What is used cooking oil, and what are you supposed to do with it? If you’re opening or expanding a restaurant, you may be asking this question for the first time ever.
Restaurant management is a complicated game. There are the obvious players: menus, ingredients, staff, customers. You planned on these. But there are also many aspects that are much less noticeable, though just as important. Equipment, legal compliance, food waste management—the list goes on. Properly disposing of your used grease is a vital task you may have been unaware of. It gets overwhelming, fast.
At Darling Ingredients Canada, we think of a restaurant back-of-house like a crowded party. We’re the face you probably don’t recognize, but our work helps make yours possible. As international leaders in used cooking oil recycling, we take pride in making restaurant management easier.
If you’re wondering how to handle your cooking oil after it’s been in the fryer, or why it even matters, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s our complete guide to understanding and recycling your restaurant’s used cooking oil with Darling Ingredients Canada.
In This Article
Why Care About Used Cooking Oil?
Put simply, used cooking oil (UCO) is any grease, oil or fat that has finished its lifecycle as a cooking ingredient. Once oil has been in the fryer for a certain number of uses, it compromises the safety and taste of food. It needs to be removed and replaced. Restaurants use a wide variety of oils and fats to serve up tasty meals, it’s a lot of effort.
After cooking, restaurants are responsible for safely disposing of their grease. Exact regulations vary between provinces and territories, but you will be expected to keep pipes clear and avoid contaminating the area around your business.
Though sometimes seen as a waste product, UCO doesn’t have to be. In fact, it has more potential than most other recyclable materials. UCO can be rendered for use in biofuel, animal feed, and soaps. From home kitchens to food processing plants, many people and industries cook with oil.
The recycling opportunity is staggering. Just imagine, if your restaurant's fryer holds 80 lbs. of oil and you change the oil 2 times per week, you have the potential to recycle approximately 8,000 lbs annually. That's the equivalent of diverting 2,689 bags of trash from the landfill.
Team up with a partner you can count on. Darling Ingredients Canada sets up reliable service the same day in most cases. Call us at (888) 485-3690.
Why You Should Recycle UCO
We all know that it’s a good idea to recycle as much as possible. When you repurpose a product that would otherwise end up in waste water or the landfill, you save valuable resources, relieve the demand for new materials and help the environment.
That said, you don’t need a passion for sustainability to recycle your kitchen’s waste products. Long standing food industry businesses know that recycling your cooking oil with a responsible partner solves a world of logistical and compliance problems.
Here are just a few of the top reasons why recycling your used cooking oil will benefit your business and the environment.
It’s Good for the Environment
When it’s dumped, used cooking oil is just another waste product. When it’s condemned to a landfill it will leach harmful materials into the soil and produce greenhouse gasses.
It’s a shame this ever happens, since UCO can be easily recycled as an ingredient in a wide array of highly-valuable products. One of the most important of these is renewable fuel. Also called “renewable diesel” or “green diesel,” it helps reduce our world’s reliance on fossil fuels. It also burns cleaner than traditional fuels, causing less atmospheric pollution.
It’s Good for Your Business (and Ultimately, Your Wallet)
When your waste ingredients are being automatically disposed of, you have more time to focus on running your restaurant. You will also save on repairs and fines—an all-too-common side effect of pouring your grease down the drain or throwing it out irresponsibly.
Pickup is a free service for businesses that partner with Darling Ingredients Canada. Not only is pickup free but depending on the volume collected, you could get paid for your oil. This option is easier and more economical than taking the responsibility into your own hands.
It’s Good for Your Reputation
We live in an increasingly eco-conscious world, and consumers are voting with their dollars, even when choosing where to go for dinner. Recycling your used cooking oil is just one way to show your customers what your values are. It might also be the most convenient sustainability practice you ever implement.
You Don’t Want to Dispose of It Yourself
This might be the most important factor to consider. Disposing of cooking oil without a recycling partner leaves you with all of the responsibility, and very few options.
These options can seem simpler than recycling when you’re strapped for time. But they can actually cause more complications, some of which are very expensive. Here’s why you’re better off recycling through a trusted partner.
- Pouring it down your drain— Don’t let your restaurant fall into this pitfall. A little bit of oil down the drain won’t lead to immediate disaster. However, it can lead to major back ups and hefty fines. Read our blog on this topic for more details.
- Putting it in your dumpster— You might think your dumpster is a good place for UCO, but mixing trash with grease is a messy affair. Not only does it create rancid smells, it can attract rodents and other pests. It also produces methane when it gets to the landfill, and if the oil spills, you’re responsible.
Dumping fats and other by-products has a much bigger impact than most people think. According to the National Inventory Report, Municipal solid waste landfills are responsible for about 23% of Canada’s methane emissions. Having your oils recycled takes strain off both you and the environment, protecting public health.
- Dumping it somewhere outside your restaurant, or setting an unofficial pickup system—Depending on your local laws, this option can cause serious legal problems. Due to ever-increasing regulations around how large volumes of used cooking oil can be thrown out you need to be up to date on what is required in your area.
Even if you aren’t required to recycle, unofficial disposal comes with risks. You’re more likely to lose your service unexpectedly, and you may never really know if your cooking oil is being handled responsibly. Partnering with a trusted provider will give you peace of mind and help you stay within your compliance needs.
Partnering with Darling Ingredients Canada will always be less expensive and easier than disposing your used cooking oil yourself. Staying up to date on compliance laws and dedicating resources to collecting and transporting your UCO takes away time from your number one priority: running a successful restaurant.
Why Partner with Darling Ingredients Canada for Used Cooking Oil Recycling
Customers who choose Darling Ingredients Canada receive so much more than just cooking oil pickup. Partnership includes end-to-end services: container selection, consultation, delivery, installation, and on-demand customer support.
We design, create, and deliver our own state-of-the-art UCO storage containers in a dependable large-scale manufacturing facility. Our specialty is building secure, high-tech automated systems. Our offerings are designed to meet your restaurant’s needs, whether it be concerned about grease theft, or are pressed for space.
Partnering with Darling Ingredients Canada means being rest assured that whatever we pick up from your store is being responsibly disposed of. Our parent company, Darling Ingredients, has been repurposing bio-nutrients from the world’s food waste streams for over 140 years. We process the majority of the used cooking oil we pick up at 89 biosecure processing plants in North America and deliver it to be recycled into clean-burning fuel. As your cooking oil is transformed into renewable fuel, we adhere to the highest compliance and environmental standards along the way.
Partner with Experts in The Foodservice Industry
We understand the needs of businesses throughout the food industry, and we prioritize our customers’ success.
Industries We Serve
Darling Ingredients Canada serves a wide range of independent restaurants, national chains, casinos, hotels, supermarkets and other establishments in the food service industry.
Wondering about your industry? Get in touch—we’re happy to help you find the right services for your business.
Here’s How it Works
Choosing Darling Ingredients Canada is simple: call us up and sign up for service in minutes. The process of setting up your account and selecting your equipment is simple and transparent, and takes less than a day in most cases.
Storage Solutions for Every Need
Darling Ingredients Canada’s industry-leading selection of used cooking oil containers make grease recycling simple. Our UCO tanks are designed to meet and exceed our customers' needs regarding space, volume and features.
You won’t be required to do the footwork or select the right tank—our site survey and recommendations will determine the perfect fit for your output, space, and needs. We offer flexible on-site or virtual surveys for our customers’ convenience.
Contact Sales
For customer service inquiries call our toll free number (866) 948-2019
Automated Indoor Systems
You’ll work with a local sales representative to set up a site survey and deliver the perfect container for your needs (see the steps below).
Outdoor Bins
Create your account in minutes and your used cooking oil bin will be on the way!
Choose the Right Equipment, With Our Help
Not all our container options will work for every restaurant. You might have a container in mind, or you may feel completely lost. Our local sales representatives will answer all your questions and determine the best system for your space and pickup schedule.
Once it’s installed, online training resources for your employees will help streamline your transition into using it. QR codes on every container make this information easy to access at any time.
Schedule Service Visits
Once your account is set up, our technicians will install your grease container (a four-hour process) and arrive to empty it at regular scheduled times. Your services will be scheduled based on the volume of oil your restaurant uses. Our process is designed to have minimal impact on your day-to-day operations, and in most cases, our direct pump systems allow us to remove your oil without ever entering your kitchen.
Solving Common Used Cooking Oil Concerns
Running a restaurant comes with its fair share of challenges.
After 50+ years in the restaurant service business, we can confidently say we’ve seen it all when it comes to oil and grease problems. Here are some of the most common problems that you may encounter—and their solutions.
What to Expect From Regular Service
When you partner with Darling Ingredients Canada for your restaurant’s services, you can expect convenience, simplicity, and prompt troubleshooting.
Used Cooking Oil Services
Once your tank has been installed and your schedule is set, you won’t have to think about your used oil much. Our professionally trained, uniformed and licensed service personnel will handle your grease responsibly, thoroughly, and in accordance with governmental and environmental regulations. Take your mind off your UCO disposal and focus on running your business without interruptions.
Reporting Problems or Suspicious Activity
If you have concerns and questions about your cooking oil, don’t ignore them. Many issues like odors or safety problems are preventable or easy to solve in their early stages. If you need an answer or suspect your grease may be stolen, contact our customer service department and your local authorities for support.
More Resources
We also offer a library of resources through our website that can help you identify problems. Here are a few to help you get started:
Call (800) 263-0302 customer support or submit a form for support.
About Darling Ingredients Canada
Darling Ingredients Canada is a Canada based brand of Darling Ingredients dedicated to professional used cooking oil disposal services for restaurants, supermarkets, and others in the hospitality or foodservice industry.
Darling Ingredients Canada collects used cooking oil, meat proteins, fat, and bone from its customers to be transported into Darling’s national network of facilities. From there it will be cleaned of impurities and used as a nutritional ingredient in a number of products including animal feed and pet food, feedstock for biofuel, and more industrial applications such as cleansers, paints, soaps, and more.
Darling Ingredients Canada provides customers with proprietary used cooking oil storage and collection equipment designed for indoor or outdoor applications.
The Darling Ingredients Canada brand was established in 2013 after the acquisition of ROTHSAY from Maple Leaf Foods by Darling Ingredients.
www.darlingii.com, or follow us @darling-canada on LinkedIn and @DICICanada on Facebook.