November 15 is America Recycles Day, and this year KTA Super Stores is challenging the community to “Choose Hawai‘i ” by buying local products and recycling beyond the typical HI5 items. KTA is partnering with Pacific Biodiesel and Maiden Hawai‘i Naturals to make it easier for consumers to purchase locally made culinary oil,  recycle their household used cooking oil, and help support families in need this holiday season. 

The “Choose Hawai‘i” campaign kicks off on Monday, November 15 with an Instagram and Facebook giveaway and special holiday pricing on Maiden Hawaii Naturals culinary oils. Then used cooking oil (UCO) collections will happen daily from November 26 through December 7 at Pacific Biodiesel’s refinery and on Sunday, December 5 at KTA Super Stores Puainako location. For every gallon of household UCO collected during this time period, Pacific Biodiesel will donate $1 to The Food Basket to help end hunger on Hawai‘i Island. 

Used cooking oil may not be the first thing that you think of to take in for recycling, but there are many reasons to recycle this household byproduct. Used cooking oil dumped down a kitchen drain can create clogs and cause problems for wastewater treatment plants, while UCO dumped in the ground or taken to the landfill can seep into the water table. These results can be destructive both to homeowners and the environment. 

Pacific Biodiesel is Hawai‘i’s only commercial producer of biodiesel. At its refinery on Hawai‘i Island, the company annually produces more than 5.5 million gallons of premium, distilled biodiesel that’s sold entirely in Hawaii. The company recycles used cooking oil from restaurants statewide for use in the production of biodiesel. For every gallon of UCO that is recycled, nearly one gallon of biodiesel is produced by Pacific Biodiesel. Pacific Biodiesel is so committed to positively impacting climate change that co-founder Kelly King was recently appointed to a seat on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Local Governments Advisory Committee. She was also selected as one of two delegates who attended the UN Climate Change of the Parties (COP 26) in Scotland.

To “Choose Hawai‘i” and help save the world 1 gallon at a time, follow these steps to prepare your household used cooking oil for recycling: 

• Allow the UCO to cool thoroughly after use. Store the cooled oil in a leak-proof glass, plastic, or metal container with a secure lid. This is a great way to reuse an old pickle jar! 
• Bring the sealed container to the drop-off point and place in the containment tray as instructed.
• Please note that you may not bring any of the following items: motor oil, petroleum-based products, solid food waste, paint, trash

Properly prepared household UCO can be dropped off at the following locations: 

• Pacific Biodiesel, 16-240 Mikihala St, Keaau, HI 96749 — from November 26 through December 7, 2021, daily from 9am to 4pm 
• KTA Super Stores Puainako Parking Lot along Hwy 11, 50 E. Puainako St, Hilo, HI, 96720 — Sunday, December 5 from 10am to 12pm 

GIVEAWAY ALERT! Help us spread the word and encourage others to “Choose Hawai‘i ”in KTA Super Stores’ Giveaway on Instagram and Facebook from November 15 through November 25. Enter for a chance to win 1 of 5 prizes worth over $100! Five winners will be announced on November 26. Additionally, KTA Super Stores is offering special holiday pricing on Maiden Hawai‘i Naturals culinary oils – the Maui Sunflower Culinary Oil and the Hawaiian Macadamia Culinary Oil will each be available for $14.99 at KTA Super Stores from November 15 through December 7.

Be an environmental champion! When you recycle your used cooking oil you help contribute to a cleaner, greener Hawai‘i. 

Learn more by visiting ktasuperstores.com/promotions. 

About KTA Super Stores
KTA Super Stores was established in 1916 as “K. Taniguchi Shoten” by Koichi and Taniyo Taniguchi in Waiakea. Today, four generations later, the founders’ great-grandson Toby is President and COO of KTA, whose seventh store, the KTA Express Kealakekua location, opened in 2018. All stores are located on the Island of Hawaiʻi and provide employment for more than 700 local residents.

KTA has always been an innovator in Hawaiʻi’s grocery industry, being the first to build in-store bakeries and delis and the first to use UPC barcode checkout scanners. KTA was also the first to install energy-producing photovoltaic systems, which now are used at KTA’s Waimea, Kamuela, Kailua-Kona, Keauhou, and Waikoloa Village locations. Other environmental initiatives include KTA’s Reusable Bag and Recycling programs.

The KTA-exclusive Mountain Apple Brand was created during the island’s sugar mill closures in the 1980s to provide an alternative income for displaced workers by supporting and selling products exclusively grown and manufactured on Hawai’i Island. For more than 100 years, KTA Super Stores has remained true to its founders’ mission of working hard to fulfill the food, household, and health care needs of the communities they serve, and by making their customers and associates feel like someone special every day at KTA.
 

About Pacific Biodiesel 

Founded on Maui in 1995, Pacific Biodiesel is the nation’s longest operating and most experienced biodiesel producer, and Hawaii’s only commercial producer of liquid biofuels. A Maui-based company with nearly 100 employees statewide, Pacific Biodiesel established the first retail biodiesel pump in America and for more than 25 years has been an innovative leader in the renewable energy industry. The company annually produces more than 5.5 million gallons of biodiesel at its refinery on Hawaii Island. Its premium distilled biodiesel is sold entirely in Hawaii and supports the State’s mandate to reach 100% renewable electricity production by 2045. Pacific Biodiesel has always focused on recycling with a zero-waste philosophy that incorporates development of value-added co-products. Today, its collaborative, community-based “agriculture and energy” production model demonstrates a full-circle sustainability system designed to fight climate change and help Hawaii achieve a clean, sustainable energy future.