I remember while my daughter was younger, I used to push her around the neighbourhood in her pram for walks. Frequently, I was able to pick up some discarded cuttings in the park to grow in my garden. Now and then, I was even able to bring home stuff that had been thrown into trash bins because of my artistic calling to create something out of them.
I cannot be doing that in America or I will be caught stealing trash! I will not receive a note of appreciation even if I am willing to help remove foul smelling, rancid used cooking oil. In fact, I will be reported and napped by the police if I am caught in the act. So, what is going on there?
People in the catering industry there are now aware that they can be paid for their used fryer or cooking oil. The companies that recover them are able to recycle the vegetable oil, tallow (fat from cow) or lard (fat from pig) from animal to produce soap, or bio-fuel, or cosmetics and even animal fat-based feeds, which are widely used by farmers in some parts of Europe, North America and Asia.
The theft for the used oil is so high that owners are willing to install surveillance equipment to monitor this commodity. A grease collection company in USA has even hired two detectives to investigate thefts around the country. Clear indications that this is a highly profitable business.
Is this something that you could start in your own country? These are places where you can get your source of used cooking oil:
1) hotels
2) fast food outlets
3) restaurants
4) food processing companies
5) domestic homes
And here are the processes for making:
a) soap
b) Bio-fuel
Go strike (used) oil. You never know; you maybe able to start a franchise.
5 comments:
I stumble upon this blog when viewing an article in The Star. Nice blog and very informative. You are very creative yourself. Keep up the good work in educating the people to preserve the mother nature.
actually, how easy is it to obtain used cooking oil? I believe the hawkers will replinish their oil, as you know, oil can evaporate hence they need to replenish it.
who do KFC and McD sell their oil to or what do they do with their used oil? down the drain? yuks! do you know?
also, producing bio-fuel is a process, it's feasible like what the guy in Singapore did(forgotten his url) hence we need space
also, don't we need licence to do that? as you know it's fuel. some of us maybe so good that we might start selling them.
but i like the idea :)
Come to think of it, I can source the used cooking oil from a nearby 'goreng pisang' stall and make some soap. From the articles given, it seems quite easy to make soap. Well, I think I'll give it a try as a sort of hobby. And help save the environment at the same time.
wow. never knew used oil can become that highly demanded commodity. will do a research to see if this business idea is feasible in my country.
renaye (http://renaye.nutang.com)
Thank you for all your comments. I have tried to answer some of your questions in the following post. I hope you will share any information you have about this business. Good luck in your ventures.
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