Recycling Christmas cooking fat can help keep the lights on

Every year in Britain around 15 million cups of roast turkey fat is poured down the sink on Christmas day - nearly enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool.If this amount of oil was recovered into renewable energy it could provide enough electricity to power 3600 homes for a whole year. But remember, recycle oil for life, not just for Christmas.

Living Fuels, working in partnership with local councils and waste contractors across the UK, including in Bedfordshire, operates the scheme which sees used cooking oil recovered into an environmentally-friendly bioliquid used to generate clean electricity for the National Grid.

The ultimate Christmas Scrooge would be a blockage of clogged oil, which would need to be removed at great expense. Instead of throwing money down the drain, take used cooking oil to a local recycling plant, to be converted into 100% sustainable, patented bio liquid. In turn, this can be used in eco-friendly power stations across the country.

The increase in feasting over the festive season can leave drains feeling far from merry as a result of all the extra cooking oil discarded down household sinks.

Managing director of Living Fuels Ian Collins, says: “The festive season usually means larger volumes of used cooking oil being poured down the sink. Not only is this a waste of a valuable source of renewable energy, it can also lead to costly drain blockages as the oil cools and solidifies in the drainage system.

“Recycling your used cooking oil this Christmas will not only help you to avoid unwanted repair bills over the holidays - but also reduce your carbon footprint by helping to build a sustainable source of renewable energy.”

There are around 500 waste cooking oil tanks situated at recycling centres across the UK so there is no excuse for wasting your oil down the drain this Christmas.

Find out more about the used cooking oil recycling process or to find your nearest recycling facility at www.livingfuels.co.uk.