Cooking Oil Recycling in the US - Industry Market Research Report

Cooking with Fire: The Industry Will Likely Encounter Growing Competition from Virgin Vegetable Oil Producers

Cooking oil recycling companies have been challenged over the five years to 2023 despite increased demand over the past decade. As biodiesel production has continued to expand, demand for used cooking oil has followed suit. While most biodiesel fuel is manufactured with virgin vegetable oil, used cooking oil can also be used to produce biodiesel after it has been filtered to remove food and other contaminants. However, demand for recycled oil has been undercut by affordable substitutes that are simply easier to source and transport in an environment riddled with supply chain issues. Despite also being used as an input in soap, cosmetics and animal food manufacturing, the availability of substitutes and small size of these markets has brought on decline. Overall, industry-wide revenue has been falling at a CAGR of 3.2% over the past five years and is expected to total $1.6 billion in 2023, when revenue will drop by an estimated 5.9%.

Companies in this industry collect cooking oil (yellow and brown grease) from restaurants and other food service businesses for sale to downstream markets that process this grease into biodiesel, animal feed and other products. Industry operators also process and refine the used cooking oil they collect prior to selling it to downstream markets.

This report covers the scope, size, disposition and growth of the industry including the key sensitivities and success factors. Also included are five year industry forecasts, growth rates and an analysis of the industry key players and their market shares.