Understanding Waste Oil Recycling

Waste oil recycling helps to reduce pollution and to create new base, fuel and process oils. It also helps in the reduction of the country's reliance on virgin crude oil. Users of fuel, base and process oils also benefit from recycled waste oil because it is cheaper. Here's what you need to know about waste oil and waste oil recycling:

Types of Waste Oils

• Motor oil from your car or other motorised pieces of equipment like lawnmowers, chainsaws, boats etc.
• Cooking oil from restaurants and fast-food kitchens

The Don'ts

Do not pour out any waste oil in the environment because it can pollute or poison the soil or waterways. Oil, especially motor oil, picks up contaminants like lead, benzene, dioxides and polycyclic aromatics. If disposed of on environmental surfaces, it can find its way to your food or drinks, and you easily ingest it leading to serious health conditions.

What Should You Do?

Look for empty and sealable containers and fill them with waste oil. Since storing such containers may eventually lead to having a large stock of waste oil in your storage room or garage; find a company that collects waste oil.

Two main companies collect waste oil: automotive garages and waste oil recycling companies.

Find out which automotive garages accept waste motor oil, and each time you collect waste oil from your vehicle or motorised equipment, take the waste oil to the garage. This also includes oil filters and oily rags. Inquire whether the automotive garage you find also accepts oil filters and oily rags.

Waste oil recycling companies collect oil in bulk. Therefore, to qualify for oil collection, you need to be producing large amounts of waste oil. Most of the businesses that qualify for waste oil collection are automotive garages, restaurants and fast-food kitchens. They are even provided with waste oil collection containers that are cleaned and serviced by the waste oil recycling company. You should, however, check which type of waste oil the waste oil recycling company collects to ensure that you don't contact a company that handles waste cooking oil for motor waste oil collection. 

What Else Should You Know About Waste Oil Recycling Companies?

Waste oil recycling companies put in place a scheduled or regular waste oil collection plan based on the quantity of waste oil accumulated by auto shops and fast-food kitchens per day. If you find that you have increased your daily waste oil accumulation, you can contact the company to make adjustments. If the increase is just temporary, you can also contact the company for an out-of-schedule waste oil collection service.

For more information, contact a waste oil recycling centre near you.