Fats, oils and grease commonly known as F.O.G., which includes cooking oils can result in significant issues for your home plumbing, septic systems, and the entire sewage collection system. Cooking oils directed into the sink – even if you use soap or hot water afterwards; poured in the garbage disposal, or flushed down the toilet don’t simply vanish. It will likely gel and harden into viscous layers inside the drainpipes, sewage pipelines and lift stations, which inhibit water flow and likely clog your plumbing. It’s a smelly, messy, and expensive affair.
Cooking oil is a fundamental component of any kitchen. Oil is commonly used to cook or fry animal meat or get vegetable oil. When used for a while, the cooking oil turns foul and may produce a rancid smell and flavour to food. Waste cooking oil is produced every day. After chefs are done frying food, the oil remaining is usually drained in the kitchen sink without a second thought. Instead of being a direct contributor to the host of potential problems poor disposal of waste cooking oil brings, you should enlist a reputable company such as frylite.com/uco/ that can handle the waste cooking oil collection process.
You should note that by itself, waste cooking oil has no value whatsoever and requires disposal. However, with the aid of a reputable service provider, it can be converted into a product of value that makes a positive impact even after being a waste product in your restaurant. When cooking oil is correctly collected, transported, and processed, the purified oil will be used as a valuable raw material in the production of biodiesel, or alternatively as grease or used as an intermediate for distilling glycerol and fatty acid. It can also be used as an ingredient in a range of consumer products like lubricants, animal feed, pet food, polish, detergents, hand sanitisers, moisturizers, and soap/shampoos.
Most people consider used cooking oil as waste, but contrary to popular belief, it is a material and by-product that can be recycled. Restauranteurs are encouraged to process their waste cooking oil and harness its various advantages, including:
1. Prevent Clogged Kitchen Pipes
As a restauranteur, the last thing you want to be dealing with is a backed-up plumbing system to mess up kitchen operations. Directing waste cooking oil in the drain will eventually crack or clog the pipes. As the oil accrues in the pipe over time, it will enlarge and create obstructions that are costly to repair.
The best way to avoid having to deal with these blockages is to arrange regular waste cooking oil collection with an established cooking oil collection service provider. Enlisting the aid of professionals to appropriately dispose of used cooking oil will stop the waste from wreaking havoc on your kitchen pipes.
2. Safeguard Local Sewer Lines
When waste cooking oil is reused, not only does the plumbing system of your restaurant get safeguarded, but also the local sewer lines. Waste cooking oil directed into the sewer pipes will eventually make drainage difficult, and cause permanent damage to the lines, which can result in overflows.
3. Create Renewable Energy
Innovation has enabled waste cooking oil to be transformed into biodiesel. As a perfect renewable substitute to petroleum-based fuels, biodiesel fuels are suitable for diesel engines and can be used to power heat buildings, as well as machines and vehicles.
4. Decrease Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide considerably compromise the ozone layer, which helps in safeguarding the planet from the dangerous UV rays of the sun. Global warming and high world temperatures are a consequence of these gas emissions.
When cooking oil is reprocessed, biodiesel fuels are produced. The production of biodiesel fuels has zero emissions and thus reduces pollution. Emissions of carbon dioxide are greatly reduced when biodiesel fuels are used. The large-scale use of biodiesels aids in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from industries and cars by up to 90%
5. Lower Repair Costs
Recycling waste cooking oil will hinder the plumbing system of your kitchen from getting damaged. The added perk is that the correct disposal of used cooking oil with a trustworthy oil collection company will avoid costs affiliated with repairing a cracked or blocked pipe.
6. Follow Local Regulations
Your waste cooking oil is a useful resource, and as an enterprise handling such a product, you have a legal mandate to ascertain that it is discarded properly using a licensed cooking oil collection specialist. Discarding oils down the drain is a severe environmental problem and can result in the buildup of fatbergs. Noncompliance with disposal regulations can result in hefty fines in the thousands of pounds. Enlisting an oil collection provider is integral to staying compliant with local regulations.
Restaurants that recycle waste cooking oil are urged to adhere to best practices. Book waste cooking oil collections with established providers.
Lynn Martelli is an editor at Readability. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University and has worked as an editor for over 10 years. Lynn has edited a wide variety of books, including fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, and more. In her free time, Lynn enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her family and friends.
