Biodiesel is made from recycled materials

Containers are being placed at all 11 of the city's household waste sites to take used chip pan vegetable oils.

These will then be converted into biodiesel which can power vehicles without adding to global warming.

Leeds City Council is already using biodiesel for many of its vehicles as an alternative to traditional diesel.

Kitchen fires

"If cooking oil is not disposed of carefully it can cause serious and lasting harm to the environment," said Councillor Steve Smith who has responsibility for recycling.

"So it is doubly beneficial to recycle it and turn it into environmentally-friendly biodiesel."

In a bid to reduce the number of kitchen fires, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is offering anyone over 60 a free thermostatically-controlled deep fat fryer in exchange for their old chip pan.

The oil from these old pans will also be used to produce biodiesel.