Pertamina develops cooperative-based used cooking oil collection scheme
Banyumas (ANTARA) – PT Pertamina (Persero) is developing a cooperative-based scheme to collect used cooking oil to support national energy security, protect the environment and create new income opportunities for communities by turning household waste into valuable fuel.
Pertamina President Director Simon Aloysius Mantiri said in Banyumas, Central Java, on Thursday that collecting used cooking oil through the Merah Putih Village/Urban-Ward Cooperatives (KDKMP) would support national energy self-sufficiency while increasing the economic value of household waste.
The initiative was marked by the launch of a pilot collection scheme through cooperatives and the signing of a co-operation agreement between the Ministry of Cooperatives and Pertamina in Dawuhan village, Banyumas district. The agreement was signed by Cooperatives Minister Ferry Juliantono and Mantiri.
Mantiri said Dawuhan was chosen for the pilot because it has considerable potential to generate used cooking oil, supported by local culinary businesses, including producers of mendoan and getuk goreng, regional specialities.
He said used cooking oil, which is often discarded after being used for cooking, still has economic value if collected and processed properly. It can be turned into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and other environmentally friendly fuels.
“Oil from our homes and kitchens can become energy that powers aircraft. So, from the kitchen to the sky,” he said.
Pertamina has conducted several test flights using sustainable aviation fuel blended with conventional aviation turbine fuel, he said. These included Pelita Air’s return flight between Jakarta and Denpasar in 2025, using a blend of 3 per cent SAF and 97 per cent conventional aviation fuel.
Speaking to reporters after the event, Mantiri said the co-operation with the Ministry of Cooperatives formed part of efforts to support President Prabowo Subianto’s ambition of achieving energy self-sufficiency by using domestic resources.
“Used cooking oil discarded into drains can potentially pollute the environment, so it needs to be collected and processed into more useful products,” he said.
KDKMP cooperatives will collect used cooking oil from the public before it is processed at Pertamina refineries into value-added products, he said.
Pertamina is also seeking to work with the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to expand used cooking oil collection by involving KDKMP cooperatives.
The programme is expected to deliver several benefits, including strengthening national energy security, reducing environmental pollution, creating jobs and new sources of income in villages, and improving the efficiency of the energy feedstock supply chain.
Mantiri said he hoped co-operation between the government, cooperatives, communities and industry would strengthen the use of domestic resources and promote economic growth in villages.