Bring used cooking oil back and collect money

Left to right: Paul Bacher (managing director of Spar for Carinthia and East Tyrol), environment minister of Carinthia Sara Schaar, Christian Brettner (regional director of Interspar) and Daniela Wimmer (E&P UCO-Recycling)

Now you can deliver your used cooking oil to selected Spar points in Carinthia and get ten cents per liter.

Used cooking oil is an important raw material for biodiesel production, which is not only lost if it is discharged carelessly down the drain, but can also cause severe damage to the sewer system. Austrian start-up E&P UCO-Recycling – UCO stands for Used Cooking Oil – has been working intensively on this topic and has developed a globally patented collection system for cooking oil used in households. Specifically, it is a tightly closed can with a capacity of one liter, with which it is possible to collect odorless used cooking oil at home. When the can is full, you can empty it at 16 Spar locations in Carinthia. These stores have UCO harvesting machines where you empty used cooking oil and then press the start button on the display. Then begins a cleaning process where dirt and water are separated from the used cooking oil. Finally, for every liter of pure cooking oil used, you receive a coupon worth ten cents. “The whole process takes about half a minute and the collection bin is not thrown away to protect the environment, but reused after emptying,” explains Paul Pacher, managing director of Spar for Carinthia and East Tyrol.