TWO Services’ partnership with grease removal unit (GRU) manufacturer Goslyn ensures our customers can not only meet their compliance requirements and avoid hefty fines by installing Goslyn’s smart products onsite – they can actually get paid to recycle the fat, oil and grease that’s created from their production processes.
When they are properly maintained, Goslyn GRUs release grey water to drain that requires significantly less processing and energy use by water and sewage companies. The oils and fats that are recovered have a low moisture content, meaning they can be recycled by a specialist waste oil collection and disposal company, who will pay up to 40p per litre for these materials in certain volumes.
So, as well as protecting your drains from damaging (and costly) blockages, installing GRUs at your premises can help you reduce your carbon footprint AND generate extra revenue for your food service business.
We spoke to Lee Shelton, Sales Director at Goslyn, for his thoughts on educating the industry on the dangers of neglecting their waste disposal responsibilities. Lee has been working in the catering field since he was 16 and has been active in the catering sector for more than 40 years (20 of these in the environmental sector) – so needless to say, he is incredibly passionate about helping food service businesses reduce waste and its impact on our environment.
We also discussed the many incentives to installing Goslyn’s certified GRUs onsite, and why there’s never been a better time to explore the use case for these innovative machines.
“It’s widely recognised that each cover in a restaurant can produce up to 28ml of grease in the production facility and on the plate. If workers aren’t careful, this grease can easily enter the drainage system. For example, a frying pan full of excess butter can be thrown into the sink for cleaning; this butter will melt away in the water and travel into the pipes, where it will cool down and stick to the lining.
“Grease doesn’t just creep up on you,” Lee said.
“In time, the situation escalates. The drains block, the kitchen floods, raw sewage could back up into the kitchen or service yard and before you know it, the whole operation has to be shut down. As you can imagine, such a scenario could cost businesses thousands of pounds per night in lost revenue – not to mention cause significant damage to the local water infrastructure.
“This is just one of the reasons why it’s so important to make business owners and their operatives aware of the importance of correct grease disposal. KPs in particular will benefit from having a GRU installed. Their job can be unpleasant at times, but if they have a piece of equipment that can help them look after their drains and machinery, their lives will be made much easier. The last thing they want is to be on their hands and knees cleaning up grease – a GRU can take care of this for them.”
“The benefits for businesses can be summed up in one line: Don’t get fined, get paid!” Lee continued.
“Recycled grease, oils and fats are an energy commodity and are very much part of the wider circular economy. A busy restaurant or hotel could generate between 7 and 9 litres of fat oil and grease every single day – and this means that, with the average price at around 40p per litre at the moment, businesses could be earning up to £3.20 per day just for doing the socially and environmentally responsible thing and instructing a waste disposal company to recycle their grease.
“Even if they decide to lease the equipment rather than pay for it outright, they can still offset the rental costs by some margin with this additional revenue. Studies have shown that businesses can expect a return on investment from their GRUs in as little as 16 months.
“Plus, installing grease traps is a great way to meet wider ESG initiatives. It’s not just about ticking a box – it’s about exploring a practical solution to a very real and very common challenges that food service companies and their equipment providers are faced with every day.”
Aside from the financial benefits of recycling these materials, companies are of course under pressure from water providers and their compliance bodies to adhere to Section 111 of the Water Industry Act:1991. This states that it is a criminal offence to release anything into public sewers that could interfere with the free flow of wastewater, including discharging grease into public facilities.
In line with this legislation, water companies can choose to fine or recharge businesses if they can find evidence that they have contributed to waste pollution in this way.
“Goslyn GRUs trap these waste products before they get into the system, negating the problem,” Lee added. “And if there is ever a dispute with the water company regarding how many people have contributed to a blockage and what their fine or recharge should be, simply having evidence of correctly sized GRUs with a service contract onsite will reduce the risk of involvement from said water company.”
“We have recently made a pledge that we will lock in our current price until the end of 2024,” Lee added. “This gives partners like TWO Services the confidence to quote on longer term projects without facing mid-contract price rises; in turn, they can give their own customers some certainty during a very tumultuous time for the economy.”
Clearly then, there are multiple operational, environmental, and financial advantages to investing in GRUs. From TWO’s perspective, being able to call upon Goslyn’s expertise means we can help our customers take a ‘prevention is better than cure’ approach towards looking after their kitchens.
After all, fewer blockages mean longer lasting commercial equipment and lower maintenance costs.
Supply is never an issue, either, as Lee explained.
“We always have hundreds of units in stock and are constantly replenishing them to cater for companies that need and expect fast turnarounds from us.”
Ask your engineer for more information on Goslyn GRUs at your next maintenance appointment or contact our office directly to book your free survey, which can be carried out virtually or at your property.