Duo fined S$6,800 for illegally clearing grease traps

SINGAPORE — They appeared to be clearing the grease traps at hawker centres and eateries of used cooking oil poured away by hawkers, but they in fact were hoping to profiting from it — by selling it to companies that export it for processing into biodiesel.

And this has landed the two men in trouble with the law. They have been fined a total of S$6,800 for illegally collecting the waste, which can only be collected by licensed general waste collectors.

One man was fined S$3,800 for illegally collecting waste from the grease traps serving Bedok North Street 1 Hawker Centre and the eateries at Yishun Street 81 and Lorong 4 Toa Payoh on four occasions between September and October last year.

The second man was fined S$3,000 after committing the same act at Yishun Street 81 and Upper Aljunied Lane on three occasions between October and November last year.

Investigations by the National Environment Agency (NEA) revealed that they had mixed the illegally collected greasy waste with used cooking oil and sold to companies that export used cooking oil for processing into biodiesel.

According to the NEA, 20 such cases were reported to the agency last year, of which 15 were substantiated. This year, as of April 10, only one case has been reported, and the agency has initiated legal action against the offender.

Last year, after members of the public spotted people extracting oil from drains near food outlets in Jurong for processing into biodiesel, the NEA said there had been no previous incidents or person caught for illegally clearing grease traps.

Licensed general waste collectors clean grease traps by using vacuum trucks to collect the waste from the grease traps and disposing it at PUB’s designated water reclamation plant. These greasy waste are then digested with used water sludge to form biogas.

Alpha Biofuels, a company which makes biofuel from used cooking oil, said that it is aware of such illegal practices, and has preventive measures in place. It works with restaurants by providing containers to be placed in the kitchen to collect waste oil. The containers of oil are then collected by the company for processing.

The company also processes the oil in-house, so that contaminated oil can be easily identified and thrown away before being conversion.

Other than investigating reports of the illegal collection of waste from grease traps, the NEA said it also carries out checks at food stalls and note the ingredients used, including cooking oil, are from licensed sources. Actions will be taken against anyone who flouts the rules. There have been no reported instances of food shops or food stalls using cooking oil from illegal source so far, they added.

Hawkers TODAY spoke to say they have seen the grease being collected, but it was difficult to tell whether it was being done illegally.

Said a 70-year-old from a food centre at Lorong 4 Toa Payoh: “They come all the time, I think if I’m not wrong should be every once a month. They would park the lorry at the side and pump the oil from the drain. Very noisy.”

Another hawker, Wen Qiang, 48, said: “If I were to see them taking the oil, I also won’t know that what they are doing is illegal. I will think since they have the equipment to take the oil, then they must have the license to do so. Or someone high up must have approved them to take it.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated in the headline and opening paragraph that both offenders illegally collected greasy waste from hawker centres. This is incorrect. No hawker centres were involved in the second case. We apologise for the error.