Investing in Consumer ‘Proximity’ to Produce Biodiesel from UCO

by Sarantis Michalopoulos (EURACTIV.com) A Greek company says it has found a way to collect much more effectively used cooking oil for biodiesel production: by making it easier for consumers to find nearby collection points and avoid simply pouring the used oil down their kitchen sink.

In 2019, Prasino Ladi (Green Oil) produced 13,600 tonnes of biodiesel from used cooking oils and 9,600 tonnes from animal fats.

The company currently cooperates with approximately 15,000 restaurants across the country in order to collect household UCO. Once used cooking oil is collected, it is transported to a plant in Volos, in the Thessaly region, where it is purified, processed and converted to biodiesel.

Prasino Ladi says the project has been successful so far because it focused on making it easier for the consumer to collect and recycle the used cooking oil.

“We tried to solve the major problem that most households face when they want to recycle their used cooking oil (UCO): Proximity. And indeed, the lack of proximity discourages most citizens from doing so,” Giorgos Kyriakopoulos, the CEO of Prasino Ladi, told EURACTIV.com.

He said the only thing citizens need to do is type their postal code or address on the company’s website. A map will then pop up, showing all the collection points within a two kilometre-radius.

Kyriakopoloulos emphasised the importance of collecting UCO from restaurants, saying it is now a mature business in Europe.

“Maybe more than 99% of all UCO produced in HORECA (food service industry) and the food industry is recycled into biodiesel. Restaurants benefit a lot since there is a price for the disposed UCO. It is now high time the restaurants themselves participated in a programme that goes beyond their narrow business scope and returns the favour to society,” he concluded.

Greek Energy Minister Costis Chatzidakis recently hailed the initiative, saying it is important that Greek citizens are encouraged to join in.

“It is important that an innovative plan for the collection of waste from our households begins with the cooperation of the citizens,” he said, adding the waste will in turn be transformed with transparency and rules into environmentally friendly fuel. READ MORE