Current Situation
As a major population center, Hong Kong is a significant producer of used cooking oil
from the regions numerous restaurants and hotels. Due to the lack of space in the kitchen,
used cooking oil must be picked up very frequent. In fact, it takes at least 70 traveled
kilometers to collect only 1,400 liters of used cooking oil which is the legal weight limit for
most mid-size pick up lorries in Hong Kong.
Required Transport Distance for Local Oil Recycling
Starting Point
Ending Point
Distance
Oil Collected
Processing Site
Point A
20 km
200 L
Point A
Point B
5 km
200 L
Point B
Point C
5 km
200 L
Point C
Point D
5 km
200 L
Point D
Point E
5 km
200 L
Point E
Point F
5 km
200 L
Point F
Point G
5 km
200 L
Point G
Processing Site
20 km
Total
70 km
1,400 L
Since Hong Kong annually produces approximately 20,000,000 litres of used oil, this
means that 1,000,000 traveled kilometers (1) with 200,000 litres (2) of diesel fuel are
required to collect used cooking oil while more than 600 tonnes(3) of pollutants are
generated.
Why Support Local Recycling
The situation is much worse since majority of used cooking oil collected in Hong Kong is
“processed” at least 150 kilometers away from Hong Kong. Therefore, additional
2,142,847 kilometers (4) must be traveled each year for oil transport, which is good enough
to travel around the around for more than 50 times. This translates to 428,571 litres (5) of
additional diesel fuel needed. By supporting local recycling instead of shipment waste out
of Hong Kong, not only does it help to provide a traffic relief, but also could reduce more
than 1,300 tonnes (6) of pollutants as well.
How does a Centralized Collection System Work?
As mentioned above, currently 70 traveled kilometers are required to collect just 1,400
litres of oil. Much of this distance is because of the need to travel between several
establishments in an area to pick-up small quantities of oil. Since majority of established
restaurants are located inside shopping centers nowadays, one method of reducing this
travel time is to use a centralized oil collection system. Large oil collection bins placed
centrally in shopping center can conveniently serve a large number of eating establishments.
By using this method, the oil is collected only when the collection tanks are full. In this
way, all of the intermediate collection can be eliminated, thus having a lesser impact on
traffic congestion and automotive pollution. For the example shown above, instead of
traveling 70 km to pick up a full oil load, only 40 km would be needed, while still serve a
large number of eating establishments. Annually, this would mean that travel distances and
fuel related emissions can be almost cut in half. When compared with the current system
of collecting, a centralized collection programme with local recycling could eliminate over
as well as 428,571 km (7) of unwanted traffic on the street every year as well as 275 tonnes
(8) of pollutants.
Why Biodiesel
Carbon Dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas which is arguably the most significant contributor
to global warming. By recycling used cooking oil locally into Biodiesel, Hong Kong has
the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by a staggering 55,000 tonnes (9) per year,
equivalent to 10,000,000 idling-hour emissions. This is the potential reduction when
compared with sending the oil outside of Hong Kong and recycling the oil for uses other
than biofuels.
Conclusion
In summary, supporting local oil recycling could reduce 1,300 tonnes of unnecessary
pollutants and eliminate 2M km. unwanted traffic. By participating consolidated oil
collection program, you could help to improve the air quality by 275 tonnes of pollutants
and on-road traffic by almost 500,000 km. If all used cooking oil is being recycled into
Biodiesel in Hong Kong, overall improvement is even more astonishing.
Without any other considerations, Biodiesel produced from locally provide used cooking
oil has been proven to be an excellent alternative fuel that can help Hong Kong reduce its
production of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and particulate matter and
even overall Nitrogen Oxides inventory (10) due to the reduced transportation when
producing biodiesel from used cooking oil collected locally.
Our One-Stop Oil Collection Services
at New Town Plaza
Oil can being stored in a
small closed container
before going into consolidated
oil storage tanks at
various shopping centers
Oil being poured into
a consolidated oil storage tank
before shipped to our biodiesel
processed plant in Tuen Mun
Our Biodiesel Recycling
Plant in Tuen Mun
Green Fuel- Biodiesel
Our One-Stop Oil Collection Services at the Airport
Oil can being stored in a
small closed container
before going into consolidated
oil storage tanks at
various shopping centers
Oil being poured into
a consolidated oil storage tank
before shipped to our biodiesel
processed plant in Tuen Mun
Our Biodiesel Recycling
Plant in Tuen Mun
Green Fuel- Biodiesel