New Recycling Scheme for North Somerset

26 August, 2010, 0 comments

North Somerset residents who use the humble frying pan can now turn their waste oil into electricity thanks to an innovative cooking oil recycling scheme which is new to the region.

Renewable energy provider Living Fuels has supplied used cooking oil collection facilities at recycling centres in Weston-super-Mare, Portishead and Backwell.  All cooking oil collected at the sites is refined into a biofuel and used to create green electricity in dedicated generators.

Daniel Gillert, commercial manager for Living Fuels, said: “Many people don’t realise that thousands of tonnes of used cooking oil are poured down the drain each year, costing UK rate payers around £15 million to clean up.  By recycling your used cooking oil, you’re not only helping to solve this problem but also making use of what was previously a waste material.”

The oil tanks were installed by Living Fuels in partnership with North Somerset Council and May Gurney environmental services, with the aim of further reducing the amount of waste products going into landfill.

Daniel continued: “Once refined, the biofuel, named ‘LF100’, has huge potential – just one litre generates enough clean electricity to make 240 cups of tea, whilst one tonne provides enough to power the average home for an entire year. Using this process to create electricity vastly reduces carbon emissions, meaning that everyone can play a part in building Britain’s renewable energy future.”

Cllr Carl Francis Pester, North Somerset Council’s executive member with responsibility for recycling  added: “Once again North Somerset Council – in conjunction with May Gurney and Living Fuels – is ahead of the game in helping to generate energy, reducing carbon emissions and saving tax payers money.”

Weston-super-Mare and Portishead recycling centres are open daily between 8am and 6pm, with Backwell recycling centre open between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday, 8am and 4.30pm Saturday and 9am until 4pm Sunday. 

For more information and to find your nearest centre, visit www.n-somerset.gov.uk , or to find out more about the used cooking oil recycling process, visit www.livingfuels.co.uk.

- ENDS -

Oil Aboard as Green Energy Scheme Launches

26 August, 2010, 0 comments

It’s been just over a year since Kent residents embarked on a pioneering new scheme to recycle used cooking oil, and the results are already being put to good use with 18,000 litres powering the world’s busiest passenger port.

The new initiative, launched at the Port of Dover in partnership with green energy company Living Power, will provide a proportion of the port’s heat and power over the next five years through a dedicated generator that runs on a fuel created from used cooking oil.

Ian Collins, Managing Director for Living Power, said: “The new scheme at the Port of Dover is among the first of its kind in the country, as we’re launching a commercial scheme that will be part fuelled by oil recycled by people in Kent.  Over the last 12 months, Kent has recycled the most used cooking oil of all the counties working with Living Power in the UK, setting a great example for the rest of the country in supporting alternative sources of energy.”

The used cooking oil is collected from Kent County Council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres across the UK by Living Power, part of AIM listed REG Bio-Power, and undergoes a unique refinement process creating a biofuel called LF100.  The biofuel is then used to power generators that produce heat and electricity.  To place this in context, just one litre of used cooking oil provides enough energy to make 240 cups of tea, with 1,000 litres enough to power the average family home for an entire year.

Jack Goodhew, general manager for technical service delivery at the Port of Dover, said: "Our pilot partnership with Living Power will allow us to gain invaluable experience in generating sustainable electricity and heat on-site. We want to lead the way in environmental practice within our industry and the new generator, through using an innovative source of renewable energy, will allow us to do this and subsequently reduce our carbon footprint. Our partnership with Living Power shows our ongoing commitment to achieving this aim.” 

David Brazier, deputy cabinet member for Environment, Highways and Waste at Kent County Council, said: “We are delighted to be part of this innovative recycling project.  The scheme helps to avoid unwanted cooking oil blocking the sewerage system when it’s disposed of down the sink.  Its great residents can recycle more at their Household Waste Recycling Centre and see their efforts being put to good use locally. Kent County Council has also contributed leftover cooking oil from schools and its own buildings for this scheme.”

Ian added: “While used cooking oil won’t solve our energy problems on its own, it will certainly go a long way towards fulfilling our sustainable remit.  Along with other forms of alternative power generation, used cooking oil makes a formidable contribution.”

Kent residents can take their used cooking oil to 17 of Kent County Council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres. To find your nearest centre, visit www.kent.gov.uk.  For more information on the used cooking oil recycling process, visit www.livingfuels.co.uk.

- ENDS -

New recycling Scheme for Bridgend

26 August, 2010, 0 comments

Bridgend County Borough residents who use the humble frying pan can now turn their waste oil into electricity thanks to an innovative cooking oil recycling scheme new to the area.

Living Fuels, part of AIM listed Renewable Energy Generation, has supplied used cooking oil recycling facilities at four household amenity and recycling centres in Bridgend County Borough.  All cooking oil collected at the sites is refined into a biofuel and used to create electricity in dedicated generators.

Daniel Gillert, commercial manager for Living Fuels, said: “Many people don’t realise that thousands of tonnes of used cooking oil is poured down the drain each year, costing UK rate payers around £15 million to clean up.  By recycling your used cooking oil, you’re not only helping to solve this problem but also making use of what was previously a waste material.”

The oil tanks were installed by Living Fuels in partnership with Bridgend County Borough Council and May Gurney Infrastructure Services with the aim of further reducing the amount of waste products going into landfill.

Daniel continued: “Once refined, the biofuel ‘LF100’, has huge potential – just one litre generates enough clean electricity to make 240 cups of tea, while one tonne provides enough to power the average home for an entire year.  Using this process to create electricity vastly reduces carbon emissions, meaning that everyone can play a part in building Britain’s renewable energy future.”

Councillor John Spanswick, cabinet member for Communities at Bridgend County Borough Council, added: “Bridgend County Borough Council is committed towards making the area a cleaner, greener place for people to live, work and visit.

“The waste cooking oil facilities complement our recently launched new household recycling collections and will help us to achieve our aims while offering residents more choice in the types of material that can be recycled locally.”

Bridgend County Borough’s household amenity and recycling centres are located at Heol Ty Gwyn Industrial Estate in Maesteg, Penllwyngwent Industrial Estate in Ogmore Vale, Davies Bros Waste in Tythegston and Brynmenyn Industrial Estate in Brynmenyn.  All recycling centres are currently open from 8.30am to 8pm, Monday to Friday and 8.30am to 6.30pm weekends.

For more information on the used cooking oil recycling process, visit www.livingfuels.co.uk.

- ENDS -

Oil in the Making

26 August, 2010, 0 comments

Ian Collins is managing director of REG Bio-Power whose subsidiary, Living Fuels, has pioneered a new technique to convert used cooking oil into combined heat and power (CHP). Thanks to investment from AIM listed Renewable Energy Generation in 2007, the green energy company is enjoying a period of sustained growth despite the economic downturn. Here, Collins tells Resource Recovery Forum the secret to their success and some of the challenges that lie ahead...

“When people are asked to list sources of alternative energy, wind, solar and even wave might come out on top. Already, electricity generated from renewable sources has more than doubled in the last five years (UK Low Carbon Transition Plan July 2009), but what many don’t realise is that used cooking oil (UCO) has the potential to make a huge impact on our renewable energy capacity.  In the year 2007/08, the United States Department of Agriculture estimated the total world consumption of major vegetable oils at 128 million tonnes.  If all of that were to go through our refinement process, we’d be able to provide power for 1.28 million homes.

“We started life as a local company with a skeleton staff, small fleet and oil collection tanks at some 18 Civic Amenity sites. Now, just three years later, we’ve grown into a large scale operation with three CHP generation sites, nine staff and 260 oil collection facilities at local authority recycling and refuse sites across the UK – a number that is continually expanding – all from a great idea.

“The initial concept was simple.  We wanted to make use of this huge waste stream in the production of energy, turning an unwanted product into a useful commodity.  The process starts by collecting UCO from a multitude of producers, typically working in partnership with local authorities, schools, food manufacturers, restaurants and prisons, among others.  Once collected, we refine the oil through a unique process to create our own proprietary fuel named LF100.  It’s then passed to a second subsidiary, Living Power, that is responsible for generating CHP in dedicated generators.  Essentially, we offer a complete energy generation cycle that ends with virtually carbon neutral electricity.

“However, there are barriers to production that we’re still facing. The gulf that exists between UK strategy and Environmental Permitting Regulations means that there’s currently a greater legislative and financial burden on our carbon-neutral fuel than less environmentally-friendly fossil fuel counterparts, such as diesel.

“This is because, despite being classified as an end of waste product by the Environment Agency – which means the fuel ceases to be a waste product once it completes our recovery and testing process – LF100 is still subject to the Environmental Permitting Regulations. While we have plenty of support for our schemes, evidenced by the number of partnerships we have currently in action, this incompatibility between strategy and legislation is hampering the development of large scale innovative solutions to bring renewable energy technologies to market.

“Importantly, the LF100 production process, which is fully patented, does not require any chemical or reagent additives such as those used in the production of biodiesel.

“As with many forms of renewable energy in the private sector, we’re able to partner with a wealth of third parties.  For UCO producers, we’re building waste management programmes and preventing oil from ending up in the drainage system or having to go through other expensive disposal options. The end result is that we’re able to provide contracts for green heat and power at advantageous rates for companies. It’s the best of both worlds – not only does it offer an element of economic stability for all involved throughout the production life-cycle, but it also allows many organisations to comply with environmental policy.

“Of course, one of our key aims is to reduce waste which, in the UK, is a huge and often under-publicised issue. The Waste and Resources Action Program (WRAP) estimates that the UK produces 8.3 million tonnes of food waste each year. In terms of UCO, water companies spend millionsof pounds per year clearing blocked drainage systems due to its illegal disposal. The Living Fuels operation is starting to make a difference in reducing this harmful activity.

“Of course, one of our biggest challenges is to find the best channels to collect large quantities of UCO, and we’re increasingly aiming to partner with industrial users of cooking oil that produce large volumes of waste.  The investment from REG Bio-Power is helping us to achieve this aim, meaning we’re now able to collect and refine much larger quantities of UCO at once.

“For example, in the last three months, we’ve secured planning permission for an extension to our LF100 processing plant at Hockwold near Thetford and added a new 18,000 litre tanker to our fleet of collection vehicles.  From a business perspective, the impact of these additions is huge as we continue to expand our collection and processing capacity. .

“This is a very positive step, not just for Living Fuels but for renewable technologies as a whole, towards raising the profile of our industry and proving the potential it holds for assisting economic recovery.  The expansion of our plant at Hockwold, for example, will bring £1 million of investment and capital development to the region using local Norfolk companies, not to mention the resulting growth of our management, service engineering and collection teams.

“Freedom Farm, the recycling estate on which our Hockwold plant is based, will soon be powered and heated by a 0.4 mega watt CHP generator on site.  This embedded CHP model can be replicated in businesses with a power requirement between 150kW and 5MW. A 150kW CHP scheme was commissioned at the Port of Dover in March of this year, for example.

“It’s claimed in the UK Renewable Energy Strategy 2009 that our sector will underpin economic recovery.  By 2020, the renewable energy industry could generate anywhere between 160,000 and 500,000 jobs – a potential shot in the arm for the UK job market.

“We are also faced with a fresh opportunity through the new coalition government. In their recent report, The Coalition: Our Guide for Government, the Conservative – Lib-Dem coalition make reference to energy market reform, delivery of secure supply and investment in low carbon energy. While this is an early promise, it’s a positive move toward freeing up the renewable energy sector and loosening the regulations currently holding the industry back.

“The environment needs to be right for companies who are investing in renewable energy innovations to do so in a commercially-viable and government-supported way.  At present, there is a risk that environmentally-friendly and sustainable technologies are being placed at a marked competitive disadvantage as companies are being dis-incentivised from pursuing such technologies and the UK renewable energy sector risks falling further behind its European competitors.  There needs to be an environment that allows sustainable technologies to flourish and the new government needs to address this.

“Essentially, the responsibility lies with the private sector and companies like us developing new ways to harness latent sources of alternative power, but the environment and structure needs to be in place to allow us to develop. We’ll continue to grow, but the strongest growth agent for us will be a reworked system with an emphasis on re-regulation of the sector. Other than oil, finding the resource to do this might prove to be our next biggest challenge.

- ENDS –

Don't Give Recycling the Slip

26 August, 2010, 0 comments

Residents in Stratford upon Avon who use the humble frying pan can now turn their waste oil into electricity thanks to an innovative cooking oil recycling scheme introduced to the area.

Renewable energy provider Living Fuels has supplied used cooking oil recycling facilities at a number of household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) across Warwickshire, including one at Burton Farm in Stratford.  All cooking oil collected at the site is refined into a biofuel and used to create green electricity in dedicated generators.

Daniel Gillert, commercial manager for Living Fuels, said: “Many people don’t realise that thousands of tonnes of used cooking oil are poured down the drain each year, costing UK rate payers around £15 million to clean up.  By recycling your used cooking oil, you’re not only helping to solve this problem but also making use of what was previously a waste material.”

The oil tanks were installed by Living Fuels in partnership with Warwickshire County Council, with the aim of recycling and reusing as much waste as possible and reducing the amount of valuable resources going into landfill.  The scheme also provides a tax saving for residents in Warwickshire.

Daniel continued: “Once refined, the biofuel named ‘LF100’, has huge potential – just one litre generates enough clean electricity to make 240 cups of tea, whilst one tonne provides enough to power the average home for an entire year.  Using this process to create electricity vastly reduces carbon emissions, meaning that everyone can play a part in building Britain’s renewable energy future.”

Cllr Alan Cockburn, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Economy at Warwickshire County Council, added: “This innovative scheme is a perfect example of recycling in action. My ambition is to encourage all Warwickshire families to recycle as much as they possibly can, and this scheme shows that even everyday household materials such as cooking oil can be put to another use.

“As a county council, one of our core priorities is to promote a sustainable environment and economy, and we wholeheartedly endorse a partnership which will help meet our goals of increased recycling and beneficial use of waste material.”  

For further information regarding the locations, opening times and types of materials you can recycle at Household Waste Recycling Centres in Warwickshire, visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/hwrc. 

To find out more about the used cooking oil recycling process, visit www.livingfuels.co.uk, or for any questions about recycling please contact the waste management team at Warwickshire County Council on 01926 412593.

- ENDS -

Oil Recycling Scheme Trickles into Leicester

13 May, 2010, 0 comments

Leicester residents who use the humble frying pan can now turn their waste oil into electricity thanks to an innovative cooking oil recycling scheme new to the city. The collection tanks, based at Bridge Road and Islington Street Community Recycling Centres, are designed to hold up to 1,200 litres of used cooking oil. Once full, the oil is collected by renewable energy company Living Fuels and refined into a biofuel called LF100, which is then used to create electricity in special generators.

Daniel Gillert, commercial manager for Living Fuels, said: "Eco friendly recyclers can now add used cooking oil to their weekly recycling routine and help us convert this waste product into a useful fuel. Many people don't realise just how much money is wasted each year on unclogging sewers as a result of used cooking oil being poured down the drain, and our innovative method of reusing oil can help put a stop to that.

Every time we launch another collection service, it's an opportunity to get over the message that used cooking oil also causes major environmental damage when poured down the sink.

The launch of this latest scheme is the second in a series of initiatives in Leicester by the company - last month, it piloted a UK project to educate children about recycling used cooking oil at Uplands Infant School, with great results.

"The children managed to collect over 350 litres of oil in the space of just four weeks, which is a UK first" added Daniel. "Based on the success of this project, we hope to roll out the scheme to other schools across the UK in the coming year."

For more information on recycling in Leicester, visit www.leicester.gov.uk. 

Oils Not Lost on Local Business

13 May, 2010, 0 comments

Keen recyclers in Surrey can now add another waste material to their list after a local company has launched a new used cooking oil recycling scheme across the region.

Green energy company Living Fuels, part of the Guildford registered group Renewable Energy Generation, now provide used cooking oil recycling facilities at 14 household waste recycling sites across the region. All cooking oil collected at the sites is refined into a biofuel and used to create electricity.

Daniel Gillert, commercial manager for Living Fuels, said: "many people don't realise that thousands of tonnes of used cooking oil are poured down the drain each year, costing UK rate payers around £15 million to clean up. By recycling your used cooking oil, you're not only helping to solve this problem but also making use of what was previously a waste material."

The oil tanks were installed by Living Fuels in partnership with Surrey County Council and Surrey Waste Management with the aim of further reducing the amount of waste products going into landfill.

Daniel continued: "Once refined the biofuel, named 'LF100', has huge potential, just one litre generates enough clean electricity to make 240 cups of tea, whilst one tonne provides enough to power the average home for an entire year. Using this process to create electricity vastly reduces carbon emissions, meaning that everyone can play a part in building Britain's renewable energy future."

Gareth Swain, regional manager at Surrey Waste Management, added: "Surrey residents are already recycling more than 30 different materials at our community recycling centres across the county and we are always looking for new ways to divert more material from landfill.  I'm delighted to be able to add used cooking oil to the list of materials that can be recycled at our facilities in Surrey." 

To find your nearest community recycling centre visit www.surreycc.gov.uk or for more information on the used cooking oil recycling process, visit www.livingfuels.co.uk. 

Waste cooking oil fuels Port of Dover's green initiative

07 April, 2010, 0 comments

This story orininally appeared on the Click Green website, 30 March 2010.

Kent residents have set a new precedent in recycling waste materials by collecting over 18 tonnes of used cooking oil in the last 14 months to fuel a green combined heat and power initiative at the Port of Dover.

The used cooking oil, collected and refined into biofuel 'LF100' by Living Fuels, will be used to provide a proportion of the Port's power needs over the next 12 months. The fuel will help to power a 150kW Combined Heat and Power operation based at one of the Port's berths. 

Daniel Gillert, commercial manager for Living Fuels, said: "We're really encouraged by the success the scheme has had in Kent and hope to echo this result across the country. People here have really taken this new method of recycling in their stride and, as a result, have made Kent the top county for recycling used cooking oil. 

"Our target for the next 12 months is to double the total collected to 36 tonnes."

Ian Collins, Managing Director of AIM listed REG Bio Power, the parent company of Living Fuels, said: "As more and more businesses look toward re-gearing their corporate social responsibility policy to accept incoming methods of green power generation, organisations such as the Port of Dover are leading the way in implementing renewable energy on a large, industrial scale.

"The introduction of used cooking oil to generate heat and power reduces carbon emissions and means that everyone from the large food processors and catering companies down to the individual householder - can play their part in building Britain's renewable energy capacity. While used cooking oil will not solve the energy crisis on its own, it will certainly make a big impact."

Running on oil for a good cause - London Marathon

30 March, 2010, 0 comments

Most people associate running a marathon with blisters and sore feet, but for a commercial manager in Nottinghamshire, running the London Marathon will have a much greater effect for a worthy cause.

Daniel Gillert, of used cooking oil recycling company Living Fuels, hopes to raise over £500 for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, a charity that funds research into muscular dystrophy and provides care and support to sufferers of muscle diseases. Daniel is also aiming to raise over £1,000 for family friend Ethan, a six year old boy who has been affected by the disease.

"The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign does fantastic work in the field of muscle disease and are a more than worthy cause to run a marathon for" said Gillert, "Many of the people affected by muscular dystrophy will never be able to walk or run, which is why I feel privileged to be able to complete an event such as the London Marathon."

To sponsor Daniel, visit his donation page at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DanielGillert. 

Leicester: Big pour gives big lesson to local children

26 March, 2010, 0 comments

Coverage of this project in the Leicester Mercury, March 2010.

Over 500 children at a local infant school were congratulated or their efforts in collecting and recycling over 350 litres of used cooking oil so far as part of a new school recycling project.

The pilot project is the first being trialled in the region to educate children about this new renewable energy source.  The scheme was managed by Recycle for Leicester in partnership with waste management company Biffa and green energy company Living Fuels.

Daniel Gillert of Living Fuels, who is responsible for spearheading the project, said: "We're pleased that so many children at Uplands Infant School engaged with the project and put so much effort into collecting this huge volume of used cooking oil.

"The school has set a hard act to follow for when we roll the scheme out on a wider scale across the UK. Given that half of the children have yet to bring in their collected oil, we're expecting to see the volume increase twofold."

The project was launched last month with a presentation and workshop with children, finishing with a 'big pour' at the school to gather all of the oil into a large tank on site. Local Councillor Sarah Russell turned up on the day to support the project and presented certificates to the classes for taking part.

"The students collected an average of 1 and a half litres each which over the space of a month is something they should all be very proud of' said head teacher Mark Ingham, "in fact, it's a lesson we should all learn from. It's shocking to think that all of this oil would have ended up in landfill or being poured down the drain. The project has been a real eye opener."

Once the used cooking oil is collected, Living Fuels undertake an innovative process to refine the oil into a biofuel called LF100, which is then used to create electricity. To give an example, just one litre of used cooking oil provides enough power to make 240 cups of tea.

Daniel added: "On behalf of Living Fuels, I'd like to say a big thank you to all of the children, parents and teachers at Uplands for their effort and enthusiasm."

Living Fuels now has used cooking oil collection tanks at all available household Waste Recycling Centres in Leicestershire. For more information on your nearest recycling centre, visit www.leicester.gov.uk.