Ecóleo, an NGO, estimates 2,000 families nationwide live exclusively from the money earned from collecting used kitchen oil. (Cristine Pires for Infosurhoy.com)

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil – The sink drain is not the only destination for leftover oil in the frying pan.

The recycling of kitchen oil waste is helping to generate income for thousands of Brazilians who make a living by collecting what most of society discards.

Each liter of oil has an average value of R$0.40 (US$0.22) – more than the price paid for a kilogram of iron, which is about R$0.35 (US$0.20).

Ecóleo (www.ecoleo.org.br), an NGO, estimates 2,000 families nationwide live exclusively from the money earned from collecting used kitchen oil.

The families make an average of R$500 (US$287.35) monthly, but in areas where the management and collection system of cooking oil residues is more developed, as in the state of São Paulo, they can make more than double, about R$1,200 (US$683).

But there’s the potential for more money to be made, Ecóleo says.

Ecóleo’s data indicates that of the 3.8 billion liters of edible oils produced annually in Brazil, just 75 million are turned into by-products such as biodiesel, animal food, malleable glass, detergent and paint.

“Less than 1% is effectively recycled,” says Levi Torres, the Ecóleo’s coordinator.

But there’s potential to quadruple the reuse of edible oil through increasing the number of collection points and promotional campaigns, Torres says.

Recycling kitchen oil brings both economic and ecological gains.

Each liter of oil that’s not discarded properly has the potential to contaminate 25,000 liters of water, Ecóleo says.

The contamination occurs when oily residues are flushed down the sink or thrown onto the soil, where they are absorbed and ultimately contaminate underground water deposits.

Trader started collecting oil residues 20 years ago

Rosângela Freixo Santos de Souza, 45, began separating oil 20 years ago because she didn’t want it damaging the environment.

Souza started a campaign to bring awareness to her neighbors and employees regarding the importance of not discarding oil waste.

She urged them to store it in bottles or glass pots.

In her hometown Dourados, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, there isn’t a formal program to collect oil residues.

“In the beginning, I didn’t know what to do with the leftovers, and then I started seeking people who used the oil as a raw material to produce homemade detergent,” Souza says.

Souza didn’t profit financially with that move, but she is proud her actions have convinced others to follow her, preventing millions of liters of water from being contaminated.

Of the 3.8 billion liters of kitchen oil produced annually in Brazil, just 75 million are turned into by-products such as biodiesel, malleable glass and animal food. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Souza said she wants officials to establish ecopoints (http://www.ecoleo.org.br/eco_pontos.html), as the collection sites are called, in her city.

“I know these are small actions, but this is the way we start environmental education,” Souza says. “What we need is more help from the government to collect the material.”

Journalist produces his own biodiesel from kitchen oil residues

Roberto Gambino Bacelar, a 71-year-old retired photographer and crime reporter, has formed a chain of edible oil waste suppliers in Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul.

His goal?

Producing his own biodiesel.

Bacelar, who has no formal training or education in the field, began researching the subject nine years ago and tried to use oil waste to fuel his two VW Kombis.

“I researched the formula and tested it,” Bacelar says.

The first step was to obtain the raw material. Besides collecting residues from his own kitchen, Bacelar bought used kitchen oil from restaurants in his neighborhood.

He then began producing biodiesel, mixing the used oil with caustic soda – less than the quantity used to make homemade soup.

After obtaining the proper chemical reaction, he added methanol.

He then started to fuel up his vehicles by using a recipe of two liters of biodiesel for each eight liters of diesel.

There was no need to modify the engines, says Bacelar, and he reduced his gas bill by 45%.

Detergent made of kitchen oil residues for sale

Porto Alegre is one of the most advanced cities in the collection of edible oil residues. The Municipal Department of Urban Cleaning (DMLU) coordinates the process so the population can easily discard used oil safely.

Since 2007, 148 ecopoints have been created. Each one generates around 100 liters of oil monthly.

Three companies associated with DMLU collect the waste at the ecopoints and then use the material to make the products.

“We need a campaign to raise people’s awareness nationwide to show the importance of separating residues,” says engineer Mariza Reis, coordinator of the Fry-Oil Collecting Project (PEOF) at the DMLU.

But the increased supply of raw material already is allowing big companies to invest in the sector. That’s the case of Walmart Brasil. The retailer collects nearly 1.5 tons of oil waste monthly.

Walmart, in partnership with chemical industry Bertolini Indústria Química Ltda., started the project in 2008 by making detergent with recycled oil.

The detergent has been a hot-selling item at the nine stores where it debuted last year. A 400-gram bar costs R$1.18 (US$0.67), about 20% less than the leading brands.

“We managed to have a more sustainable product with a lower price,” says Walmart Brasil’s sustainability manager, Yuri Feres, who said the company will extend the initiative to its stores in other countries.