RECYCLING OF USED COOKING OIL

RECYCLING OF USED COOKING OIL

Dear Mr. President, according to Microsoft Copilot, “there is a law in the Philippines that mandates the proper management of used cooking oil. Republic Act No. 6969, also known as the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990, regulates the collection, storage, transport, processing, recycling, and disposal of hazardous substances, including used cooking oil”.

Up until I started my research on the subject, I did not know that used cooking oil was considered as a hazardous substance. My only reason for starting my research was because I considered used cooking oil not only as an environmental problem, but also as a health problem. My first reason is obvious, because used cooking oil not only pollutes the topsoil if it is not properly collected, it also contaminates the aquifer if it seeps down below the soil. Those problems could happen if there is no proper drainage, but there could still be a problem even if there is a drainage, because the system could clog up if the cooking oil congeals or solidifies, hence it could contribute to flooding.

My second reason is not too obvious, because not too many people are aware that used cooking oil is illegally collected by some unscrupulous people, recycled and resold as “second hand” cooking oil in the black market. That is a very dangerous practice that should be stopped, because that resulting is very much carcinogenic. We already know that fried foods are already unhealthy as they are, but can you imagine how much healthier they could be if foods are fried with carcinogenic oil?

The DENR, through the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) is responsible for implementing RA 6969, meaning that they oversee the process of conducting the inspections, to see to it that violations are detected. Apparently, that is just in theory, because in practice, it would be difficult for them to do that nationwide. Perhaps the solution to this problem Mr. President, is to create a permanent interagency task for consisting of the DENR, the EMB, the DILG, the DOH and the DOE.

The DILG would be needed in the task force, because all the commercial establishments which would most likely be the restaurants and fast-food outlets are within the jurisdictions of the LGUs. In practical terms, these establishments could be denied the renewal of their business permits if they are in violation of the law. The DOH would be needed to deny the issuance of health permits, in case the establishments are using recycled cooking oils. The DOE would be needed to make sure that used cooking oils are sold to recyclers that could convert them to biodiesels.

Mr. President, I can understand how difficult it is to implement these ideas nationwide right away. To start, may I humbly suggest that the task force could start implementing them in self-contained government-controlled jurisdictions such as public schools, public hospitals, city halls, prisons and military camps? By doing that, we could save not only the environment, but we could also save a lot of people from cancer, and we could save a lot of money on diesel expenses. Respectfully yours, IKE SENERES/12-11-24/visit my blog senseneres.blogspot.com

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