Biodiesel the solution for Bahamas Waste

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Waste collects anywhere between 6,000 and 8,000 gallons of used cooking oil per month that is manufactured into biodiesel, a renewable biodegradable fuel.

Renardo Mackey, operations manager at the biodiesel facility, said on a daily basis the company can collect anywhere between 300 to 700 gallons of raw cooking oil.

The company’s drivers collect oil from all of the fast food restaurants on the island, smaller restaurants as well as from major hotels in New Providence.

“What we wanted to do was to really celebrate those drivers who fully utilise the biodiesel trucks in our fleet and reward them for doing their part in helping us protect the environment,” Health and Safety Manager Deshawn McGregor said.

According to a press release, Bahamas Waste is committed to the work of environmental preservation, and this is equally true of its employees who have also taken up the mantle as well and received special recognition.

Already, more than four of the company’s trucks use the manufactured biodiesel that eliminates the plumes of thick black smoke often associated with heavy-duty vehicles. As Bahamas Waste moves toward a 100 per cent fueled biodiesel fleet, plans are also in the works to expand the manufacturing process and eventually offer the product to its customer base as well.

Biodiesel is a renewable, clean-burning diesel replacement that continues to reduce global dependence on foreign petroleum, all while creating jobs and improving the environment.

It is made from a diverse mix of feedstock including recycled cooking oil, soybean oil, and animal fats. The biodiesel market has increased from about 25 million gallons in the early 2000s to more than 2.8 billion gallons in the United States alone, and could produce about 10 per cent of the diesel on the global transportation market by 2022.

Since opening in 2009, Bahamas Waste’s $1m biodiesel facility in New Providence has allowed for the manufacturing of up to one million gallons of waste cooking oil into biodiesel each year.

Bahamas Waste recently joined forces with Bahamas Sustainable Fuel which now operates the local biodiesel plant as part of a new collaborative effort. The collection of thousands of gallons of used cooking oil is refined at the company’s Gladstone Road location.