Analysis of factors influencing participation in the separate collection of waste cooking oil

Abstract

In recent years, the recycling of waste cooking oil (WCO) into biodiesel has gained worldwide attention. Recycling WCO into biodiesel has great significance because it not only reduces waste, but also curbs the use of fossil fuels. Here, we aim at suggesting measures to increase the number of people who participate in the separate collection of WCO. To this end, we analyzed the effects of differences in the awareness of the facts that the respective municipality collects WCO and that the collected WCO is utilized within the municipality on participation in WCO collection. We targeted 4,160 households in Japan that fry their own food at home in areas with different collection methods. The results indicated that more people participated in the collection of WCO in areas where station collection was used than in areas where base collection was used. In addition, regardless of whether the collection method of WCO was station or base collection, participants were more likely to participate in the collection of WCO in the order in which they were aware of the following information: (1) that their municipality collects WCO and utilizes the collected WCO, (2) that their municipality collects WCO, and (3) that the collected WCO is utilized within the municipality. This phenomenon was more pronounced in areas where WCO was collected in stations. Because the collection method is important to increase the participation rate in separate collection of waste, reviewing the collection methods and conducting awareness-raising activities for separate collection of waste is necessary.