Company out to help people manage used cooking oil better

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RECYCLING waste remains the most direct effort in cutting down pollution.

However, such measures should not only rely on the government and relevant non-governmental organisations (NGOs) – it is vital for all to play their respective role in addressing this serious environmental issue.

In the context of used cooking oil (UCO), it appears that the easiest way to dispose of it is by throwing it down the drains – a very irresponsible act in that it can cause blockage and eventually, the sludge would emit a stomach-churning odour due to stagnation and decomposition.

On this subject, The Borneo Post recently spoke to Michael Wong who is the operations manager of Sekitar Bumi Hijau Sdn Bhd – the sole authorised collector of UCO in Miri, which has established a solid reputation of being a strong advocate against pollution due to indiscriminate dumping of UCO.

“When we talk about Sekitar Bumi Hijau, it is vital to mention about the idea behind it. Our managing director Kong Yong Tiing travels abroad frequently, particularly to China, for business.

“It was during a trip to one of the provinces (in China) when he noticed that the drains there were amazingly clean.

“It was a shame to see that the opposite was happening in Malaysia,” Wong said.

Upon returning to Miri, Kong spent months to come up with a plan to resolve that particular problem which in the end, led to the setup of Sekitar Bumi Hijau in early 2011.

Soon after that, Kong went on to obtain licensing from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) that would legally allow Sekitar Bumi Hijau to buy, collect, store and sell UCO before reselling it to Peninsular Malaysia.

“To be honest, the business of buying and reselling UCO is not a profitable one. We like to consider Sekitar Bumi Hijau as a company that provides services to the community in helping to resolve the UCO problem,” said Wong, adding that the company aimed to create a better environment and healthier lifestyles for the public by providing them with a convenient way to dispose of UCO.

“It wasn’t easy initially because people tended to resist things that they didn’t understand. Thus, we approached the Miri City Council (MCC) to help us. We highly appreciate the council’s help in bridging us with the people,” he said.

Challenges – Then and now

Wong noted that turning a blind eye to the problem had been thecommon practice by the majority of the people here but if viewed from a positive perspective, this had inspired the Sekitar Bumi Hijau team to educate and raise the awareness among members of the community.

“Be they housewives or restaurant operators, the majority of the people in Miri would simply dump UCO down the drains where it would end up in the sewage pipes eventually.

“The longer the oil is left there, the more sediment it would accumulate. Over time, this would cause the passages to become narrower and narrower until the pipes get clogged.

“Worst still, the waste could flow out into major water sources like rivers and the sea; (should this occur), the marine life would be at stake,” he stressed.

In this respect, Sekitar Bumi Hijau held its first talk on environmental awareness talk in 2012, in collaboration with the MCC and the council’s Local Agenda 21 (LA21). The programme received strong support from both government and private agencies.

After that, the company approached many operators of eateries, explaining to them the importance of recycling UCO, the method to collect it and the way it should be handled post-collection.

“We understand that those who initially refused (this approach) were worried about the UCO being resold as ‘gutter oil’. On this, we had prepared all the documentations and certifications obtained from the relevant authorities – they could even do a background check on us if necessary.”

That was four years ago.

Today, more than 600 food service premises are active UCO contributors in Miri, according to Wong.

“It appears that all our efforts have borne fruit – we are not ready to stop.”

Aside from Miri, Sekitar Bumi Hijau also receives invitation from several quarters in Bintulu, Sibu, Kuching and most recently, Labuan, to help facilitate the disposal of oil there.

“We are more than happy to highlight the oil dumping issue even though this is not a profit-making business deal.

“This is our way to save Mother Earth,” said Wong, adding that the collected UCO is sold to a company in Peninsular Malaysia at only a few sen per kilogramme – obviously not a profitable operation like many would have thought.

On the standard operation procedure (SOP), the process includes the provision of storage tanks to clients – with capacity at either 17kg or 20kg – through which the collection is conducted based on agreeable schedules. The waste will then be transferred to a warehouse before being transported to Peninsular Malaysia.

The end-products from UCO that has undergone the centrifugation and filtration processes include biodiesel, soaps, candles and cosmetics.

Additionally, Sekitar Bumi Hijau submits monthly reports to the MCC, MPOB, Bintulu Development Authority (BDA) and Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) detailing the recorded amount of UCO that it collects every month.

However, Wong noted that there had been a reduction in the amount of oil collected over the past couple of months.

“This could be due to less usage of cooking oil by the operators of eateries, but a major concern for us is those who choose to reuse the oil in order to save costs. If this was true, all our efforts in educating the community would just be in vain,” he said, acknowledging that the bad economy had pushed many to find ways to save costs.

Still, Wong said his side could not simply make any blind accusation.

“This is guesswork and to put the blame entirely on the premises operators would be totally unfair. However, it is also important not to overlook this possibility.

“Thus, educating the community about the danger of consuming UCO is vital. We cannot assess everyone on their management of UCO in the kitchen. Disseminating the information and letting them know the consequences are the least that we can do,” he stressed.

 

Educating the community

Wong believed that in educating and raising awareness among members of the community, it would be best to start young.

In this regard, Sekitar Bumi Hijau has conducted awareness talks at over 30 primary and secondary schools in and around Miri.

On this note, Wong highlighted Lopeng Eco Youth (LEY) which has been actively responsive to the UCO campaign.

LEY was established in 2014, following its members’ participation in the ‘Petronas All About Youth’ (PAAY) – a national-level competition on environment that gathered over 60 teams from across Malaysia.

LEY coordinating teacher Ting Ding Leong described the team’s role in the UCO project as ‘being the channel to promote and raise public awareness about the issue’.

“In this context, the students coordinating the activities would approach and convince the headmen of their ‘kampong’ (villages) to set up collection centres at the suraus and mosques,” said Ting, who has been following LEY’s development since day one.

It is widely known that many households and small-scale hawkers at Malay kampongs use a lot of cooking oil.

“They may not know how to handle the oil after cooking – many would simply just dump the oil somewhere.

“These students have a huge role to play in approaching their parents, relatives, friends and neighbours, and making them understand about the danger of improper oil disposal.”

Ting said the project had also become the medium to establish closer connection between members of the community and at the same time, it had greatly impact the students.

Ting said thanks to the classes and LEY projects, his charges had learned to manage their time effectively.

“Time management is crucial because 24 hours are not sufficient for them to fulfil all these commitments. Approaching people also helps them communicate outside of classroom which in turn, help build up their confidence. More importantly, they are able to tolerate with other teammates and become more understanding than before.”

So far, 13 suraus and mosques have agreed to cooperate with LEY, in that these places of worship also serve as the collection stations for UCO.

Barrels are placed at these suraus and mosques to collect the oil, which would later be collected by Sekitar Bumi Hijau once the barrels are full.

Aisyah Hasnan, a member of the LEY, told The Borneo Post that she was very proud to be in the team.

“We are actually the second generation. My seniors did this before and after they graduated, we continued the work,” she said.

Aisyah said despite her busy schedule as a student, she was happy to be able to contribute to society in any way that she could.

“I just want to make a change. I keep on hearing people do good deeds and I want to be a part of it.

“This project allows me to contribute to society. At the very least, I start with my own family – informing them about the danger of reusing UCO, and encouraging them to collect it instead and give it away for recycling,” she said, believing that all LEY members share the same sentiment and through the team, they all hope to make a difference in society and environment.