Company is launched to produce green car fuel

8:30am Monday 11th February 2008

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A TRUCK driver is encouraging people to back an initiative to produce greener car fuel.

Daniel Ide, of Sharpness, has just launched a new company, which promises to collect used vegetable oil from homes and businesses in the area.

Once the oil has been collected it will be taken to a plant in Gloucester, where it can be turned into car fuel and used as bio-fuel.

Vegetable oil is used in the majority of homes in the region for cooking, but Mr Ide said people are not necessarily disposing of it properly and does not believe people appreciate its potential second use.

He said: "A lot of people use vegetable oil in their homes but perhaps find it difficult to dispose of it properly. Some people just throw it down the drain, which isn't good for anyone. We want to make it easier for them.

"We are hoping to collect from residents and business, which can be a limited market because a lot of commercial kitchens have their oil delivered and the deal is it gets collected afterwards."

Mr Ide, who is a truck driver by trade, said he hopes people will hire him and help make Gloucestershire a greener region.

He said: "Everyone's talking about recycling and finding alternative fuels so this is just a way of helping people out and helping the environment."

The company, Used Vegetable Oil Collection, will collect from homes and businesses twice a month, covering the whole of the Gazette area.

However, Mr Ide said his company will practice what it preaches with his collection vehicles all running on bio-fuel.

He said: "Our vehicles run on 90 per cent bio-fuel, which has 70 per cent fewer carbon emissions than normal diesel."

The company's collections will be in Berkeley, Sharpness and Wotton-under-Edge every second and fourth Wednesday of the month and Cam and Dursley every first and third Tuesday. To arrange collection call 01453 810230.