If you've ever been to the U.K. then you know how much the British love their fish and chips. Yes, there's McDonald's, but the corner chip shop gets far more love. And now there's a use for all that fat besides padding English hips: eco savvy Brits are using recycled vegetable oil to power their cars.
Veggie power isn't a new thing, but currently in Britain biodiesel costs 10% less than the regular petroleum kind, and even though gas prices have dipped somewhat from last summer's high, eco conscious drivers are simply pouring the used oil directly into their tanks, providing a petrol substitute for countless autos colored British racing green. The oil costs $4.88 per gallon, about a third less than last year's high at the petrol pump. Trouble is, there are more potential U.K. drivers using used chip oil then there is used chip oil from Brits who eat chips.
There's also the problem of refinement. Surely vehicle manufacturers would discourage drivers from pouring french fry oil directly into gas tanks without refining it first, but that's what's happening. There are biodiesel refineries but getting the oil straight from the fryer is easier and cheaper. And diesel vehicles seem to run fine on it.
Veggie diesel runs cleaner than either gas or petro-diesel, producing virtually no carbon dioxide (a big contributor to greenhouse gases, not to mention being that noxious stuff we should avoid breathing), and used cooking oil is a huge waste problem. It clogs drains and pipes, forms huge sludge stalactities in sewers, and poisons widlife. Using it to make cars go seems like a win-win to us. Finally, junk food is used for good.
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