Average costs per licensed trader for waste disposal is just short of £2K per annum and almost none of the waste collected is re-cycled. Recyclable products such as card, glass and paper command a price at recycling stations.

A fair estimate for the 12 food businesses in The Quarter is that together they produce more than 4 thousand litres of waste cooking oil in a year. Processing this grade of waste oil is both simple and inexpensive. It would produce sufficient fuel to run a diesel FORD needing to be filled twice a week.

The combined spending of The Quarter on waste removal may reduce if the waste was taken, and sold daily by a part-time member of staff using our vehicle, running on our own waste oil. Savings per business are estimated as being as little as £9 per week (nearly £500 per annum). For some members of The Quarter savings may be as high as £2000 per annum.

Public grants are being sought to fund a feasibility study. We are already talking to CITY OF YORK council. Permission is also being sought from the government for a dispensation from fuel tax while we run a pilot scheme. Watch this space...