KAZ OIL proudly partners with Tiganokinisi, a pioneering initiative led by AKTI Project and Research Centre, dedicated to environmental education through hands-on school programs across Cyprus.
A mobile caravan travels from school to school, where young scientists demonstrate how used cooking oil can be transformed into clean energy.
Students actively participate by bringing oil from home, which is then:
This approach not only reduces environmental harm but also highlights the real-world value of waste materials.
Rather than relying on complex collection systems, the program turns schools into local recycling centers. According to Xenia Loizidou, chair of the AKTI Project and Research Centre, a local NGO involved in environmental education that coordinates the collection of the oil to be sold on as biofuel, the logistics of gathering small quantities of oil from individual households would otherwise be overwhelming. Centralizing collection through schools makes the process efficient and scalable.
Even more impactful, the proceeds from the recycled oil go directly back to participating schools. Students help decide how funds are used, supporting eco-friendly projects such as:
To date, the initiative has generated over €550,000 for sustainability projects across Cyprus.
Backed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth, Tiganokinisi became part of the national curriculum in 2018. Today, it engages more than 80,000 students annually and has reached over 500 schools.
Its success has not gone unnoticed. The initiative has been recognized by the European Commission as a leading example of social innovation and by Global Education Network Europe (GENE) for excellence in global education. The program gained further momentum in 2021 when Chevron funded the mobile caravan, enabling wider outreach and supporting employment for young scientists delivering the program.
Cyprus produces an estimated 2,000 tonnes of domestic cooking oil annually, yet only around 10% is currently collected. Together with Tiganokinisi, KAZ OIL helps empower the next generation to adopt environmentally responsible habits from an early age. This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to promoting sustainable practices, supporting education, and contributing to a greener, more responsible future for Cyprus.
