Even if a food manufacturer is not legally required to use waste oil collection services, they should still do so. Here are two reasons why.

To prevent fires

Many food manufacturing processes require vast quantities of cooking oil. Manufacturers must dispose of batches of this oil after they have used it a few times. If they don't use an oil collection service, they have to put this oil in their refuse bins (as cooking oil cannot be put down drains, due to the possibility that it will clog them).

If several hundred litres of cooking oil are placed in a food manufacturing facility's bins over the course of a week or so, this could become a major fire hazard. For example, if staff members take their cigarette breaks near these bins, any sparks could cause a major fire if they land on the oil in these bins. A serious fire could put staff members at risk, destroy the facility's expensive equipment and food supplies, and lead to the business's closure. Even a smaller fire that is put out relatively quickly could cause issues, as the smoke could contaminate the food in the facility and result in the owner having to throw all of it away.

If food manufacturers have their waste oil picked up on a regular basis by a company that specialises in oil collection, that oil will be recycled, instead of being left to sit in the facility's bins for a week or more (where the chances of it catching on fire will be high).

To ensure their refuse bins do not fill up too fast

Using this service will also mean that food manufacturers won't have to be concerned about their refuse bins filling up too quickly. This is an important matter for anyone who runs a food-based processing facility, as food production generates a lot of waste that is likely to attract rodents.

If the bins end up full of litres of cooled cooking oil days before the weekly refuse collection is due to happen, and the staff at the facility have nowhere to put the bags of fruit and vegetable peelings, they may have to leave them beside the bins. Doing this, instead of putting them in the lidded bins, will increase the chances of rats and mice perceiving this area as a good place for food and repeatedly returning to it. This could eventually lead to these rodents entering the premises.

If a manufacturer arranges for this oil to be collected, their staff will then be able to dispose of their food scraps in a sanitary way inside these enclosed containers and thus minimise the risk of infestations occurring.