Translations

GECCO transforms waste into energy on a local level

4. Environment

Waste management

Sector Other

Year 2016

Country France

Transmitter

Context

Gecco is an “Entreprise Solidaire d’Utilité Sociale” (social company) based in Lille that has been created in 2007. It collects and adds value to used food oils and greases (such as frying oils), which are currently resold in Biodiesel facilities. From the second quarter 2016, they will be partly valued on a local level thanks to a biological transformation process into Biodiesel. This process is a result of a research program developed by Gecco.

Objectives

To add value to a renewable energy from waste instead of fossil energy, on a local level
To enable local authorities to face the energy transition while ensuring them resilience by controlling future costs
To generate local employment

APPROACH

Gecco’s motto is “local Collection, local Transformation, local Consumption”

Gecco collects frying oils from restaurants, food industries (McCain), schools, hospitals and centers for waste sorting/recycling in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Picardie Region. The company has implemented a frying oil collection activity in the city center of Lille by tricycle, to emit less CO2.

Regarding local transformation, Gecco and a public laboratory have developed a biological technology to transform frying oils into biodiesel (authorized) with a much lesser impact on the environment than current chemical processes.

For local consumption, the fuel might then be used in test vehicles belonging to the city hall of Lille (school bus, city washer).

Following the success of the Vendeville pilot unit, Gecco inaugurated a new site in 2019 based in Avelin, where 5,000 litres of biodiesel could be produced every day, almost 13 times more than the Vendeville site.

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

Succeeded fund raising amounting to €1,120,000 in 2015 for the implementation of the local branch
Each frying oil producer is covered, whatever his volume. (Notion of public service)
2015: 1,800 T of oils collected

Benefits

Gecco is a social company (SSE)
Gecco’s biodiesel will emit 90% of greenhouse gas less than the diesel branch and 65% less than the current biodiesel branch
Relocation of the branch and development of a biodiesel production technology
Compensation for the excess greenhouse gas emissions of 980 French people per year
1 litre of oil gives 0.92 litre of biodiesel