EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 32 Series of 2015

"AN ORDER INSTITUTING THE PROPER STORAGE, TREATMENT, TRANSPORT, EXPORT, PROCESSING, REPROCESSING, RECYCLING AND DISPOSAL OF USED COOKING OIL IN DAVAO CITY"

(Photo credit: Team Acosta)

(Photo credit: Team Acosta)

Cooking oil is a basic human kitchen need. You will find it in every single house varying from one kind to another. Generally, this is defined as a plant, animal, or synthetic fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. This is something most people cannot live without. 

Just like any other substances we take into our bodies, we also have to take into considerations the content of this liquid we mix and use for our foods.
Many people practice reusing oil for economic purposes and it is undeniably been a thing for a long time. The greatest hazard is allowing the oil to become rancid (spoiled) and deteriorated to the point it produces undesirable flavors and odors. Additional to this, used cooking oils may have carcinogenic free radicals. As explained by Team Alice of Columbia University, in humans, a small but significant percentage of oxygen molecules in the body will become electrically charged due to natural cellular activity and/or exposure to environmental factors such as tobacco smoke and radiation. The oxygen molecule becomes a "free radical" as it undergoes this process of oxidation. Free radicals are highly reactive as they try to steal electrons from other molecules, including DNA and cellular membranes. They will continue to react with other cellular molecules in a chain-reaction mechanism. This chain reaction of free radicals can damage cells, which may play a role in the development of certain conditions like heart disease and cancer.

According to Food Safety Net, a recent study concluded that a toxin called 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal (HNE) forms when such oils as canola, corn, soybean and sunflower oils are reheated. Consumption of foods containing HNE from cooking oils has been associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, various liver disorders, and cancer.
 

In response to the Republic Act 6969 wherein the state adopts a policy to regulate, restrict or prohibit the manufacture, processing, sale, distribution, use and disposal of chemical substances and mixtures that present unreasonable risk and/or injury to health or the environment and to provide advancement and facilitate research and studies on toxic chemicals, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued Department Administrative Order 2013-22 (DAO), which provides for the procedures of proper hazardous waste management. And in this DAO, DENR identified the cooking oil as one of the hazardous wastes households emit.

Thus, the Davao City Government was directed to collect from all persons, households, vendors, privates, commercial or business establishments any used cooking oil classified as hazardous wastes. 

In this Executive Order, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) is the one tasked as the lead agency to implement and institute steps to ensure the proper storage, treatment, transport, export, processing, reprocessing, recycling and disposal of used cooking oil. 

DID YOU KNOW:

You cannot just classify a used oil as hazardous waste by merely seeing it dark. According to the US Environmental Agency based in California, wastes may be hazardous wastes if they exhibit any of the four characteristics of a hazardous waste (ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and toxicity). The term "used oil" is a legal term which means any oil that has been refined from crude oil, or any synthetic oil that has been used and, as a result of use, is contaminated with physical or chemical impurities

Let's briefly look into the characteristics:

Ignitability–Ignitable wastes can create fires under certain conditions, undergo spontaneous combustion, or have a flash point less than 60°C (140°F).

Corrosivity– Corrosive wastes are materials, including solids, that are acids or bases, or that produce acidic or alkaline solutions.

Reactivity–Reactive wastes are unstable under normal conditions. They can cause explosions or release toxic fumes, gases, or vapors when heated, compressed, or mixed with water.

Toxic Wastes- A waste is toxic if it contains any of 40 different hazardous constituents at a concentration equal to or greater than a certain amount.  These 40 constituents include 8 metals, 6 pesticides, 2 herbicides, 10 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and 14 semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs).

In Toronto, Canada they have this systematic process of collecting wastes from every household. To know more how they do it here's the link: http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=7dcdc04e71022410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&vgnextchannel=239c433112b02410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

Sources:

http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2718&q=451894&depNav_GID=1967

https://www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/upload/HWMP_DefiningHW111.pdf

http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/reusing-cooking-oil-safe
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/antioxidants
http://foodsafety.suencs.com/archives/14290