Buying cooking oil - Sydney

[gwalker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gwalker]

Is there anywhere in Sydney that sells non-food grade cooking oil in 20 - 50 litre quantities?
George

[Guest Close David]

Re: Buying cooking oil - Sydney

If it were not food grade, It would be something other than cooking oil wouldn't it? The label on such oil would be amusing...

"Xyz oil. The cooking oil you can't cook in!"

I saw some 20L tins of different cooking oil in some corner shops a while back for $20. From memory they were Corn and Sunflower oils. They were in these upmarket type corner shops that sell Washing powder and have other stuff stacked up on the footpath. I'm sure the backstreets of most Suburbs south of the bridge would have places that stocked it.

Why do you want new oil? Are you having trouble finding used or are you wanting new for other reasons? I believe generally that new oil is at least $2 a litre if you buy it from food providores and the like even in 200L drums.

[gwalker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gwalker]

Re: Buying cooking oil - Sydney

If it were not food grade, It would be something other than cooking oil wouldn't it? The label on such oil would be amusing...

"Xyz oil. The cooking oil you can't cook in!"

Why do you want new oil? Are you having trouble finding used or are you wanting new for other reasons? I believe generally that new oil is at least $2 a litre if you buy it from food providores and the like even in 200L drums.

David, I just wanted to see if there is any source out there and assumed that there must be supplies that for some reason don't meet the food grade standard that could be accessable.
George

[Fitian Was here Find all posts View Profile Close Fitian]

Re: Buying cooking oil - Sydney

Is there anywhere in Sydney that sells non-food grade cooking oil in 20 - 50 litre quantities?
George

How much are you willing to pay for 20 litre drum WCO filtered to 5 mircon?

Regards,

Fitian

[Tony From West Oz Vice Chairperson of WARFA Find all posts View Profile Close Tony From West Oz]

Re: Buying cooking oil - Sydney

As a long time user of Used Cooking Oils, I have recently started paying for my cooking oil - at only one of my suppliers.
I am paying him $0.10 per litre (GST free ).

For this, I get 240 litres per month of oil which has little "pre-fried" foods cooked in it. All his chips are cut in the shop. Only the Cornjacks and Chicko rolls (and similar items) are "pre-fried". Thus the oil has a very low proportion of hydrogenated palm oil - I can pour it all during the middle of winter. There is no layer of solidified oil in the containers.

He also filters the oil daily and filters it into my drums too. (I supply 6 * 60 litre drums for him - I can lift them into my garden trailer.)
I also filter the oil, I do not know the specs for his filtration system.

I also collect oil from a couple of other sources, both Restaurants, where the oil is full of burnt bits and half of the oil (in summer) is solid. In winter I am lucky to be able to pour off 10% of the oil before getting to the creamy / white layers where the oil is solidifyng.
I have had to educate the Restaurants to keep the oil and water separate.
I do not pay for this oil, and despite my other source meeting my fuel needs (plus some), I still collect as I have an agreement with the Restaurant and I will honour that agreement as long as they need the oil collected (spanning the last 3 operators).
If they want to charge for the oil, I will not continue the agreement for the following reasons:
1. The oil is not strained, let alone filtered,
2. The oil has a high proportion of solidified oil,
3. The volume they supply (20 litres per week) is too small to justify payment.

One restaurant decided to change to Hydrogenated Palm oil without letting me know. They now pay to have it collected.

If the oil is of the volume and quality that I pay for, then you should be happy to pay around $0.10 per litre for it. I believe that that is a fair price and would represent good value to a person either using the oil as a fuel straight, or making biodiesel from it, and provides a small return to the supplier, which he most likely does not recieve from the oil collection agent.

Some people will not be happy unless they get the for free, others will see $0.25 per litre as good value. I doubt that many users would be happy at or above $0.30 per litre.


I hope this helps put this issue into context.

[Fitian Was here Find all posts View Profile Close Fitian]

Re: Buying cooking oil - Sydney

Will said Tony.

I guess it is better for anyone wanting to run a car on WVO to make sure they have enough supply of oil before converting the car. Otherwise they will have to accept the idea of paying some money for it which will end up cheaper even if they pay up to LPG price anyway.

I collect my oil from two fish n' ships shops twice a week roughly 250 ltrs. I leave them 10 days to settle then filter them. Some heavy lifting and time away from family is invovled. Collecting and filtering the oil takes around 5+ hours a week. Going by the avarage pay $20/H for most working people 250 ltrs would be worth around $100. still far cheaper than LPG.

I have met a guy who works for fryer cleaning company. He goes to resturants to clean their fryers and change the oil for them. The WO he sells to a recycling company at $0.24/litr and he is not allowed to sell it to the public.

Before I convert my car, I have contacted an oil recycling company in Sydney about buying WO. Their price was $0.60/litre supplied only in 200 litres drums and filtred at 100 micron. This price is without GST.

It is recommended to check available options before doing the car.

Cheers,

Fitian

[Guest Close David]

Re: Buying cooking oil - Sydney

Very interesting points there Tony.

I am currently in the process of securing a large supply of very high grade WVO. I am told it is only used once in a batch cooking process and then disgarded. The Qty available could be in excess of 1000L per month, possibly a lot more.

I have been aware of this source for a few weeks but have been reluctant to go after it as it is more than I and my friends in oily crime could handle.
I made a post a while back enquireing if there was anyone interested in a supply of oil and had an almost total lack of response as have other people that have offered oil. Despite all the posts of people saying they can't find it, it seems no one wants or needs it.

As the people with the oil are currently paying around 60C a litre for someone to collect it who is putting it into landfill ( don't know if that is Kosher or not?) I am hoping to be able to negotiate to take what I want or a nominated amount per month rather than the 1000L mega cubies they are storing the oil in now. I have offered to keep a friend supplied for use in the truck he has just bought but I think he is not really a believer and is citing fuel rebates as a reason not to do a WVO conversion on his truck. He will be going through at least 400L a week just running round surburban Sydney.

If I were to suppy other people on a regular basis, I would have to charge something for the time and effort in getting and handling the stuff which would not be insignificant. As the recipients would be also saving time and effort in picking oil up possibly from multiple suppliers, actually paying for good oil from 1 reliable source may be cheaper than collecting " free" oil.

If I can negotiate an arrangement on this oil, I'll keep in mind what has been said here and see if I get any interest from anyone looking for an oil supply.

[Fitian Was here Find all posts View Profile Close Fitian]

Re: Buying cooking oil - Sydney

David,
I live in Ingleburn - not too far away from Bankstown. How much would you charge me if I am to take a regular oil supply off you?

Cheers,

Fitian

[Captain Echidna Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Captain Echidna]

Re: Buying cooking oil - Sydney

David, have you considered going to a number of smaller sources of oil, asking what they do with it, if they have someone to collect it then say GREAT. ask if you can get in contact with them, as you have a supply that needs "dividing"
May be another way to get hold of other users.
It seems funny there are all sorts of rumors how there isnt any more free oil to be had, yet asking for it is often successful.

[gwalker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gwalker]

Re: Buying cooking oil - Sydney

Bankstown is not too far from me.
Getting oil free is nice but there are times when paying a small price for 'known quality' oil is much easier and more conveient.
George

[Guest Close David]

Re: Buying cooking oil - Sydney

Hi Fitian,

To be honest I have no idea what I would want to charge to supply oil. It would have to be fair for my time and effort but also worthwhile to anyone wanting it. I would not want to be greedy and I would not want to be taken advantage of either. What the magic number is I have no idea.

I'm yet to sort out the details of this supply and there are still a huge number of variables that would have to be taken into account. I still don't know how they would want me to get the stuff. Would I have to get them to load it on a trailer with a fork in the 1000l cubie and then pump it into 200L drums when I get home or would I have to pump it into 200L drums there, would they want me to take it all or can I just take what I need, how much how often to they have it...?

Once I find out if they will even let me have it and work all this out I'll have a better idea of where I want to go with it myself. I am hoping to talk to the person I need to in the next few days or hopefully sooner.

There may also be the possibility that I could sell this stuff to a commercial interest of some sort as perhaps feed or maybe even the commercil bio processors could be interested in it. If there were enough oil with enough value, maybe I could earn a few bucks out of it now and then. I have to do some research and see if it has a market or indeed is just pure waste.

How much oil are you needing anyway Fitian? If you are getting 250L a week now and looking for more, you are either doing major miles or running a truck or earth moving equipment with it!

Chris,
I hadn't thought of finding other users the way you describe. If it turned out I had a surplus, I would have hoped I could have found people here willing to take it off my hands but past experience and that of others has just made me wonder.

I agree with your comments about lack of oil and asking for it. I have spoken to some people that have complained they can't get it and when you question them, its a bit it's like they went to 3 places, got the knockback and gave up. I will say that it seems much harder to find oil in the outer areas of Sydney where there are far fewer shops and population to need to cater to, but in surburbia, the place is drowning in it.

I made some similar comment a while back about the number of places I saw oil available and made up a list. A number of people contacted me and I sent them the list. I got several replies that equated to "Thanks for the info but this stuff isn't on my back door and filtered ready to go so I couldn't be botherd with it." A couple of people used the info to source a regular supply which was great.

The bottom line is, right now I get more than enough oil to keep me and a friend that helps me a lot with BD related things going. With both of us looking at aquiring 2nd diesel vehicles, we may want more than my present supply and I am interested in this other supplier because I believe it will be better quality than what I am getting now and be able to provide all I need from one place even though it is not entirely local.

[Captain Echidna Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Captain Echidna]

Re: Buying cooking oil - Sydney

Although I use this site as a great source of info, the only other people I know that do this stuff arent actually on the net. I wuld love to see some demographics on who is doing bio/ SVO, average age, etc. Would be interesting.
I would be guessing 30-65 years old, slightly hippy, types.

Pity you are in Sydney. My Dad is having trouble getting oil (he is only a few Ks from a major oil collector so is looking elsewhere.

I wonder how much to have it freighted?

[Guest Close David]

Re: Buying cooking oil - Sydney

I wuld love to see some demographics on who is doing bio/ SVO, average age, etc. Would be interesting.
I would be guessing 30-65 years old, slightly hippy, types.

I wonder how much to have it freighted?

Hey Chris,

While your age profile is pretty accurate for the people I have met using bio/WVO, They are anything but hippy types!
Most are more along the lines of the DIY types that probably most of all enjoy the independence factor and the cost savings.

I too would be very interested to see some numbers on demographics. Is it possible to set up one of those poll things here and can they have multiple questions? If someone could set something like that up it would provide a lot of valuable info for the site as well as just being of interest.

I think having oil freighted would probably be more expensive than buying diesel or Bio.

[Fitian Was here Find all posts View Profile Close Fitian]

Re: Buying cooking oil - Sydney

Hi Fitian,

To be honest I have no idea what I would want to charge to supply oil. It would have to be fair for my time and effort but also worthwhile to anyone wanting it. I would not want to be greedy and I would not want to be taken advantage of either. What the magic number is I have no idea.

I'm yet to sort out the details of this supply and there are still a huge number of variables that would have to be taken into account. I still don't know how they would want me to get the stuff. Would I have to get them to load it on a trailer with a fork in the 1000l cubie and then pump it into 200L drums when I get home or would I have to pump it into 200L drums there, would they want me to take it all or can I just take what I need, how much how often to they have it...?

Once I find out if they will even let me have it and work all this out I'll have a better idea of where I want to go with it myself. I am hoping to talk to the person I need to in the next few days or hopefully sooner.

There may also be the possibility that I could sell this stuff to a commercial interest of some sort as perhaps feed or maybe even the commercil bio processors could be interested in it. If there were enough oil with enough value, maybe I could earn a few bucks out of it now and then. I have to do some research and see if it has a market or indeed is just pure waste.

How much oil are you needing anyway Fitian? If you are getting 250L a week now and looking for more, you are either doing major miles or running a truck or earth moving equipment with it!

I know you do not want to be greedy or taken adgantage of. The effort you put in collecting the oil is worth something. To your own use $0.10 is justified but to give it someone else saving them all the run around and talking to shop owners and having to cope with whatever attitude they give you is totally something else. You see, I do not mind giving anyone a hand for free to convert their car you'd do the same thing too. It is one off thing and can be done in a convenient times but this does not work with supplying oil.

I do a lot of travelling this is why I need more oil. It takes a long time to settle this is why I'd rather filter more than 250L at a time.

Cheers,

Fitian

[Captain Echidna Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Captain Echidna]

Re: Buying cooking oil - Sydney

I guess the hippy type, not hippies. A good disrespect for "the man" not the type to protect the status quo, if you said the only way to defeat terrorism was with understanding, not weapons, they would consider it before speaking, probably dont really care about what colour is the new black this year. Not however a tie dyed shirt wearing, profesional protester, asking at the hopsital about organic produce while having infection (from a burn from trying to smoke the last bit of the joint) fixed type. (no offence to anyone who who fits the last category)


About 15 years ago my boss was importing glue ino Australia. It cost $1000 to get a drum into australia, to put it in a container, (along with as many drums that could fit) was also, wait for it, $1000.

Mind you you are probably right about being more expensive than diesel. There is other reasons to do it that way however.