The Recycle Your Oil campaign prevented water pollution equivalent to almost 15 thousand Olympic swimming pools

Argentina’s energy matrix depends on 90% of fossil fuels and only 4.7% of the total domestic supply of national energy corresponds to biofuels, being the largest source of renewable energy, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). Currently, In Argentina, more than 100 million liters of used vegetable oil are discarded each year and its recovery is key in the production of second-generation biofuels. This is precisely what DH-SH SRL is dedicated to, and has been providing environmental solutions in logistics and sanitation for the oil industry for two decades.

The company, based in the city of Capitán Bermúdez -province of Santa Fe- incorporated a new business unit in 2017 with the collection and conditioning of used vegetable oil for its responsible management. This is the “Recycle Your Oil” campaign, which since its inception has accumulated 33,542 tons of this waste for treatment, preventing the contamination of 36,480,904.347 m3 of water, the amount to fill 14,500 Olympic swimming pools. These data come from the Second Sustainability Report, launched by DH-SH, for the period between January and December 2023 and prepared in accordance with GRI standards (Global Reporting Initiative).

The oil recycling program is one of the key sections of this report. It can be seen from it that during the past year, DH-SH managed to almost triple the volume of recycled used vegetable oil at its plant since, between 2017 and 2022, the campaign was 11,516 tons collected of this waste, which was equivalent to 5 thousand Olympic swimming pools. During 2023 alone, the recovery of 13,853.62 new tons was added and the contamination of 15,058,284.782 m3 of water was avoided.

The correct disposal of used vegetable oil, which is the result of oil used for frying in homes or restaurants, not only prevents the contamination of waterways, but also of the soil. According to the DH-SH GRI 2023 Report, the presence of this residue in the soil produces an impermeable layer of the particles that make it up, which prevents gas exchange with the atmosphere, causing the death of the organisms that inhabit it, in addition to preventing the passage of water to lower layers of the soil. In this sense, Reciclá tu Aceite, with its collection, managed to preserve 36,458,695m2 of land, which is equivalent to twice the surface area of ​​the Los Arrayanes National Park in Neuquén either nine times the size of the Palermo forests in Buenos Aires.

“We are proud to present our second Sustainability Report. We are the only company in our sector to present a report of this type in Argentina and in Latin America. Environmental stewardship is essential to the long-term sustainability of our operations and the well-being of the communities in which we operate. For this reason, we are deeply committed to continually improving our environmental practices, implementing innovative technologies and strategies that allow us to reduce our environmental impact and mitigate the effects of climate change,” he said. Antonella Druetta, Head of Environment at DH-SH.

Among its milestones during 2023, there is also having adhered to the United Nations Global Compact, which reaffirms the commitment to regenerating the planet with clear objectives and goals for this change. Likewise, the certification was received “Green Seal” by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of the Province of Santa Fe, distinction for companies that comply with current environmental regulations and make an additional effort with triple impact objectives. Also noteworthy is the writing of his Sustainable Manifesto, which serves as the basis for DH-SH’s internal and external commitment to make correct decisions and act in accordance with environmental standards.

“Being the only used vegetable oil recycling company in Argentina and Latam to develop Sustainability Reports, challenges us more and more to develop This business within the framework of a circular economy. We are increasingly committed to specific objectives; in this way, we develop a Sustainability Strategy Considering what our stakeholders told us in the surveys,” he adds. Sebastián Soso, Head of Communications at DH-SH.

Commitment to recycling

For two decades, DH-SH has provided environmental solutions for Logistics and Sanitation for the oil industry. In 2017, With the Recycle Your Oil campaign, it added to its activities the collection and packaging service of used vegetable oil in 15 provinces of the country. For this work, it has a team of 25 collectors distributed in each geographic area of ​​work, in charge of logistics in their area of ​​influence, collecting vegetable oil from small generators. They also provide collection containers to large generators, such as restaurants that produce this waste in larger proportions, which are renewed at each collection.

Starting from the beginning of the campaign, The firm has installed 355 green points in total, of which 143 were located during 2023, This reflects the strong expansion of oil recycling work over the past year, based on agreements signed with municipalities and communes. In fact, during those 12 months, 27 agreements were reached, which gives a total of 97 agreements signed throughout the country since its inception.

The company is also actively involved in community and local development initiatives, with a special focus on education. In 2023, for example, 46 talks were given in educational institutions, reaching 1,382 students of various educational levels. To this end, they offer schools the opportunity to enroll free of charge in their Environmental Education Program, which consists of virtual talks on the life cycle of oil with downloadable material to work on in class.