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All aboard the London bus that runs on cooking oil
Katharine Barney and Mark Prigg02.04.09
HUNDREDS of buses could be powered by waste cooking oil under proposals being considered by Boris Johnson.
The Mayor is inviting bids to the London Waste and Recycling Board for funds for recycling schemes.
As well as designing new Routemasters to run on waste oil, other possible ideas include a car hire scheme with vehicles that use recycled fat, and "cooking oil stations" to refuel vehicles.
Dozens of small firms and some taxis already use waste oil. Supporters say it improves air quality, cuts use of fossil fuels and stop drains getting blocked by old refuse.
Oil could be collected from restaurants and canteens. By filtering and treating it with chemicals, it is made into biodiesel, usable in most diesel vehicles.
All catering oil from City Hall is already recycled into biodiesel - about 1,000 litres a year. The Met converts 20,000 litres and Transport for London more than 2,000.
Mr Johnson said: "I support biodiesel made from cooking oil. As it is a by-product, rather than from a crop grown to make biodiesel, it is less carbon intensive."
Reader views (5)
As the exhaust smells just like french fries, we could call them the "chips' bus lines.
- John (Brit Exp Pat), Phoenix USA
Lets hope that this idea takes off especially where it can be used to power buses and transport vehicles. Lots of the high prices are the result of high fuel prices for transportation of goods or will the powers that be run scared of the petrol companies.
T H Leeds
- Thomas Hayes, Leeds UK
It's madness to throw used cooking oil away, when it could be used as fuel. Recycle it. But there's nothing of particular merit in using it to fuel any particular vehicles, rather than just processing it into standard diesel fuel (or heating oil) at an oil refinery.
And since there's no a surplus of paper being collected by recycling schemes, why on earth doesn't this country build a wastepaper-fired power station? That would be every bit as green as wood-fired, except that the wood would have seen another good use (as paper) before being burned.
- Nigel, London
They'll do well then, what with all the chicken cottages, KFC's and scummy kebab shops infiltrating the high streets.
- Jc, London
So we have to eat more fried food now to keep the busses running? I guess we'll have to get the bus because we'll be too fat to walk?
- Paul, London
