biodiesel, not only due to the high conversion rate (1000 litres of UCO can produce between 920 and 980 litres of biodiesel) but also due to the cost of producing fuel from this residue compared to other raw materials.
A smaller percentage of the collected UCO is used to produce soap or used as additives in animal feed, pesticides and biogas.
Add value to UCO in our homes in a homemade way
Another solution is to use UCO in our own homes by reusing this waste:
- Light the fireplace: simply place the wood in the correct position and soak a paper towel with a little oil. A quick and easy way to light the fireplace!
- Making eco-friendly candles: you can use the powders that The Greatest Candle in the World provides and, with the help of a microwave, transform them. You can do it another way: buy stearic acid and, together with the residue and essential oils, make candles with a pleasant smell.
- Making homemade soap: there are many procedures available on the internet. However, none of them are safe due to the use of caustic soda, which can cause burns. Therefore, using the SOAPY Kit is the safest and most fun way for any child aged 6 and over to obtain 100% biodegradable and dermatologically tested liquid soap from UCO. In addition to being able to recycle UCO, the kit can be an excellent way to teach your children about ecology and at the same time obtain a useful product for everyday use.
Now that you know how to recycle your used cooking oil, there is no reason to dispose of it inappropriately. Let's contribute to a more sustainable future.
