Many people may have been arrested for being part of the recycled cooking oil racket, but the question is why such a heinous practice was born in the first place, says an article in Qilu Evening News. Excerpts:

According to a Ministry of Health report, the average daily fat intake of Chinese people is 85.5 grams, most of which comes from cooking oil.

So if hazardous oil is used for cooking, it can cause severe health damage, and children and senior citizens could suffer the most.

It's common practice among Chinese to have or order more than what is needed on the dining table and leave a part of the meal (which many attribute to tradition to show respect to the guest or host). The result is unnecessary waste.

This is almost always the case at banquets, for which, in most cases, a host does not have to pay from his/her own pocket.

A recent survey shows that 92.6 percent of the people think banquets at public expense create the highest percentage of waste. Although the central government has issued regulations prohibiting such behavior, banquet expenses seem to be increasing in recent years.

The newly acquired habit of wasting food is uncivilized and creates more waste, from which most of the recycled cooking oil comes.

People should follow a healthy cooking and eating habit that minimizes waste.

If people stop wasting food (raw and cooked both), they can reduce waste and thus lessen the chances of cooked food being used to recycle cooking oil.