Tower Hamlets turns leftover cooking oil into renewable energy
Brothers nine-year-old Jack (left) and Tommy, seven, pour used cooking oil into a recycling bin so it can be converted into renewable energy. - Credit: Veolia Environmental Services - submitted
Residents are being encouraged to recycle their used cooking oil by converting it into renewable electricity.
Leftover oil can be dropped off at a special tank at the Tower Hamlets Reuse and Recycling Centre in Yabsley Street, Blackwall.
The tank, which has been in place since 2008, has already collected enough oil to generate the power to boil water for 1.5 million cups of tea.
The scheme was implemented by Tower Hamlets Council and waste management company Veolia Environmental Services, and the oil is collected by eco-firm Living Fuels, which converts the oil into a bioliquid called LF100 which is used to help power the National Grid.
Chris Hodges, Veolia’s contract manager in Tower Hamlets, said: “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.”
To find out more about recycling, visit www.towerhamlets.gov.ukrecycling.
