Caterers face new EU regulations on waste cooking oil

Caterers will have to find alternative uses for waste cooking oil from next year when it will become illegal to sell it for animal feed.

New European Union regulations due to be introduced next October will prohibit feeding catering waste, including cooking oil, to livestock. The aim of the ban is to protect public and animal health by tightening the rules on animal by-products. The UK has been given extra time for alternative disposal solutions to be put in place.

Both Compass Group and Aramark are having their waste cooking oil turned into environmentally friendly biofuels.

Compass, which produces 2,500 tonnes of used cooking oil a year, has set itself a target to have it all converted into biofuels by the end of this year. It is working with Greenergy, a supplier of low-emission fuels, to convert the oil into fuel, some of which will be used to power Compass's fleet of delivery trucks.

Mike Batchelor, technical services director for Compass UK & Ireland, said: "Our initiative will not only support Government targets on carbon reduction, but also demonstrates sustainable waste management. It's a more responsible disposal method than selling it on to the animal-feed industry."

Andrew Owens, chief executive of Greenergy, said it made economic and environmental sense for other catering companies to follow suit. Greenergy buys the oil, which it uses to make diesel fuel. After the EU ban, the only other alternative would be to destroy the oil as hazardous waste, which would be more expensive, he said.

"Consumer demand for bio-blended fuels is growing at an extraordinary rate with forecourts such as Sainsbury's and Tesco already selling Greenergy GlobalDiesel, made from used cooking oil, to the UK motorist," he added.

Caterers have to pay to have their waste oil taken away. Both Compass and Sodexho use Rugby-based Filta Group, which in turn uses various agents to collect and deliver the used oil. One of the agents, O'Hara Edible Oils, wasn't prepared to comment on whether the EU ban would have an impact on the cost of its services.