Uk Used Cooking Oil Market Overview

The UK used cooking oil market was valued at USD 246.66 Million in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 435.08 Million by 2034, expanding at a CAGR of 6.51% during 2026–2034. Market growth is primarily driven by the increasing adoption of used cooking oil as a key feedstock for biodiesel production, supported by stringent environmental regulations and renewable energy targets.

Study Assumption Years

• Base Year: 2024
• Historical Period: 2019–2024
• Forecast Period: 2025–2033

UK Used Cooking Oil Market – Key Takeaways

• The UK used cooking oil market was valued at USD 246.66 Million in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 435.08 Million by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 6.51% during 2026–2034.

• Rising demand for biodiesel production is a key growth driver, supported by the UK’s renewable energy and decarbonization targets.

• Strict environmental regulations and waste management policies are encouraging higher collection and recycling of used cooking oil.

• Increasing participation from restaurants, food service outlets, and households is strengthening feedstock availability.

• Growing awareness of circular economy practices is supporting the reuse of waste cooking oil in energy and industrial applications.

• Technological advancements in collection, processing, and refining are improving efficiency and scalability.

• Strong demand from the biofuel and oleochemical industries is contributing to steady long-term market growth.

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Uk Used Cooking Oil Market Growth Drivers:

The UK used cooking oil (UCO) market is considered an essential element of the UK's renewable energy strategy, particularly since the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) introduced double counting towards carbon reduction quotas for waste-derived feedstocks such as UCO. This has turned what was a waste disposal issue into a high value product and accounting for half of the UCO market is biodiesel.

This demand is stimulated by the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) regulations, which require a percentage of total jet fuel to be produced from renewable sources. Referred to by aviation companies as "Jet Zero", UCO has been chosen as the main feedstock due to a high NER (Net Energy Ratio) and a 89% GHG (Greenhouse Gas) reduction in comparison with biofuels made from fossil fuels. Long-term contracts have become increasingly common between major food waste aggregators such as Olleco and Quatra and energy utilities to guarantee a reliable supply of food waste to large biorefineries.

The UK has an advanced, legislated collection network, largely fed from HoReCa (Hotel, Restaurant and Caf) outlets. Most UCO available in the UK is generated from commercial food service establishments, who are required to legally remove and collect UCO instead of disposing of FOG down the sink to prevent pollution of the drainage system. There is a "oil-for-fuel" cycle, in which collectors pick up cooking oil from kitchens to be processed, then return the oil to be used again. While the collection of waste oil has developed into a commercial activity with its own collectors, the collection of household waste is an underutilized opportunity.

New solutions such as smart AI-enabled collection bins and community-based recycling schemes have begun to emerge in an attempt to reduce contamination. The new centers of activity for this are in the North West and the West Midlands, with new high-tech plants built in Liverpool and Wednesbury to focus on filtration. These plants commonly use multi-step settling and filtration to produce LF100 biofuel of high purity, which is widely used to power the ships that collected the waste, thus exemplifying the circular economy.

Despite collection rates being high, the UK is still a net importer of used cooking oil from countries as far afield as China and Malaysia. With used cooking oil (UCO) in high demand, there are concerns with traceability and the integrity of UCO throughout the supply chain. Under the Energy Act, stricter verification requirements were introduced, in reaction to pressure from environmental groups regarding "dubious" imports including virgin palm oil oils fraudulently declared as UCO.

The UK government now seeks to ensure that waste feedstocks imported into the country meet domestic sustainability standards and will use biometric and digital tracking systems to monitor compliance. In addition to the range of Special Category Waste classifications and associated procedures, record-keeping is required to avoid financial penalties or the cancelation of environmental permits held by collectors. In recognition of the growing global market for waste oils, the UK works to increase the list of permissible feedstocks and develop domestic pre-treatment technology to process contaminated low-quality used cooking oils, thus increasing energy security and the integrity of UK green fuel obligations.

Uk Used Cooking Oil Market Segmentation

Source Insights:

• Food Processing Industry
• HoReCa
• Household
• Others

Application Insights:

• Biodiesel
• Oleochemicals
• Animal Feed
• Others

Region Insights:

• London
• South East
• North West
• East of England
• South West
• Scotland
• West Midlands
• Yorkshire and The Humber
• East Midlands
• Others

Recent Developments & News

• January 2024: CQCX launched an AI chatbot designed to help healthcare providers achieve CQC compliance using AI-driven regulatory support.
• December 2023: Google updated Bard in the UK, enhancing reasoning, summarization, coding, and planning features.

The competitive landscape of the market includes analysis of leading companies, market structure, strategic positioning, and comprehensive company profiles.

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