BEXLEY'S RECYCLING ENOUGH COOKING OIL TO POWER THREE HOMES FOR A YEAR - 07 January 2009

After just three months of offering a used cooking oil recycling service, the London Borough of Bexley has collected enough cooking oil to power three average homes for a whole year.

Residents in Bexley have recycled 3,500 litres of used cooking oil at the Council's Footscray and Crayford Reuse and Recycling Centres, since facilities were installed last September.

The cooking oil collection tanks, which can hold 1,000 litres of oil, were installed by Living Fuels - part of the British group Renewable Energy Generation.

Residents are able to dispose of their cooking oil free of charge. It is then recycled to produce the green fuel LF100, which is powering electricity generators that feed into the National Grid.

The oil can be hazardous to wildlife if it is allowed to seep into the water table through being poured down the sink.

Cllr Gareth Bacon, Cabinet Member for the Environment said: "We are delighted with the response to this new initiative in Bexley. As it becomes more widely known I'm sure we'll see even more people taking their used cooking oil to our centres to dispose of it.

"Bexley residents have an excellent record for recycling and this new initiative goes to show how open they are to embracing new ideas that really make a difference to the environment."

Living Fuels Operations Director, Rob Murphy, said: "Householders in Bexley can be proud that they are playing a practical part in building Britain's renewable energy capacity while protecting the local environment."

Further information on Bexley's Reuse and Recycling Centres is available at www.bexley.gov.uk/recycling