| With the increasing emphasis on global warming | | | | The oil and grease is then processed and re-sold |
| and the environment, both consumers and | | | | on the market for a profit. It's a perfect example |
| corporations are becoming ever more committed | | | | as to how a waste product can become a useful |
| and educated about environmental conservation | | | | and usable onward product and allow new |
| and are taking positive steps. Consumers are | | | | businesses to exist and make a profit through |
| recycling at home in ever greater numbers - | | | | recycling. Producing biofuel or biodiesel at home |
| transforming organic waste by composting in | | | | however isn't an easy business and consumers |
| home composters, or recycling in council supplied | | | | should be wary. There are very obvious and real |
| recycling bins for larger scale processing. The | | | | dangers relating to any flammable products and |
| benefits to this are a reduction in carbon | | | | toxic materials. To process waste grease into |
| emissions, reduced waste and valuable | | | | usable oil takes knowledge, intensive labour and |
| by-products for onward use. Businesses and public | | | | carefully controlled environments. Storage is also a |
| sector bodies are compelled by law to follow | | | | consideration and small scale providers will find |
| certain environmental preservation rules and | | | | that their production and storage costs may |
| heavy penalties are in place for those | | | | outweigh the fuel value that results. However for |
| organisations that don't adhere to the rules. | | | | consumers there are good opportunities to be |
| Waste products must be disposed of carefully | | | | had by converting car engines to take biofuels |
| and in accordance with the law to avoid pollution | | | | and some people have done this already, taking |
| and there are targets around recycled products. | | | | advantage of a growing recycling market. It's |
| The good thing about recycling organic and food | | | | important to weigh up the pros and cons and is |
| matter in particular is that there are clear routes | | | | likely to be less worthwhile or indeed possible for |
| into making useful products from it. Fruit and | | | | newer car models that are designed to use fuel |
| vegetable matter can be composted to produce | | | | efficiently - but for older gas guzzling cars, a |
| soil rich in nutrients for more plants to grow. Even | | | | converter kit could save useful sums and help to |
| for restaurants and caterers that produce | | | | support the environment. Specialist garages can |
| significant volumes of waste vegetable oils in the | | | | carry out the conversion work and many filling |
| course of their business, there are opportunities | | | | stations now sell alternative fuels on the forecourt |
| for making a usable by-product from it, rather | | | | - check with local providers to find out more. |
| than disposing of the oil. This bio-oil is becoming an | | | | Certainly over the next decade or so, we will be |
| industry in itself - and the biodiesel that results can | | | | seeing far more of these type of schemes to |
| be used as a petrol alternative to power | | | | re-use and recycle our waste products, as fossil |
| machinery and even cars. Restaurants have the | | | | fuel levels decrease and the need for |
| option of selling their used waste oils to recycling | | | | environmental management becomes ever more |
| companies who will charge to collect and process | | | | critical. |
| the waste product from the catering companies. | | | | |