• Each litre of UCO collected and repurposed as biodiesel mitigates 3 kg of CO2
  • Averda’s UCO service in the UAE seeks to improve local waste management and help reduce carbon emissions from road transport

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Averda, the Dubai-headquartered leading waste management and recycling company, and Fairmont The Palm Hotel in Dubai have collected 350 litres of Used Cooking Oil (UCO) in April 2022 as part of a sustainability drive leading up to Earth Day, marked globally on April 22, 2022. The initiative is part of an on-going partnership between the hotel and Averda for its recently launched UCO service in the UAE where Averda has commited to collect 10 million litres of UCO annually from customers in the region.

The UCO service offers sustainable waste management of used cooking oil at hotels and big kitchens to support the preservation and protection of the earth through the creation of biodiesel. This recent collaboration has already led to a significant positive impact on the environment as each 1 litre of used cooking oil collected reduces 3 kg of CO2 emissions.

The initiative, aimed at highlighting the sustainable management of UCOs at hotels and large kitchens, concides with holy month of Ramadan when oil is predominantly used in the cooking process for most regional cuisines. As part of the initiative, Averda’s team visited Fairmont The Palm’s kitchen to collect the UCO produced from that day’s operations at the kitchen.

The collected UCO will processed to create sustainable biodiesel - an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to petroleum and other fossil fuels. The biodiesel is blended with regular diesel and used by haulage companies, substantially reducing their carbon emissions.

Jobin Solomon, Head of Biofuels Project Development at Averda, commented: “Averda is committed to leading with the global best practices when it comes to sustainability and waste management. Our partnership with Fairmont The Palm has seen us collect over 5,700 litres or 5,244 kg of used cooking oil from the hotel, which has helped mitigate over 17,100 kgs of CO2 reductions. This initiative demonstrates how small changes in how we all manage our waste can together make a significant positive impact on the environment.”

Aurelio Giraudo, Cluster General Manager at Fairmont The Palm, also added: “Through our UCO service partnership with Averda, Fairmont The Palm has been able to further our commitment to environmental sustainability and ensure that we stay eco-conscious in the way we operate and serve our guests. This is part of our Planet 21 initiatives, Accor’s Global sustainability program.”

As part of the UCO service, Averda provides its clients with bespoke oil containers free of charge and offers a regular schedule of collections with a 24/7 customer service line. In addition, Averda provides recycling analysis reports for each client with a breakdown of the carbon savings that have been achieved.

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About Averda:

Averda is the leading waste management and recycling company in the emerging world, operating in India and across the Middle East and Africa. The company provides a broad and specialised range of services to over 55,000 clients - large and small - across the private and public sectors. These include the municipal authorities of major cities and household names in a wide range of sectors including oil & gas, automotive, retail and hospitality.

Founded in 1964 and headquartered in Dubai, Averda increasingly focuses on providing sustainable solutions which extract value from waste, reducing use of the planet’s limited natural resources and driving the circular economy. The company’s portfolio of services ranges from collecting bins and cleaning city streets to sorting, composting, recycling and disposing of household waste as well as safely managing highly-regulated hazardous waste streams including medical waste and dangerous chemicals. Recent investments have further developed the company’s waste treatment capabilities, with the goal of providing circular recovery options in all markets.

The company currently employs over 15,000 people worldwide, helping to provide secure employment amongst the communities it serves. Protection of environmental and human health is the company’s highest priority, and it operates in full compliance with international standards for quality control wherever it operates, currently: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Morocco, South Africa, Congo and India.

About Fairmont The Palm:

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is where the intimate equally coexists with the infinite – an unrivaled portfolio of more than 80 extraordinary hotels where grand moments of life, heartfelt pleasures and personal milestones are celebrated and remembered long after any visit. Since 1907, Fairmont has created magnificent, meaningful and unforgettable hotels, rich with character and deeply connected to the history, culture and community of its destinations – places such as The Plaza in New York City, The Savoy in London, Fairmont San Francisco, Fairmont Banff Springs in Canada, Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai, and Fairmont The Palm in Dubai. Famous for its engaging service, awe-inspiring public spaces, locally inspired cuisine, and iconic bars and lounges, Fairmont also takes great pride in its pioneering approach to hospitality and leadership in sustainability and responsible tourism practices. Fairmont is part of Accor, a world leading hospitality group consisting of more than 5,200 properties and 10,000 food and beverage venues throughout 110 countries.

fairmont.com | all.accor.com | group.accor.com

PR Contact
Tasneem Riyaz
House of Comms – Dubai
E: averda@houseofcomms.com