In order to convert the used cooking oil into biodiesel, Zomato, a food aggregator and tech-food unicorn, has tied up with BioD Energy, a biodiesel manufacturer, according to a report published by The Hindu.
The partnership has come into effect with an aim to reduce the wastage of used cooking oil in the country. As per the agreement, Zomato will collect used cooking oil from restaurants across the country and the BioD Energy will convert it into biodiesel. Then, the converted biodiesel will be sold to oil manufacturing companies which, later, will blend it with the regular diesel.
Ritesh Khera, vice president (sustainability) at Zomato, said that the company will be able to collect around 1000 tonnes of UCO per month from 1,000+ kitchens in Delhi-NCR and a few other cities in North India.
“We will collect from several large QSR (quick-service restaurant) brands, hotels, and food processors,” he added.
Zomato is an Indian restaurant search and discovery service provider, founded in 2008 by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah.
It currently operates in 24 countries. It provides information and reviews of restaurants, including images of menus where the restaurant does not have its own website and also online delivery.
Besides, the project to convert the used cooking oil into biodiesel will be launched from Delhi-NCR by Zomato and BioD, which will further be extended to five more cities by November.
Khera also raised concerns regarding UCO problem in the restaurant industry which affects both health and the environment.
While, Shiva Vig, CEO of BioD Energy, said, “We have been collecting used cooking oil for the last two-and-a-half years and the biggest challenge we have faced is scaling it and increasing our collection rate.”
Furthermore, as per the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India), India has the potential to convert 220 crore litre of UCO to produce biodiesel by 2022. Also, India is the one of the largest consumer of vegetable oil, it added.