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 would 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:
For renewable energy
The disposal of a large amount of used cooking oil will definitely be a problem faced by restaurants. Used cooking oil should not be thrown away indiscriminately as cooking oil will eventually clog the drain, making the drain unusable. This resulted in spills on the streets and irreversible damage to sewers. But today, technological advancements are also accompanied by the growth of renewable energy technologies. Used cooking oil can be recycled and converted for other uses. Used cooking oil can be converted into biodiesel. This fuel can be used in diesel engines to power machines and even vehicles. It’s clean and helps reduce pollution.
Reduce cleaning costs
As mentioned, most restaurants, hospitals, homes, and hotels have been found disposing of used cooking oil through kitchen drains. Many agencies consider this to be the safest method because wastewater is also treated this way. Also, they know that the sewers lead to the sewage treatment plant. What they don’t know is that water and used cooking oil have different properties.
When the temperature is lowered, the used cooking oil will solidify into lumps. When this happens, the used cooking oil can end up clogging drains and sewage systems. Two things will happen. One, your kitchen is not properly draining waste water. This will prompt you to call a plumber for repairs and charge a hefty fee. Second, clogged sewage pipes along the street will start spraying their contents onto the street. Not only will you be exposed to unpleasant odors, but you will also be exposed to disease-causing pathogens.
By recycling used cooking oil, clean-up costs are greatly reduced.
Create job opportunities
Today, biodiesel production is still in its infancy. Not many people and businesses fully embrace it. Yes, electric engines have become popular. That doesn’t mean the machine doesn’t need fuel. Think of a generator that provides secondary power to a building, whether it’s an apartment or an office building. In addition, fuels help improve economic security and supply.
If large-scale recycling of used cooking oil were to be achieved today, it would create many jobs. Some of the areas that would benefit from recycling used cooking oil include information technology, engineering, sales, marketing, accounting and training, to name a few.
Protect environment
For years, meteorologists around the world have been recording high temperatures every year. The problem is that the temperature isn’t going down, it’s going up. One factor contributing to this is greenhouse gas emissions. Today, people enjoy modern transportation systems in the form of cars, planes, trains, and ships. In some countries, strict laws on emissions are in place, but in others they are reluctant. This has led to an increase in greenhouse gases including methane and carbon dioxide. These gases affect the ozone layer, compromising its integrity.
The ozone layer is known to act as a protective layer against harmful UV rays from the sun. Also, it should absorb most of the heat generated by the sun. As the shield is damaged, heat waves reach the Earth’s surface, raising the temperature.
Biodiesel is a clean fuel. It is less harmful to the environment. The use of biodiesel will result in a 90% or more reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and industries.