In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a municipal program organizes the collection of used cooking oil by cooperatives, which is then recycled by companies that make soap and biodiesel. This program upcycles millions of litres of oil every year while creating local jobs.

Cooking oil waste can be a serious pollutant if it is not properly disposed of. Prior to implementing the collection program, most vegetable oil was poured into drains, polluting water systems and damaging plumbing infrastructure and sewage treatment networks. In regions where there is no collection system, the oil goes directly into rivers and lakes, significantly increasing pollution and environmental degradation. 

To address this problem, the State of Rio de Janeiro implemented the Reuse of Vegetable Oils Program (or the Portuguese acronym, PROVE). The program was created in 2008 by the Secretary of State for the Environment to encourage the collection of used cooking oil and its reuse in the production of soap and alternative sources of energy such as biodiesel.

PROVE is an example of a successful public-private partnership, bringing together local governments, the third sector, companies, and representative groups. PROVE encourages the creation of cooperatives for waste oil collection and helps generate jobs and income for organized collectors. In addition to fostering the organization of waste oil collectors into cooperatives, it also provides vehicles for collection.

In 2011, PROVE helped collect 5.5 million litres of oil through 45 affiliated cooperatives established in several municipalities of Rio de Janeiro.

Photo by Ashwini Chaudhary on Unsplash