Ourhome, First in Korea to Obtain 'Circular Resource Recognition' for Waste Cooking Oil

Recognition of Waste Cooking Oil from School Meal Sites as Recyclable Resource
Plan to Recycle a Total of 45 Tons of Waste Cooking Oil over 3 Years until 2026

Ourhome announced on the 21st that it has become the first company in Korea to obtain the 'Circular Resource Recognition' for waste cooking oil.

Exterior view of Ourhome Magok Food Research Center

The Circular Resource Recognition system acknowledges waste materials that are not harmful to humans or the environment and have high utilization value as circular resources, exempting them from regulations under the Waste Management Act. This process is conducted through strict procedures including technical review, document examination, and on-site inspection by the Korea Environment Corporation under the Ministry of Environment.

The subject of the circular resource recognition is a large-scale catering facility operated by Ourhome in Gyeonggi-do, and the item is waste cooking oil. Generally, cooking oil with an acid value (a measure of acidic substances) of 2.5 or higher after frying is discarded, generating waste cooking oil. Ourhome has developed a plan to recycle waste cooking oil as a raw material for biodiesel production to promote environmental protection and resource circulation, which led to obtaining this circular resource recognition.

The recognition period is three years, from January 1 next year to the end of December 2026, during which a total of 45 tons of waste cooking oil generated will be used as raw material for circular resources (biodiesel) production. The waste cooking oil will be collected and transported separately and go through intermediate processing steps before being recycled into biodiesel.

In addition, Ourhome is diligently implementing environmental accident prevention measures such as installing separate sealed containers and spill prevention facilities to prevent fires, soil contamination, and complaints caused by waste cooking oil.

Im Gyu-am, head of Ourhome’s Environmental Safety Team, said, “It is especially meaningful that this is the first case in Korea to receive circular resource recognition for waste cooking oil,” and added, “We will continue to develop recycling plans for waste generated not only in company cafeterias nationwide but also in production facilities and logistics centers to steadily discover circular resources.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.