A place in the top ten

04 January, 2012, 0 comments

Living Fuels is delighted to be featured in Earth 911’s ‘Top 25 Alternative Energy Moves of 2011’.

The list recognises ‘history-making milestones’ in the renewables sector throughout 2011 and places Living Fuels at number 9, thanks to its work with Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority. Other companies in the list include Google, Philips and NASA.

Please follow the link to the full article. http://earth911.com/news/2011/12/28/top-25-alternative-energy-moves-of-2011/#fb-comments

Festive fry-ups feed the grid!

16 December, 2011, 0 comments

Renewable energy company Living Fuels and Kent County Council are urging people to make their festive waste environmentally friendly by recycling leftover cooking oil after Christmas.

The cooking oil from roasts, chips and fry-ups is turned into a green bioliquid by Living Fuels, which is used to power generators that feed into the National Grid.

Waste cooking oil can be dropped off at collection tanks at household waste recycling centres around the county. Just one litre of waste cooking oil, about a third of what is used in an average chip pan, can make enough clean, green electricity to make 240 cups of tea.

So far this year, Kent residents have already taken enough used cooking oil to make five million cups of tea.

Recycling waste cooking oil also helps to prevent damage to drains and sewers, reducing the risk of expensive repair bills.

Bryan Sweetland, Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste at Kent County Council, said: “Thank you to all the Kent residents who have taken their waste cooking oil to the county’s recycling centres this year. Please continue to dispose of waste cooking oil responsibly and help transform waste into clean, green energy.”

“Remember you can also recycle other festive items, from Christmas cards to glass bottles and jars, as well as batteries and old electrical equipment at Kent’s household waste recycling centres.”

Cooking oil could reduce East Sussex's dependence on fossil fuels

13 December, 2011, 0 comments

People are helping to power the National Grid with used cooking oil as part of a bid to reduce Brighton, Hove and East Sussex’s dependence on fossil fuels.
East Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council in partnership with Veolia Environmental Services and green energy company Living Fuels have signed up a recycling scheme which will turn used cooking oil into electricity at no cost to taxpayers.
Collection banks for oil have been installed at the 14 East Sussex household waste recycling sites. The oil will be collected by Living Fuels and recovered naturally into clean, green electricity for use during times of unexpected power demand.
Each tank holds 1,250 litres of used cooking oil, which is enough to power the average UK home for a year.

Residents encouraged to dispose of cooking oil correctly

07 December, 2011, 0 comments

Residents are being reminded to dispose of their used cooking oil correctly instead of pouring it down the plughole and into the drains.

The Borough has a collection tank based at the Chigwell Road Refuse and Recycling Centre (RRC) at Woodford Bridge where residents can get rid of their used cooking oil.

Cooking oil is often the cause of clogged up sinks, drains and sewers. If oil gets into lakes and ponds it can harm wildlife. Recently some baby swans had to be rescued as a result of cooking oil being dumped in a lake in Ilford. Precious energy is also wasted if cooking oil is not disposed of properly.

This is why the council is encouraging residents to pour their oil into the special container at the RRC. The oil is collected by a specialist company called Living Fuels who recycle the oil into bioliquid. This generates green electricity and heat for customers all around the UK. One litre of used cooking iol can generate enough electricity to make 240 cups of tea.

Redbridge Council is always looking for new ways to recycle waste and knows that residents and the environment will benefit from services provided.

Article via Redbridge Council website.

Recycled cooking oil saves money and energy in Hertfordshire

07 December, 2011, 0 comments

If you’ve been recycling used cooking oil at the Hertfordshire County Council Household Waste Recycling Centres then you’ve been helping to reduce the cost of repairs to damaged drains and watercourses and also providing electricity to power the National Grid.

That’s the message that Hertfordshire County Council and its residents are celebrating after being presented with a certificate by green energy company Living Fuels, praising them for recycling enough used cooking oil to provide the energy to make over 5 million cups of tea!

Used cooking oil has traditionally been difficult to dispose of and research has shown that the majority of householders in the UK are still throwing it down the sink. However getting rid of used cooking oil this way not only harms watercourses and wildlife but adds to your bill from water companies who have to spend on average £15 million per year to service drains blocked with fats and grease.

Many Hertfordshire residents are already recycling used cooking oil responsibly, thanks to a scheme pioneered by Living Fuels, in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council. Living Fuels provides used cooking oil tanks at sites around the county for residents to dispose of their oil. Once collected, the dirty oil is recovered into a clean, green bioliquid called LF100 through a 100% natural process involving no additional chemicals or heat. In turn, that fuels CHP (combined heat and power) units which generate carbon-neutral electricity and heat that is fed into the National Grid.

Rob Murphy, Operations Director of Living Fuels said: “Pouring oil down the drain has been causing problems with the Victorian drainage system in the UK for a while now, and the problem is only going to keep getting worse if people aren’t educated about the perils of tipping their waste oil down the drain. By recycling your used cooking oil, you really are benefitting the environment. Living Fuels are proud to be working with the people of Hertfordshire to help reduce the county’s carbon footprint and save money on water bills.”

Derrick Ashley, Cabinet Member for Transformation, Performance and Waste Management, said: “Hertfordshire residents work really hard to do their bit to protect the environment by recycling and reducing waste. However, by disposing of cooking oil responsibly we can make even more of a difference. This is a win, win scenario as the cooking oil tanks are free to use at our HWRCs around the county and by using them, residents are protecting the environment and ultimately reducing their water bills as well.”

Visit www.wasteaware.org.uk/ to find your nearest Hertfordshire Household Waste Recycling Centre that takes waste vegetable oil or for general information about recycling and centre opening hours. For further information about recycling oil at other sites visit www.livingfuels.co.uk.

Hartlepool Residents Turn Fry-ups into Electricity

18 November, 2011, 0 comments

Millions of pounds are being tipped down the drain every year in the UK as a direct result of pouring used cooking oil down the sink rather than it being recycled.

Now Hartlepool residents have an easy way to recycle their waste cooking oil locally, helping to cut taxpayers’ £15M annual bill for cleaning up drains and watercourses damaged by waste fats.

The waste oil collected The Burn Road Household Waste Recycling Centre will now be converted to clean electricity.

Green energy firm Living Fuels has placed the tank at the site in partnership with Hartlepool Borough Council and JB Recycling.

Living Fuels collects the waste oil and refines it through a 100 per cent natural process to produce a patented bioliquid which in turn powers specially-designed engines to supply safe, clean, renewable electricity to the National Grid.

Rob Murphy, Operations Director or Living Fuels said: “Just one litre of used cooking oil that we collect generates enough renewable electricity through our chemical-free processing to make 240 cups of tea.
“Since we started out three years we have collected enough waste oil to power 5,000 UK homes for a year.
“But we can still do much, much more so I’m delighted that environmentally-conscious Hartlepool residents can now recycle their used cooking oil and help the fight against dangerous climate change.”

ITV Calendar coverage of the Leeds North power station opening.

15 November, 2011, 0 comments

ITV Calendar footage of our recent Leeds North power station opening, detailing the benefits of a power station run on recovered vegetable oil.

Click here to view the clip

REG BIO-POWER OPENS NEW GREEN POWER STATION

14 October, 2011, 1 comment

A pioneering green energy company is launching a new power station to generate safe, clean renewable electricity using a bioliquid recovered from waste cooking oil.

REG Bio-Power will formally unveil its 2MW Leeds North plant on Friday October 14 and the ground-breaking technology installed will help provide back-up power for the National Grid.

The £1.1m plant, along with its sister site in Suffolk, will be called upon by the National Grid to supply electricity to meet unexpected power demand at short notice.

Leeds North is capable of generating green electricity to help keep the country’s lights on via instantaneous remote start-up.

How it works

1. REG Bio-Power’s processing arm – Living Fuels – collects waste cooking oil from over 400 local authority recycling sites, schools and prisons around the UK.
2. This oil is then converted into our patented bioliquid – LF100 – through a 100% natural filtration process completely free from additives.
3. LF100 is then used to fuel power stations like Leeds North to generate renewable electricity.
Ian Collins, REG Bio-Power’s Managing Director, said: “Recovering waste cooking oil to create electricity is incredibly good for the environment. Not only are our sites producing much-needed renewable energy, but anyone who recycles their waste cooking oil is also helping cut the UK taxpayer’s £15m bill for repairing drains clogged with fat caused when oil is tipped down the sink.

“So to water companies, waste cooking oil is a nightmare, but to REG Bio-Power it is an environmentally friendly fuel. Our patented bioliquid LF100 has now clocked up over 60,000 hours of electricity generation across our existing engines.

“We are delighted to be supporting local efforts to create a clean, green environment and look forward to generating safe renewable power to meet the UK’s needs.”

Fabian Hamilton, MP for Leeds North said: “Every unit of power generated from renewable sources displaces energy that would otherwise come from less sustainable fossil fuels.

“This form of renewable energy generation also makes good use of a waste product so I am particularly pleased that Leeds is playing host to this technology.”

Living Fuels helps to power fair

07 October, 2011, 1 comment

Described by some as a ‘national institution’, Goose Fair is a highlight of the Nottingham calendar. Now in its 717th year visitors come from all over the country to sample the delights of one of the biggest mobile fairs in Europe.

Originally an event for buying geese to eat at Michelmas, over the years the fair has changed dramatically, moving from the Market Square to the Forest Recreation ground, changing many of its attractions and moving from traditional steam powered rides to faster electrical ones.

Now, with the help of an innovative Nottingham based company, Living Fuels, the traders of Goose fair are able to help return the electricity used at the fair to the National Grid.

Living Fuels, in partnership with Nottingham City Council, have placed two used cooking oil tanks at the Forest Rec ground for traders to dispose of their used oil. Once the event is over, this oil will be taken to the company’s processing plant and recovered 100% naturally into a clean, green bioliquid that is then used to run combined heat and power (CHP) units that feed electricity into the National Grid.

Rob Murphy, Operations Manager at the head office on King Street in Nottingham said, “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Nottingham City Council to both provide the tradesmen with an outlet for a difficult waste stream and also help save the environment. It’s great to know that as we’re all having fun at the fair, we’re also helping to keep our country’s power switched on.”

Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Energy and Sustainability, Councillor Alan Clark, said: “We’re always looking at ways to reduce our impact on the environment and have been recycling other materials from Goose Fair for a number of years. We were delighted that a local company approached us with this great idea for making good use of the large amount of cooking oil used at the event. It is not only a greener solution but it saves on disposal costs too – it’s a win-win situation for us.”

Every year an estimated 15 million pounds is spent clearing drains blocked with used cooking oil, which also damages water courses. Living Fuels provides used cooking oil tanks to household waste recycling centres around Nottinghamshire for easy and environmentally friendly disposal of householders’ oil. To find your nearest used cooking oil bank, please visit www.livingfuels.co.uk.

Cooking oil recycling scheme launched

06 October, 2011, 5 comments

An innovative scheme that will see cooking oil recycled and then used for energy has been introduced across Merseyside.

Collection tanks have been fitted at the region’s 14 Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) where local residents can bring their used and leftover cooking oil, rather than pouring it down the sink.

Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA) and its contractor Veolia Environmental Services have teamed up with green energy firm Living Fuels to implement the scheme. Living Fuels will collect the waste oil and refine it through a totally natural process to produce a patented bioliquid. This in turn will power specially-designed engines to supply safe, clean, renewable electricity to the National Grid.

Councillor Joe De’Asha, Chairperson of MWDA, said: “Millions of pounds are being tipped down the drain every year as a direct result of pouring cooking oil into the sink. As well as removing this waste product from the environment we’re also helping to create energy so residents can be doubly pleased they’re helping clean up Merseyside.”

Holding 1,250 litres, each tank that has been installed at the Recycling Centres will produce enough electricity to power one average household for an entire year. Just one litre of used cooking oil (about one-third of what you’d find in an average chip pan) can power a dishwasher for three hours, make 240 cups of tea or power an energy-saving light bulb for 225 hours.

Water companies in the UK currently spend £15m a year clearing used cooking oil from their sewers and 75% of the 200,000 drain clearance call-outs every year involve used cooking oil.

Rob Murphy, Operations Director for Living Fuels, said: “Since we started out three years ago we’ve collected enough waste oil to power 5,000 UK homes for a year. But we can still do much, much more so I’m delighted that environmentally-conscious Merseyside residents can now recycle their used cooking oil and help affect climate change.”

The containers have been installed on site and are available for householders to use immediately. Plastic bottle containers will be provided on every site so householders can also recycle these after disposing of the oil.

Paul Smyth, Contract Manager Veolia ES Merseyside and Halton, said: “We’re seeking to provide the residents of Merseyside with an environmentally safe disposal point for cooking oil. The scheme will stop the oil getting into drainage systems, saving the cost to us and the environment and at the same time providing a fuel to generate power.”

MWDA Chairperson Councillor Joe De’Asha, continued: “We’re always looking to get the most out of our Recycling Centres and this is an innovative use of a material we’ve never recycled before so we’re keen to see how popular it will be.”

Merseyside’s 14 Household Waste Recycling Centres are situated throughout the region and accept all sorts of household materials for recycling, from batteries, cans and cardboard, through to garden clippings, glass bottles, furniture, soil, timber, electrical items and white goods, plus much more. Further details can be found at www.merseysidewda.gov.uk or by calling MWDA on 0151 255 1444.

ENDS