McDonald’s Recognized on National French Fry Day for Commitment to Used Cooking Oil Recycling

By recycling their used cooking oil with Pacific Biodiesel, McDonald’s restaurants throughout Hawaiʻi help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state.

McDonald’s used cooking oil recycling makes positive impact

On July 11, 2025 we celebrated National French Fry Day by giving a special MAHALO shoutout to McDonald’s, not only for their famous French Fries, but for helping to make a positive impact on Planet Earth and our local green economy.

McDonald’s locations throughout Hawaiʻi have been recycling their used cooking oil (UCO) with Pacific Biodiesel for nearly 15 years, keeping this waste out of local landfills. We utilize Hawaiʻi’s UCO to produce biodiesel at our refinery on Hawaiʻi Island – every drop of the 6 million gallons of biodiesel we annually produce for Hawaiʻi, stays in Hawaiʻi.

So, how much impact do those McDonald’s fries make?

We estimate:

94,000 gallons of biodiesel were produced from the UCO we recycled from McDonald’s locations throughout the state in the last 12 months alone.
Nearly 2 million pounds – or 900 metric tons – of CO₂ was prevented from entering our atmosphere when that clean-burning biodiesel was used in diesel engines around our state – from electricity production to powering boats, cars and trucks.
That prevention of greenhouse gas emissions is equal to eliminating from our local roads 6 mass transit buses fueled with fossil diesel for an entire year!

McDonald’s sustainability commitment is described on their website: “We believe that reducing emissions and adapting to climate change is critical to helping improve the resiliency of the McDonald’s System. We work toward our climate action ambitions by focusing on reducing emissions in restaurant operations, engaging suppliers to reduce emissions in supply chains, strengthening our business resilience and using our voice to advocate for collective transformation.”

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Sustainability in Action: Maui Brewing Co & Pacific Biodiesel

See how Kuleana Hawaiʻi Oils and Pacific Biodiesel are partnering with Maui Brewing Co. to prove that waste can become fuel, food, and a force for good in Hawaiʻi’s circular economy.

FEATURED CUSTOMER – Maui Brewing Company

March 18, 2026 – Today – March 18 – is both National Biodiesel Day AND Global Recycling Day. So we are giving a special MAHALO shoutout to Maui Brewing Company – the FIRST food and beverage producer in Hawaiʻi to utilize our local biodiesel to help power their manufacturing operations AND recycle with us the used cooking oil from their restaurants statewide.

2026 Legislative Priority

“Hawaiʻi’s heavy dependence on imported petroleum threatens the Stateʻs energy security, economic stability, and national security interests in the Pacific region. Locally produced biodiesel provides an immediately deployable, renewable, energy-dense fuel that reduces reliance on foreign crude oil and increases the State’s resilience against global supply disruptions, both of which have strategic local community and military importance.”