LGU recycles cooking oil for biodiesel production

DAVAO CITY: The City Environment and Natural Resources (Cenro) here has renewed its call to all Davaoeños and barangay (village) authorities to collect used cooking oil for biodiesel production through the city's oil refinery.

The city started its collection of used cooking oil at the barangay level in 2017.

The collection, however, was temporarily stopped as this system became too unreliable as a source for the city's biodiesel fuel plant, prompting the city to resort to local restaurants and fast-food establishments for a steady supply of used oil.

The Cenro has since resumed its collection of used cooking oil at the barangay level for the production of biofuel.

It said about 10 percent of the collected oil is used as raw material in breaking down biodegradable wastes into compost.

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The program aims to reduce the presence of cooking oil in the city's waterways and canals that can coagulate and worsen flooding in the city.

Orly Limpangog, spokesman for the Cenro information education campaign unit, said they are encouraging all Davaoeños not to dump used cooking oil but instead gather it so authorities at the barangay level can collect from each household.

The collected oil can then be turned over to the city's oil refinery located at the Cenro composting facility in Barangay Ma-a, this city.

Limpangog said villages with waste collection vehicles can avail of biodiesel subsidies from Cenro if they deliver collected waste to the city's sanitary landfills.

“We will compensate them with fuel. If they need 20 liters to refuel, we will give them 20 liters of biodiesel,” he also said.

Some villages in the city including Hizon, Mintal and Sasa have already established their own used cooking oil collection system.

Limpangog urged all other barangay to participate in this project and set up their own scheme of oil collection.

The city's biodiesel fuel plant has produced almost 200,000 liters of biodiesel since the launching in August 2017 up to April 2022.

It has been providing fuel for the city's compactor trucks and other vehicles used for waste collection and management.

The biodiesel fuel plant was funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.