Contarina – the collection of used vegetable oil

The successful results of the initiative show how a strong collaboration between citizens, local companies and administrations can produce high quality outcomes. The waste vegetable oil treatment project is aimed at facilitating the collection of a type of waste whose impact is still underestimated, by equipping citizens with special containers.

“I Recuperabili” (the recoverables), which also includes cooking oil collection, is an initiative by Contarina aiming at ensuring new value to all the smaller waste generated by families, adopting innovative solutions for their treatment. If properly disposed, these “waste” acquire new value. 

Increase in vegetable oil collection after the first year from the adoption of UrbaOil containers: + 27%, per capita collection 1.1 kg per inhabitant per year.

Initial situation

Used vegetable oil is highly polluting for the environment. In many cases, unfortunately, it is discarded in the sink and then ends up in the sewer system. Used vegetable oils prevent the optimal functioning of water treatment systems. Oils, in fact, form a coat on the surface of the liquids to be treated, which slows down the work of the microorganisms responsible for the degradation of organic matter.

Objectives

The challenge lies not only in constantly improving the performance of separate waste collection, but also in developing a widespread environmental awareness among the population and in promoting sustainable practices in circular economy.

In particular, as part of this initiative, the collected oil is transported to plants that transform it into biodiesel, to further reduce environmental impact.

The population was therefore invited to collect vegetable oil to protect groundwater, to pollute less and to transform this waste into an additional, reusable resource.

To achieve even more significant results, the service was also activated for non-domestic users.

Solutions

URBA OIL with unique RFID TAG with disposal at the collection point.

For Ascotrade customers, Contarina supplied 100 thousand three-litre URBA OIL Sartori Ambiente containers for the collection of vegetable oil, with the same graphic customization of the 300-litre TANK OIL containers present in the EcoCenters.

Contarina users who decide to become Ascotrade customers in the free electricity market by subscribing to the “Io Verde” offer can also take advantage of a 20 euro bonus upon activation of the contract, discounted from the first electricity bill.

Results

Data confirm a net growth in collection, marking an increase by 28% in 2018 and 0.5 kg per inhabitant per year of collected used oil, which will be turned into low environmental impact biofuel. In 2021, the amount of collected oil has more than doubled.