Cainta LGU launches ‘cash-for-oil’ program

To combat flooding and tackle drainage clogs, Mayor Keith Nieto is urging residents and businesses in Cainta, Rizal, to collect their used cooking oil for a municipal recycling program that offers cash in return.

Nieto said Monday the initiative is part of the local government’s efforts to minimize flood impact, noting that hardened grease from households and restaurants is one of the most common causes of drainage blockages.

“When clearing clogged drainages, one of the most common reasons for blockages were hardened grease from the kitchens of food businesses and from the households,” Nieto said.

“They throw used cooking oil down drain and it clogs our drainages,” he added.

The mayor found a solution by tapping into the market for recycled oil.

“I’ve searched in the internet and then I saw an opening — used cooking oil can be recycled into biodiesel,” he explained.

Nieto plans to allocate municipal funding to buy the used cooking oil from local stores and households. The collected oil will then be sold to a company that filters it and exports it to Malaysia for biodiesel production.

The municipal government will assign personnel to go around town and collect the used oil.

The cash-for-oil program is the latest addition to Cainta’s broader zero-waste campaign, which includes recycling plastic bottles into park benches, converting glass and plastic sachets into paved blocks, and turning banana peels and market leftovers into organic fertilizer.

“I will not stop until we have recycled everything,” Nieto said. “This is also a part of the town’s sustainable medium-term development goals.”