Spanish NGO Recycles Used Oil Into Solidarity With Peru
by Tierramerica (EurAsia Review) Tons of artisanal soaps made from recycled olive oil are regularly shipped from Spain to Peru, where their sale and use helps finance local development and education for children in poor communities.
When poured down the drain, a liter of used cooking oil pollutes 1,000 liters of water and causes serious harm to the environment, according to the Spanish non-governmental organization (NGO) behind the initiative, Madre Coraje (Mother Courage). The group collects the oil and uses it to make soap at its workshop in the southwestern Spanish city of Jerez de la Frontera.
…Every year, in addition to producing and shipping off an average of 80,000 kilos of soap, Madre Coraje sells around 500,000 liters of used cooking oil to Spanish companies that use it to produce biofuel. The profits they earn make it possible to send more humanitarian aid and finance development projects in Peru.
The oil is collected from 300 containers scattered across six provinces of Spain, where people are asked to take their used cooking oil instead of dumping it down the drain or in the trash. READ MORE
