Management strategies for used cooking oils. Case study Barrio Obrero, Puyo, Ecuador

Waste cooking oil from the food industry, restaurants/food service establishments, and households is a major environmental and ecological problem. The present work analyzed the technical and economic viability of three strategies for the use of waste cooking oil (WCO) in the gastronomic establishments of the “Obrero-Puyo” neighborhood, Province of Pastaza. The strategies analyzed were collection and sale to authorized managers, soaps and candles manufacture as possible alternatives for the WCO use. According to the economic evaluation results, candle making is the most economically profitable option with a current value of $447530.01, a return rate of 106% and a recovery period of 0.7 years. Finally, it is recommended that this analysis be extended to other neighborhoods and sectors of the Puyo city, in order to know the generation of the city and integrate the other economic units in a project of greater scope.