Used cooking oil can now be returned at 130 OMV filling stations throughout Austria.

OMV, together with Münzer Bioindustrie, is setting a milestone in the circular economy: What began as a pilot project in Vienna, which has already collected around 2,000 kilograms of used cooking oil, is now being rolled out across Austria. Effective immediately, customers can dispose of their used cooking oil in special collection boxes at 130 OMV filling stations throughout Austria. Münzer will process this waste into high-quality biodiesel and blend it into OMV fuel. This makes the circular economy tangible: an everyday waste product is transformed into a valuable energy source that is used directly in transportation.

Following the successful pilot project launched in Vienna in 2023, the innovative collection system for used cooking oil is now being gradually rolled out throughout Austria. Collection boxes from Münzer Bioindustrie are now available at 130 OMV filling stations in all federal states. With its nationwide rollout, the system will be made accessible to a broader population – directly where mobility takes place. The simple and low-threshold drop-off option at OMV filling stations facilitates the proper disposal of used cooking oil and simultaneously makes a valuable contribution to sustainable fuel production.

The collection campaign is deliberately simple to reach as many people as possible in their everyday lives. Anyone who has leftover cooking oil or fat at home can easily pour it into a clean, sealable plastic bottle and drop it off at participating OMV gas stations in the designated collection boxes. Münzer Bioindustrie regularly collects the full boxes, recycles the empty bottles, and processes the oil into high-quality biodiesel.

"Our goal was to create a system suitable for everyday use and environmentally effective, one that reaches people directly. Used cooking oil is still not disposed of properly in many households and often ends up in the drain, for example. The cooperation with Münzer was therefore a logical step to make the circular economy tangible and visible – directly at the gas station," says Michal Kubinec, Managing Director of OMV Retail Austria.
Münzer Bioindustrie also sees the expansion of collection points as a forward-looking step. "We're closing the circle – and doing so in a very practical way: What begins as kitchen waste becomes climate-friendly fuel and returns to the very same gas station where it was collected. Together with OMV, we're demonstrating how the circular economy can be implemented in everyday life," emphasizes Gregor Reindl, Managing Director of Münzer Bioindustrie GmbH.

Technology and circular economy hand in hand

The biodiesel obtained from used cooking oil is blended at the OMV refinery into OMV B7 diesel fuel, which contains up to seven percent biogenic components. Each liter of biodiesel saves approximately three kilograms of CO₂ – a significant figure considering the total kilometers driven on the road. In addition to reducing CO₂ emissions, the process strengthens regional value creation, as collection, processing, and use take place in Austria. The project demonstrates how technical solutions in the fuel sector can contribute concretely to climate protection – without vehicle modifications or complex changes to customers' everyday lives.