The Benefits of Recycling Cooking Oil
Today, many people are not conscious about their daily actions and how they impact the environment. An Example: a customer has bought a few drinks and snacks while on a road trip. As he or she drives to the destination with friends, you may witness pieces of trash flying out of their car if you are driving behind them. That is not all, if the same group were to visit the beach, they will probably litter plastic bottles and food wrappings all over the place.
All these actions and much more have negative consequences on the environment. For starters, it dirties the environment. Secondly, the plastic bags and wrappings are harmful to herbivores when consumed. Lastly, if the plastic finds its way into the ocean, it will harm marine animals.
When it comes to used cooking oil, the same thing happens. Instead of recycling it, many restaurants and homes dispose of it via the kitchen drain. As a result, clogging occurs to the drainage pipe and sewage lines. The good thing about used cooking oil is that it can be recycled.
The benefits of recycling used cooking oil:
USED AS RENEWABLE ENERGY
In the US more than 2.5 billion gallons of used cooking oil is produced every year. This has been found to be a major issue especially when it comes to disposal. The majority of restaurant owners and managers have been found to encourage the draining of used cooking oil in sewer pipes instead of recycling. The cooking oil ends up clogging the drains making drainage to be impossible. This results in overflows on the streets as well as irreversible damage to the sewer pipes.
Thanks to innovative measures, used cooking oil can be converted into biodiesel. The fuel can be used in diesel engines to power machines and even vehicles. It is clean and helps to minimize pollution.
LOWERS COST OF CLEANUP
As said earlier, the majority of restaurants, hospitals, households and hotels have been found to dispose of used cooking oil via the kitchen drain. Many establishments reason that this is the safest method because waste water is also disposed of that way. Furthermore, they know the drain leads to the sewage treatment plant. What they don’t know is that water and used cooking oil have different properties.
Used cooking oil solidifies into chunks when the temperature is lowered. When this happens, the used cooking oil ends up clogging the drain pipe and sewage system. Two things will happen. One, your kitchen will not drain waste water properly. This will prompt you to call a plumber who will make repairs and charge a hefty sum. Secondly, the clogged sewage pipe along the street will start spewing its contents on the street itself. Not only will you be exposed to bad odor but to disease-causing pathogens too.
By recycling used cooking oil, the cost of cleanup is lowered tremendously.
CREATES JOBS
Today, biodiesel production is still at the infancy stage. Not many people and businesses have embraced it fully. Yes, electric engines have started to become popular. This does not mean that machines don’t require fuel. Think of generators that provide secondary power to buildings be it an apartment or an office block. Furthermore, the fuel helps to boost economic security and supplies.
If large scale recycling of used cooking oil was to be implemented today, it would create many jobs. Some of the fields that will benefit from recycling used cooking oil include information technology, engineering, sales, marketing, accounting, and training among others.
PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT
Over the years, meteorologists around the world have been recording high temperatures every year. The problem is the temperatures are not falling instead they are rising. One factor that has been attributed to this is greenhouse gas emissions. Today, people enjoy modern transportation systems in form of vehicles, aircraft, trains and ships. In some countries, strict laws have been established regarding emissions but in others, they are reluctant. This has led to the increase of greenhouse gasses including methane and carbon dioxide. These gasses affect the ozone layer compromising its integrity.
The ozone layer is known to act as a protective shield against harmful UV rays of the sun. Furthermore, it’s supposed to absorb much of the heat generated by the sun. Due to the shield being compromised, the heat wave finds its way onto the Earth surface raising the temperatures.
Biodiesel is a clean fuel. It is less harmful to the environment. The use of biodiesel will result in the decline of greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and industries by 90% or more.
Final Thoughts
The world is currently relying on fossil fuel to power vehicles and machines. Over the years, studies have shown that fossil fuel is declining which means within a decade or so, it will no longer be the go-to option to power vehicles and machines.
Hotels, restaurants, hospitals and households prepare food with cooking oil. If you were to determine the amount of used cooking oil disposed of via the drainage system, the figure will astonish you. By recycling used cooking oil, more jobs will be created, fuel security will be in place, the environment will be protected and the cost of cleanup will reduce.
Looking for a reputable cooking oil recycling company that will help you recycle your used oil? Call us today! We are ready to work with you make the world a better place.