Oil and water don't mix

This is Karaburun-Sazan Marine Park, the first and only marine protected area of Albania. 

It features ruins of sunken Ancient Greek, Roman and World War II ships. This rich underwater ecosystem, with its steep limestone cliffs, giant caves and secluded beaches, also boasts ancient inscriptions of sailors on shore.

Naturally, this stunning beauty attracts people from all over to Vlora Bay. A majority of Albanians in this region work in tourism, fisheries and aquaculture, and in recent years the number of tourists visiting the area has boomed. New opportunities in boating and fishing tours, diving and snorkeling have attracted many visitors, and restaurants, hotels and resorts have sprung up across the area.

But overfishing and plastics are far from the only threats. One often unconsidered hazard is the improper disposal of cooking oils, primarily from proliferating restaurants.

1 litre of cooking oil pollutes 1 million litres of water. As used cooking oil and other fats are dumped into waste bins, toilets and sinks, the contaminated sea significantly threatens underwater habitats and species. The oil covers the surface of the water and stops the exchange of oxygen between air and water, chocking living organisms. 

Locals soon recognized that this oil problem would have long-term effects on the sea that provides food and jobs. Sherif Durmishi, a fisherman and owner of the Orikumi fish market, certainly thinks so. Nardi Dervishualiu, chef at the world-renowned restaurant Oriku in Vlora, thinks so too. And so does Elton Kadillari, a Vlora native. “I feel a special spiritual connection with this marine area,” he says. “It’s the most unique and beautiful place in Vlora and should be protected.”

Now, they have come together to protect it, having launched the first stage of a recycling initiative to keep used cooking oil out of the sea. Termed I Recycle, the scheme encourages restaurants, hotels and businesses along Vlora Bay to recycle their used cooking oil and plastic bottles. Although managed by an Italian company called Green Recycling, it relies on locals to collect and store the oil. Elton is in charge of the collection for the Vlora area and provides businesses with specific tanks to collect and dispose of the used cooking oil. As an incentive, restaurants are given one liter of cooking oil for every 15 liters they recycle.

As a part of the initiative, businesses are trained on the recycling process and waste management standards. They also become spokespeople, educating peers on the benefits of recycling.

Every four months, more than 1.8 tons of used cooking oil is collected and shipped to specialized recycling facilities abroad, for the production of biodiesel.

Introduced to Albania by UNDP, cooking oil recycling is still an emerging practise around the world. In Vlora, whereas only two restaurants joined from the start, by the end of the year 24 were part of this movement that is now spreading to neighboring regions.

Some of the restaurants participating in the initiative.

I Recycle is part of a larger initiative to protect and preserve the Karabarun-Sazan Peninsula, a collaboration between UNDP Albania and the National Agency for Protected Areas and supported by the Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development.