Prison’s Chips Help Kids

08 May, 2013, 0 comments

Prisons across the South Central region have been supporting local charity Helen & Douglas House, by turning waste oil from their kitchens into liquid gold.

For each litre of cooking oil collected from the prisons in the region throughout 2012 a donation was made to the charity by eco-firm Living Fuels, who collect the waste oil and naturally recover it into a clean, green bioliquid. This bioliquid is then used in the company’s renewable energy facilities to produce clean, green electricity for UK homes and businesses.

In 2012 the South Central region’s prisons collected so much used cooking oil it created enough carbon neutral power to brew around half a million cups of tea.

Instructional Officer Cathy Bryant of HMP Huntercombe said of the scheme: “We are very pleased to be able to donate the money raised from our cooking oil collection to a worthwhile cause. This was all made possible by the partnership formed between Huntercombe recycling unit and Living Fuels, to give something back to the community.”

Helen & Douglas House runs two hospice houses for children and young adults with life-shortening conditions aged from birth to 35. The two hospice houses offer specialist symptom and pain management, medically-supported short breaks and end-of-life care, as well as counselling and practical support for the whole family. Vanessa Fay, Corporate Fundraising Manager said; “We are very grateful to Living Fuels and to HMP Huntercombe for choosing Helen & Douglas House to receive this donation. £100 will pay for several music therapy sessions and these make a huge difference to a child with communication difficulties.”

Rob Murphy, Operations Director of Living Fuels continued: “We’re delighted to be working with prisons in the South Central region to help benefit both Helen & Douglas House and the environment. By choosing to dispose of their waste oil this way, the prisons are helping to reduce the need for fossil fuel derived energy and therefore reduce carbon emissions.”

To find out more about Helen & Douglas House please visit http://www.helenanddouglas.org.uk/

Picture shows l-r: Cathy Bryant of HMP Huntercombe, Mandy Hamilton of Helen & Douglas House and Penny Reeve of Living Fuels

Record recycling effort puts charity up in the air

16 April, 2013, 0 comments

It may not seem like the most obvious way of raising money for charity, but Wiltshire residents have raised a huge £1,300 for local charity Wiltshire Air Ambulance – all by recycling their used cooking oil.

The oil recycling campaign, which ran from January to March, saw residents recycle a staggering 5,200 litres of used cooking oil – a 107 per cent increase on the same period last year. All the oil collected will be recovered into renewable electricity for the National Grid and used to power UK homes and businesses.

The appeal was championed by eco-firm Living Fuels and local waste management company Hills Waste Solutions in a bid to encourage residents to recycle their used cooking oil instead of pouring it down the drain. Every year an average of £15 million is spent on dealing with blockages caused by oil sticking to pipework and clogging drains.

Cliff Carter, Recycling Manager for Hills said: ‘The response to this campaign has been incredible with the amount of used cooking oil brought to us for recycling more than doubling over the past 3 months.’

Caroline Corrigan, Head of Fundraising for Wiltshire Air Ambulance continued: ‘We were really pleased to be the nominated charity for this brilliant idea to recycle and raise funds. I had no idea the impact of disposing oil incorrectly and hope this campaign helps to limit damage to our drains in the future. We would like to thank all those who got behind this appeal and recycled their used cooking oil. Their combined efforts will help keep us in the air saving lives.’

The Wiltshire Air Ambulance, which was established in 1990, is the only one in the UK that can fly at night and can currently reach patients across the county in around 11 minutes. It costs over £700,000 each year to keep the helicopter flying, a figure which is set to rise to £2.4 million by the end of 2014.

The used cooking oil disposal tanks, placed at each of Wiltshire’s 11 household recycling centres, enable residents to dispose of their oil in a safe and environmentally conscious manner. When full, the oil is collected and taken to Living Fuels’ state-of- the-art recovery facility, where it is naturally recovered into renewable electricity for the National Grid. Just one litre of used cooking oil provides enough clean electricity to produce 240 cups of tea and one full tank can power the average home for one year.

Rob Murphy, Operations Director of Living Fuels said of the positive response to the scheme: “We are absolutely delighted with the effort residents have made in recycling their used cooking oil. Not only are they supporting an absolutely fantastic charity, they are helping to reduce the UK’s reliance on fossil derived fuels and therefore lowering the country’s carbon footprint.”

To find your nearest oil collection point, please visit www.hills-waste.co.uk/waste-to-resource/household-recycling-centres or www.livingfuels.co.uk

Photo shows: (l – r) Ross Culligan; paramedic, Cliff Carter; Recycling Manager of Hills Waste Solutions, Rob Murphy; Operations Director of Living Fuels, Richard Millar; paramedic

Tower Hamlets residents urged to recycle waste cooking oil

28 March, 2013, 0 comments

Residents of Tower Hamlets are being encouraged to recycle their used cooking oil, turning it into renewable electricity for homes and businesses.

The recycling scheme, implemented in 2008 by Tower Hamlets Council, in partnership with Veolia Environmental Services, has seen enough used cooking oil collected to generate power for almost one and a half million cups of tea.

A tank is located at the Tower Hamlets reuse and recycling centre for residents to drop off their oil. Once collected, the oil is recovered by eco-firm Living Fuels, who naturally settle and filter it into a bioliquid, LF100, which is then used in their renewable energy facilities to help power the National Grid at times of unexpected power demand.

Just one full collection tank can power the average home for an entire year.

Veolia’s contract manager in Tower Hamlets, Chris Hodges, said of the scheme: “We’re really pleased that our partnership with the Council and Living Fuels to recycle used cooking oil has flourished for so long and that’s thanks to residents for their continuing support and participation in the scheme. We encourage residents to keep recycling their cooking oil and also hope that even more residents will start to participate who previously may not have been aware about the scheme.”

Rob Murphy, Living Fuels’ Operations Director commented; “It’s great to see that residents are using the cooking oil recycling scheme, especially as climate change is becoming such a big issue. Not only does recycling oil in this way help rid residents of a sticky, messy waste, it also helps to create carbon neutral electricity for our homes and businesses.”

Cllr Shahed Ali, Tower Hamlets Council’s cabinet member for environment, continued: “The council is pleased to continue to support the recycling of used cooking oil. I would urge residents to use this recycling service, it’s a great way to dispose of unwanted cooking oil in a safe way whilst helping the environment in producing renewable energy.”

To find out more about recycling in your area, please visit: http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/recycling

Shropshire powers ahead with cooking oil recycling

27 March, 2013, 0 comments

Shropshire Council and their waste contractor Veolia are celebrating the success of a green energy initiative which has seen 6,740 litres of used cooking oil collected from Household Recycling Centres (HRC’s) in Shropshire in the last year alone.

To recognise this achievement Shropshire Council and Veolia have been presented with an official certificate of commendation by Living Fuels.

Cooking oil can be taken to each of Shropshire’s five HRC’s where it is collected in big green tanks. It is then collected by renewable energy provider Living Fuels and refined into an environmentally friendly bioliquid which is used in their dedicated combined heat and power generators to create green electricity. Shropshire’s waste cooking oil generated over 25,000 kWh of renewable energy and heat during 2012.

The big green tanks are clearly marked and are now in place at:
• Shrewsbury HRC (Battlefield Enterprise Park)
• Oswestry HRC (Mile Oak Industrial Estate)
• Bridgnorth HRC (Barnsley Lane)
• Whitchurch HRC (Waymills Civic Park)
• Craven Arms HRC (off Long Lane)

Donald Macphail, Regional Director for Veolia in the Midlands said “Just one litre of used cooking oil generates enough clean electricity to make 240 cups of tea, whilst one tonne provides enough to power the average home for an entire year. This offsets the need for fossil fuels to create electricity which reduces greenhouse gas emissions.”

Dr Larry Wolfe, Head of Waste Management at Shropshire Council added, “It’s great that local residents have responded well to this new recycling initiative. By bringing their used cooking oil to our Household Recycling Centres they are helping to reduce the amount of rubbish which ends up in landfill”.

Top tips for recycling your used cooking oil:
1. Allow the oil to cool completely before dealing with it
2. Strain it into a container such as a plastic bottle or jar with a lid
3. Don’t mix it with anything (solvents, water etc) or it won’t be recyclable
4. Once full, take your oil to a HRC (don’t make a specific trip but wait until you are visiting anyway or are in the area)
5. Hand your oil to the site attendants, who will dispose of the oil in the recycling tank

Photo Caption
Left to right: James Thompson from Shropshire Council and Angela Holmes from Veolia Environmental Services

Oil's well that ends well in Warwickshire

26 March, 2013, 0 comments

Warwickshire residents are being urged to do something good for the environment and help reduce weighty water bills by recycling their used cooking oil.

An estimated £15 million per year is spent on cleaning blockages caused by ‘fatbergs’ – large masses of fat and grease that build up through disposal of used cooking oil down drains. If sent to landfill, oils often leak, polluting local watercourses and harming wildlife.

But thanks to a scheme run by Warwickshire County Council, residents are able to recycle their waste oil at specially placed tanks, located at six of the county’s household waste recycling centres (Cherry Orchard in Kenilworth, Stockton, Bruton Farm in Stratford, Princes Drive in Leamington Spa, Hunters Lane in Rugby and Judkins in Nuneaton). All oil collected is recovered through a completely natural process into renewable electricity for UK homes and businesses.

Rob Murphy, Operations Director of the company that recovers the oil, Living Fuels, said of the scheme: “We’re really proud to be working within Warwickshire, helping residents to turn a sticky, messy waste into something that benefits the environment and provides power to the National Grid.”

Just one litre of recovered cooking oil can create enough energy to produce 240 cups of tea and one full tank can power the average home for a year. In 2012 alone, Warwickshire residents recycled over 7,100 litres of used cooking oil which created enough green energy to make almost two million cups of tea.

Glenn Fleet, Warwickshire County Council’s Head of Waste Management, said: “Residents can do something good for the environment and help reduce weighty water bills by recycling their used cooking oil at most of our household waste recycling centres. The ‘fatbergs’ that are created in the drains cost the industry a fortune to clear, and the customers ultimately have to foot the bill.”

Kirklees residents switch on to green power

18 March, 2013, 0 comments

Kirklees residents have been praised by eco-firm Living Fuels this week, for helping to generate enough carbon neutral electricity in 2012 to make around half a million cups of tea, all by recycling their used cooking oil.

Waste cooking oil is traditionally a difficult waste to dispose of, with a recent poll of homeowners admitting that pouring it down the drain is their preferred method of disposal. Not only does getting rid of used oil in this way cause damage to wildlife and watercourses, it also costs UK taxpayers an average of £15 million each year in bills for blocked drains – equating to about fourteen pence worth of damage for each litre of cooking oil poured down the drain.

However a used cooking oil recycling scheme implemented by Kirklees Council and partner SITA UK, sees recycling tanks placed at four of Kirklees’ five household waste recycling centres for residents to deposit their used cooking oil. Once collected, the oil is naturally recovered into renewable electricity for UK homes and businesses.

Rob Murphy, Operations Director of Living Fuels, the eco-firm who deal with the recovery of the used cooking oil said of the scheme: “We are delighted the residents of Kirklees have shown such a pro-active attitude to used cooking oil recycling. Thanks to their efforts we are helping to reduce climate change and bring about a more sustainable future for all.”

Councillor David Sheard said: “Despite the massive cuts imposed on the council by central government we are still committed to making Kirklees a cleaner, greener place for people to live, work and visit. These facilities now give our residents more choice in the types of material that can be recycled locally, whilst at the same time helping to generate energy, reducing carbon emissions and saving tax payers money”

Just one litre of used cooking oil can produce enough green electricity to power an energy saving light bulb for 225 hours, run a plasma TV for 50 hours or a DVD player for 440 hours.

Julie Craigie, Regional Manager at SITA UK said, “This is an excellent example of how we’re helping local residents to do more with their waste. In fact we’re now recycling 73% of all the waste that’s delivered to our Household Waste Recycling Centres, meaning less than ever before goes to landfill.”

For details about your nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre, visit www.kirklees.gov.uk

Pour more: from chip fat to cuppa

13 March, 2013, 0 comments

Thousands of Somerset families have won praise for transforming their used cooking oil into green power for homes and businesses.

All 18 Somerset recycling sites started taking cooking oil one year ago so it could be used to generate renewable power. Around 6,000 litres of cooking oil – weighing close to six tonnes – have been poured into the recycling tanks over the past year. That has been enough cooking oil to make almost a million and a half cups of tea.

Eco-firm Living Fuels collects the oil, filters it and uses it to generate carbon neutral electricity for UK homes and businesses. Just one full collection tank provides enough electricity to power the average home for a year.

Living Fuels Operations Director Rob Murphy said: “We are delighted to see that the residents of Somerset have taken so well to recycling their used cooking oil. For each litre of oil poured into one of our recycling tanks, residents are creating enough energy to make 240 cups of tea. Residents are turning a difficult waste stream into a valuable, eco-friendly source of energy.”

As well as generating power, recycling cooking oil avoids the risk of it being pored down the drain, damaging watercourses and wildlife. And blocked drains from cooking oil costs UK taxpayers £15 million a year, or about 14p for every litre disposed in this way.

Somerset Waste Partnership managing director Steve Read said: “This is a great result, and the county’s chip fryers are to be praised for their recycling but we know there is still plenty of cooking oil being thrown away, either down the drain or to landfill in refuse bins. It would be great if residents can store up used oil and take it to one of our easy to use containers when visiting a recycling site.”

REG Bio-Power celebrates extension of contract

12 March, 2013, 0 comments

REG Bio-Power is delighted to announce the extension of its short term operating reserve (STOR) contract with National Grid.

The contract, which will now run until April 2015, ensures that the National Grid receives reserve power at times of increased or unexpected demand, such as for national events or base load power station crisis.

REG Bio-Power’s existing 6MW Bentwaters and 2MW Leeds facilities, which run entirely on recovered used cooking oil, will continue to operate the contract. The company will also be able to run the plants opportunistically outside of STOR hours.

Andrew Whalley, REG Chief Executive Officer, said: "REG Bio is perfectly suited to providing flexible, renewable power to meet National Grid’s requirement for short term reserve so we are very pleased to be extending our relationship for an additional year.”

Wiltshire Air Ambulance urges residents to recycle used cooking oil

04 March, 2013, 0 comments

Wiltshire Air Ambulance is urging the county’s residents to recycle their used cooking oil into cash for charity.

The used cooking oil recycling campaign runs until the end of March and local company Hills Waste Solutions will be making a 25p donation to Wiltshire Air Ambulance for every litre of used cooking oil collected.

Running the Wiltshire Air Ambulance costs over £700,000 each year and this amount is set to rise to around £2.5 million by the end of 2014. Currently the Wiltshire Air Ambulance is totally funded by the people of Wiltshire and receives no financial support from central government or the National Lottery.

Caroline Corrigan of Wiltshire Air Ambulance said: “We operate the only air ambulance in the UK with the ability to fly and land at night, and we can be anywhere in the county within 11 minutes of call out. To give you an idea of what that means to the patient – the ‘golden hour’ is a phase used to describe the hour after an incident has taken place. It is imperative that the patient receives medical attention within that hour to prevent live changing injuries or, in some cases, death. Last year we attended over 650 incidents which ranged from road traffic collisions to heart attacks, strokes, work and sporting injuries and severe burns.”

Cliff Carter, recycling manager for Hills Waste Solutions, said: “Recycling used cooking oil is a really simple way for people to make a donation to a worthwhile charity. Not only will it help to save lives but it looks after the environment too. Every one of us could potentially need the services of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance and it is important to ensure that the helicopter keeps flying.”

All oil collected throughout the campaign will be recovered by Living Fuels through a totally natural process into carbon neutral electricity that powers UK homes and businesses. Just one litre of used cooking oil can provide enough power to make 240 cups of tea.

Collection points for used cooking oil are located at the 11 household recycling centres operated by Hills Waste Solutions across Wiltshire. Find details here: www.hills-waste.co.uk/waste-to-resource/household-recycling-centres

Photo shows l-r: Katie Moneycurl, former Air Ambulance patient; Caroline Corrigan, Wiltshire Air Ambulance; Cliff Carter, Hills Waste Solutions Recycling Manager

Nottinghamshire residents: Win a chip shop dinner

20 February, 2013, 0 comments

To celebrate Chip Week (18th – 24th February) Nottinghamshire residents are being offered the chance to win a fish and chip dinner (with mushy peas, of course) worth £25.

To be in with a chance to win, just take your used cooking oil to any of Nottinghamshire’s 14 household waste recycling centres and hand your waste cooking oil to a member of staff, who will enter you into the competition.

All oil collected will be naturally recovered into carbon neutral electricity for UK homes and businesses.

Last year, enough oil was recycled in the area to create energy to make over one and a half million cups of tea.

For more information, please visit the Veolia website