Filta Environmental Impact Reports summarize how professional cooking-oil management and used-oil recovery help customers preserve cooking oil and support responsible resource recovery. Results are based on customer-specific service records and documented calculation methods. Some values are operational estimates rather than direct weight or volume measurements.
During each service, a Filta technician records the fryer, its rated oil capacity, and the service performed. A Filter means the existing cooking oil was filtered and returned to service. A Dump means the oil was removed from the fryer for collection through the FiltaBio program.
For each qualifying Filter record, Filta counts the fryer’s rated oil capacity as cooking oil preserved through filtration. The report adds the capacities of all qualifying filtered fryers during the selected reporting period. This value is calculated from service activity and fryer capacity; it is not a direct scale measurement.
For each qualifying Dump record, Filta estimates the amount collected as 80% of the fryer’s rated oil capacity. The 80% factor reflects typical operating fill levels and residual oil that may remain in the fryer or service equipment. Actual amounts may vary.
Filta currently converts pounds to gallons using an operational density of 7.5 pounds per gallon. Oil density varies by product, temperature, and condition, so gallon values are approximate. Filta may use a documented product-specific density when available.
The report may express oil preserved as an equivalent number of standard 35-lb oil containers. This comparison represents oil volume and does not necessarily mean that the customer would have purchased that exact number or package type.
Packaging estimates are published only when the applicable oil package and verified empty packaging weights are known. Equivalent oil units are multiplied by the verified plastic, cardboard, and other packaging weights. Packaging statistics are omitted when reliable package data are unavailable.
The report may also show estimated packaging avoided, agricultural resources, energy use, greenhouse-gas benefits, and a tree-seedling comparison. These values are modeled from cooking oil preserved and used oil collected using approved, version-controlled factors. They are estimates rather than direct measurements at the customer site.
Cooking oil preserved is converted to equivalent 35-lb containers to estimate plastic and cardboard packaging avoided. Using canola oil as the reference crop, the same preserved-oil value is used to estimate acres of production, fertilizer, nitrogen, phosphate, potash, pesticides, farming diesel, electricity, and natural gas associated with producing replacement oil. Estimated CO2e avoided combines the approved lifecycle factors for oil preservation and used cooking oil recovery. When shown, the tree comparison uses the U.S. EPA equivalency for an urban tree seedling grown for 10 years.
Cooking oil preserved through filtration
Estimated used cooking oil collected
Equivalent 35-lb containers avoided
Estimated plastic packaging avoided
Estimated cardboard packaging avoided
Estimated fertilizer, nitrogen, phosphate, and potash
Estimated pesticides and farming diesel
Estimated electricity and natural gas
Estimated CO2e avoided
Comparable urban tree seedlings grown for 10 years
When a validated CO2e estimate is available, Filta may provide an illustrative comparison using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency factor of 0.060 metric ton of CO2 per urban tree seedling grown for 10 years, approximately 132.277 pounds of CO2. EPA equivalencies are communication tools and should not be treated as carbon credits or formal greenhouse-gas accounting.
The report is not a greenhouse-gas inventory, carbon offset, carbon credit, or third-party assurance statement.
The report does not claim that service quantities were weighed unless a direct weighing system was used.
The report does not claim that every pound of collected oil becomes biodiesel unless that disposition is documented.
The report does not combine conventional air pollutants such as carbon monoxide with CO2e totals.
The report does not publish land, water, fertilizer, pesticide, packaging, pollutant, or GHG figures when the required factor has not been verified.
Only qualifying records for the customer and reporting period are included.
Cancelled, no-service, duplicate, and corrected records are excluded.
A filter followed by a full dump during the same service is not counted twice.
Conversion factors are stored with their unit, source, version, effective date, and review owner.
Calculations retain full precision and round only for display.
Historical reports retain the factor set used when they were generated.
Public factors are reviewed at least annually and whenever a source publishes a material update.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator – calculations, references, and revision history. Current tree-seedling factor: 0.060 metric ton CO2 per urban tree seedling grown for 10 years.
https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
USDA Economic Research Service: Price Spreads from Farm to Consumer documentation. ERS assumes one gallon of refined vegetable oil weighs 7.7 lb; Filta currently uses 7.5 lb/gal as an operational factor and should disclose that difference.
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/price-spreads-from-farm-to-consumer/documentation
Argonne National Laboratory: GREET model and publications for lifecycle analysis of fuels, including biodiesel and renewable diesel produced from used cooking oil.
https://greet.anl.gov/
