About The Cooking Oil Recycling Program

The Cooking Oil Recycling (COR) Program is a pilot project started in partnership between Blue Ridge Biofuels, Green Opportunities (GO), and the Metropolitan Sewage District (MSD) of Buncombe County providing used oil recycling services to Asheville and surrounding cities. Funded by the Biofuels Center of North Carolina, the COR Program is the first of its kind in Western North Carolina.

Locally-made recycling bins for used cooking oil are being placed across the City of Asheville and neighboring counties. The goal of the COR Program is to keep used cooking oils and greases out of the sewers and landfill and divert them into producing clean, renewable biodiesel sold back to the community. This will in turn reduce waste, improve air quality, and create clean energy in the region's local community.

The Cooking Oil Recycling Program engages multiple, diverse communities across Buncombe Co. in recycling, reducing waste, and creating clean, local energy. With your help, the Cooking Oil Recycling Program will achieve the goal of the North Carolina Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership that by 2017, 10% of liquid fuels sold in our state will come from biofuels grown and produced in NC.

Cost of Used Cooking Oil

Used cooking oil is one of the major causes of costly sewer maintenance in Buncombe Co. These sewer overflows take up valuable resources of the local budgets for public works and are a potential threat to the environment. Sewer overflows due to clogs from used cooking oil threaten the water system. When poured down the drain, used cooking oil solidifies into thick layers inside drainpipes, constricting water flow similar to the blood flow in arteries. Over time, clogged sewers result in unsanitary conditions including overflows in the street, foul-smelling odors, and irreversible damage to sewer pipes. The Cooking Oil Recycling Program targets used cooking oil, fat and grease before they become issues.

One of the main hurdles to increased availability of biodiesel in Western North Carolina is the lack of cost-effective “feedstock” (the raw material that goes into producing biofuels.) Soybean oil is the main feedstock for biodiesel in the US, but remains uncompetitive to petro-diesel at $4 a gallon.Instead, we use waste cooking oils in the form of vegetable and animal fat as a more cost-effective feedstock for producing biodiesel. Increased access to low-cost feedstock allows Blue Ridge Biofuels to produce more biodiesel that is comparable in price to petroleum diesel. Best yet, biodiesel acts a direct replacement for diesel and emits 80% less green-house gases than petroleum diesel. It also protects against engine wear with its increased lubricity.

How To Get Involved with the COR Program

By educating the communities of Asheville and Western North Carolina, and placing public recycling bins in accessible locations, the Cooking Oil Recycling Program seeks to keep used cooking oil out of the sewers and divert them to Blue Ridge Biofuels for processing into biodiesel.

For more information, visit www.cookingoilrecycling.org contact info@cookingoilrecycling.org.