Abu Dhabi doorstep UCO collection to begin next year

Abu Dhabi's waste management centre will start recycling waste cooking oil (UCO) from homes and restaurants to produce biofuels.
Abdul Mohsin Al Katheeri, acting director of projects and facilities at Tadweer, said the doorstep project is expected to start next year.
Residents will be provided with secure containers to safely dispose of their used oil.
A licensed recycling company will take these containers to Tadweer’s Waste to Energy Plant, which is currently under construction.
The processing unit is being set up with the help of Emirates Water and Electricity Company, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Power Corporation.
“The used cooking oil is treated using fatty acid to produce biodiesel. Imagine turning the used cooking oil in your kitchen to biodiesel,” Mr Al Katheeri said.
The project’s investors will reach out to restaurants and hotels and ask them to recycle their waste cooking oil.
“And for people’s homes, we will have a collection centre with containers to dispose of the oil waste,” he said.
Tadweer has already been recycling used lubricant oil to base oil since 2010.
In Abu Dhabi, 2.5 million tonnes of garbage is generated every year, of which 25 to 30% is food.
“We can turn all types of waste to energy,” Mr Al Katheeri said.
“Once the plant is in operation, we will be able to divert around 600,000 tonnes of waste per year.
“Most of the waste now goes to the landfill, which means you have a mountain of waste [piling up] that you can do nothing about.
“Another goal is to recycle 800,000 tonnes of waste per year in Abu Dhabi and 350,000 tonnes in Al Ain to refuse derived fuel.”