Energy from used cooking oil enough to make over a quarter of a million cups of tea

Shropshire Council has been awarded a certificate in recognition of their efforts in collecting 1,100 litres of used cooking oil at their network of Household Recycling Centres (HRCs).  

The HRCs are operated by waste management contractor Veolia Environmental Services Ltd on behalf of the council.  

People can recycle 30 different types of material at Shropshire’s HRCs including used cooking oil.  Residents should cool the oil first and bring it to the site in a sealed container suitable for pouring it into the large plastic drums which are located at each of the five HRCs. 

All used cooking oil bought to the sites gets collected by Living Fuels Ltd, and cleaned up to produce a sustainable biofuel, LF100.  This fuel is used in their network of UK-based combined heat and power plants.  

The 1,100 litres collected from Shropshire will have been used to generate 4,125 kWh of green electricity.  This equates to enough green energy to make over a quarter of a million cups of tea!  This carbon-neutral and renewable source of energy is helping the UK to meet its renewable energy targets and lessen the impact of climate change. 

Councillor Mike Owen, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for waste and recycling, said:

“By recycling used cooking oil, residents can help us to reduce the amount of waste that gets sent to landfill.  This helps reduce Shropshire’s landfill tax payments.” 

Donald Macphail, managing director of Veolia in Shropshire, added:-

“We are delighted to be able to offer used cooking oil recycling at the HRCs, which will help keep waste out of landfill and reduce carbon emissions.  Veolia Environmental Services has been awarded the Carbon Trust standard for reducing its carbon emissions by more than 19% during the past three years.”