Don’t throw away used cooking oil, bring to Petronas Astana collection point, says Fadillah

KUCHING (Nov 25): Don’t throw away used cooking oil, as it can be collected and sold for RM2.50 per kilogramme (kg), said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

He made this call today when launching a used cooking oil collection programme at Dewan Kampung Tunku, Petra Jaya.

The programme is a bid to promote environmental sustainability and generate additional income for the local community.

Under the programme, residents can bring their used cooking oil to the designated Petronas stations and exchange it for cash. The current collection price is RM2.50 per kg, which is comparable to the price of subsidised cooking oil.

Fadillah encouraged the public to participate in the initiative, and suggested that Village Development and Security Committees (JKKK) and places of worship consider setting up collection centres to make it easier for residents to drop off their used cooking oil.

“Sometimes, people can’t afford to take used cooking oil to the (Petronas) station because it’s too far.

“The nearest location (where they can drop it off) is usually the neighbourhood mosque or any house of worship, which can be a collection point. The income from selling these used cooking oil can be used as a donation or fund for the JKKK or house of worship,” he said, adding the funds can also be used to provide additional food aid for the needy in the neighbourhood.

Fadillah further elaborated that the used cooking oil collected will be processed into sustainable aviation fuel by Petronas, which is a cleaner alternative to conventional jet fuel and can reduce carbon emissions.

“The International Civil Aviation Organisation has mandated that all aviation companies must used environmentally-friendly fuel by 2027. Regular fuel cannot be used anymore, as it emits carbon which pollutes the air. Because of this, they are switching to using oil or more sustainable and environmentally-friendly products.

“In Sarawak, for example, we use algae and now we are trying to use hydrogen. This is the process we are implementing,” he said.

The used cooking oil collection programme is an initiative between the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities in collaboration with Petronas, and will see the establishment of collection centres at two Petronas stations in Sarawak namely Petronas Astana in Kuching and Petronas Desa Senadin in Miri.

Prior to this, three Petronas stations in West Malaysia were selected for the programme and has since expanded to 33 stations nationwide, including the aforementioned two in Sarawak and one in Sabah.

With this expansion, the ministry aims to collect a total of 90,000 kilogrammes of used cooking oil and involve the participation of 6,960 members of the public by the end of December 2023.

Also present was Deputy Minister in the Premier of Sarawak’s Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations), Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali, Tupong assemblyman and chief political secretary to the Premier Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman and Satok assemblyman Datuk Ibrahim Baki.