Why Should Restaurants Recycle Their Cooking Oil?

Cooking oil is used to prepare a wide range of foods from French Fries to deep fried chicken. When the meals have been prepared and served, the cooking oil is no longer suitable for cooking. Why? This is because it contains charred particles of food which can be poisonous. So, what happens to used cooking oil?
 
It is common for restaurant owners to request their staff members to proceed and drain the used cooking oil into the sewer pipes via the kitchen drain. What restaurant owners don’t know is that they have escalated the problem. When cooking oil is deposited into the kitchen drain, it does not flow like water. Why? It is viscous. Once it comes into contact with water, it coagulates and solidifies into chunks.
 
The chunks usually collect along the drain pipe, and with continuous deposits, it leads to blockage. This affects a large section of the sewer pipe and may result in expensive repairs. Furthermore, it will lead to the blockage of the kitchen drain resulting in expensive repair costs. 
 
That’s not all: Used cooking results in untold damage to the environment. As a restaurant manager, you can lower the negative environmental impact as well as eliminate the chances of blocking your drain by recycling used cooking oil.  Here are the benefits of recycling used cooking oil:

Easier and cheaper than disposal

As said earlier, draining used cooking oil into the sewer will result in blockage. This will occur close to your restaurant. With wastewater spewing onto the streets, no customer will set foot in your establishment. Furthermore, health officials will close establishments which include yours until the repairs have been done.
 
Your problems are not over yet. The same chunks of solidified used cooking oil will block your kitchen drain. With your establishment closed, the problem will escalate, and by the time you re-open, you will have to contact a plumber to help you unblock the drain. This means you will incur charges and by the look of things, they will be much higher. Why? The damage done due to past used cooking oil deposits may result in the complete replacement of your kitchen drain.
 
If you hire a waste oil collectors firm in the Bay area, it will be much affordable to you. All you have to pay is a few dollars which are negligible compared to the high bill charged by your plumber to repair or replace your kitchen drain. Furthermore, it eliminates the chances of your restaurant’s reputation being damaged simply because Bay area health officials closed down your premises as a result of the sewer blocking.

Supports local business

Today, getting a good job is extremely hard. Furthermore, salaries and wages have stagnated which has resulted in difficulties especially when it comes to satisfying basic needs and wants. This has led to many people becoming creative and turning to home businesses. Studies reveal that for every $100 spent within the local economy, it generates an additional economic activity within the community. That is why cities in the Bay area have seen the rise in home products like soaps, creams, wax, varnish, lubricants, paints and even candles.
 
Guess what the main ingredient is for the above products? You guessed it right: Used cooking oil. With modern technology, home businesses have been able to come up with stylish products that not only meet the needs of the community but for customers nationwide. One can even sell to global audiences by setting up an online shop on platforms like Etsy and eBay among others.
 
With the money earned from the sale of the above items, a few dollars will go to the federal government as a tax; some will go to the local businesses when one purchases supplies and groceries for home use.

Source for biofuel

According to climate experts, changes to the climate and energy security are the main motives leading to the rise in the use of renewable energy sources like biofuel. Biodiesel is an alternative fuel that can be used to power machines and generators. The good news is that this fuel is derived from used cooking oil and can be used with little or no modification.
 
Transesterification is the process used to create biodiesel. The process involves the use of alcohols and used cooking oil in the presence of a catalyst like glycerol and alkyl ester to hasten the process. Since waste cooking oil contains free fatty acids and moisture content, not only do they have the ability to form biodiesel, they can be used to form soaps. To prevent the formation of soap, pre-treatment is usually performed.
 
The pretreatment process includes mechanical cleaning with water and chemical cleaning resulting in the removal of resins and deacidification. In the first phase, solids and liquids are separated. Once the process is done, the end product is biodiesel. Not only is the product affordable but it lowers emissions which help to fight climatic changes.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know the importance of recycling used cooking oil, as a restaurant manager or owner in the Bay area, you can finally instruct your employees not to pour it down the drain. Instead, hire a cooking oil removal firm. As experts, they have come up with facilities that allow you to collect daily used cooking oil before they collect for recycling. How is this beneficial?
 
Not only will you be providing raw materials for different products like soap and biodiesel but you will ensure the environment does not suffer from damage brought about by the poor disposal of used cooking oil. Furthermore, you will get to save a lot in that your drain will not block and health officials will not shut down your restaurant in order to repair the damaged sewer line.
 
Bottom line: Hire waste oil collectors firms and save the environment.