Eighty per cent of used cooking oil in Brunei is not handed over to recycling and environmental protection agencies for proper disposal, and the waste cooking oil is dumped directly into drains and ditches, indirectly damaging the environment and water sources.
“Through awareness and education, people can be more passionate to pay attention to the proper disposal of used cooking oil.”
Shaliz Waste Recycling Co Ltd Managing Director Peter Wong said this at the Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) Eco-Alam Festival held at the PGGMB building in the capital.
Wong believes that as long as efforts are made to spread awareness on the need to protect the environment and water sources, people will take the initiative to hand over waste cooking oil to recycling stations for proper disposal.
Wong also hoped to increase the number of recycling stations in the future, and set a fixed time and place to recycle used cooking oils. Wong aims to educate more Bruneians to respond to the environmental protection of used cooking oil.
Wong said 258 restaurants have formally cooperated to recycle waste cooking oil from businesses and catering businesses every month.
“Brunei still has more room for improvement in tackling waste cooking oil, including the field of education, and it should start from a young age.”
“Currently, there is one container of waste cooking oil per month, which is exported to Malaysia, where it is processed into candles, soaps, oil products, and detergents.
“Now, about 240 metric tonnes of waste cooking oil is exported every year, the highest during the epidemic.
“Imagine, if this waste cooking oil was not recycled, where would the cooking oil go? It would cause huge damage to the land, the environment and water sources,” he said.
Wong encouraged the public to contact the company after collecting at least five kilogrammes of waste cooking oil.
If the amount is large, some monetary reward may be given, he added.
