Beijing is moving to strengthen its oversight of used cooking oil, commonly known as "waste oil," to stop it from re-entering the food supply chain. The Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Management recently drafted a new regulation, titled the "Beijing Catering Waste Oil Management Regulations (Draft for Comments)," which establishes a closed-loop system from disposal registration and directed collection to resource utilization. The rules require that all catering enterprises sign contracts with designated collection units, that collection vehicles be equipped with GPS tracking and real-time data uploads, and that waste oil be encouraged for resource recovery within the city.

Catering businesses must register their waste oil disposal, and an electronic manifest system will ensure full traceability. Catering waste oil refers to non-edible animal and vegetable fats and oil-water mixtures generated during food processing, dining services, and group meal provisions by enterprises, government agencies, military units, schools, and other institutional canteens. As the primary responsible entities, these establishments must sign a collection service contract with a designated unit in their area, delegate the collection of their waste oil, and register their disposal details with their local street or township office. This registration must include information on the type, quantity, collection unit, collection time, and destination of the waste oil. Furthermore, an electronic manifest must be submitted to enable full traceability from the source to the final processing point.

Collection vehicles must be new energy vehicles, and their operational data must be uploaded in real-time. District-level urban management departments are tasked with determining the appropriate number of collection units and corresponding service areas based on the volume of waste oil generated and the scope of collection operations. These units will be selected through competitive bidding processes and publicly announced. Collection units must meet several strict requirements, including possessing their own collection containers and vehicles adequate for the volume of waste oil handled. These vehicles must be equipped with onboard terminals and comply with Beijing's new energy standards. Workers must be certified and in good health. Units must also own or have a processing agreement with a facility capable of separating and purifying kitchen waste, and they must demonstrate the ability to resourcefully utilize the waste oil, or provide a corresponding agreement. Encouragement is given for completing this utilization within Beijing. During collection, vehicles must remain sealed and clean, with their onboard terminals operating continuously and data uploaded in real-time.

A directed collection system is being established, with prices determined through market negotiation. The district-level departments will sign operational agreements with winning bidders, specifying service standards, scope, duration, breach of contract penalties, and exit mechanisms. Collection units can only operate in their designated areas after obtaining administrative permits. Catering establishments within a given area must sign collection service contracts, which must specify the time, frequency, price, and service standards to ensure full collection. The price will be negotiated between the collection unit and the catering business based on market conditions.

Multiple government agencies will collaborate on oversight, with an annual evaluation mechanism to ensure long-term regulation. The Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Management will coordinate efforts, while the Municipal Market Regulation Bureau will incorporate waste oil disposal and flow into its routine supervision of catering businesses. The Municipal Commerce Bureau will guide catering enterprises to hand over their waste oil to designated collection units. The Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau will address environmental violations, such as illegal pollution discharges by processing facilities. The Municipal Urban Management Law Enforcement Bureau will supervise and penalize failures to register for waste disposal, the submission of false registration information, the use of unqualified collection and disposal units, and illegal dumping or littering by collection units. The city and district urban management departments will also establish an annual evaluation mechanism to ensure the entire system is systematic and standardized.

The draft regulation is currently open for public comment until September 13th. Once implemented, the new rules are expected to effectively dismantle the illegal "waste oil" supply chain, safeguard the safety of citizens' dining tables, and promote the resource utilization of catering waste oil, supporting the city's transition to a greener, low-carbon model.