Waste Oil Collection & Recycling Services

Waste oil is any used or contaminated oil that’s no longer suitable for its original purpose. This includes motor oil, hydraulic fluid, cooking oil, or lubricants that have degraded through use.

Waste and used oil are terms often used to refer to the same thing – oil that you can no longer use for its initial purpose. There’s some overlap between the two, as used oil classes as waste, although waste oil isn’t necessarily always used. To clear things up, these are the main differences between waste and used oil:

• Used oil – oil that’s served its purpose and been used, which now contains chemical or physical contaminants. Examples include waste engine oil from vehicles after being driven.
• Waste oil – oil that hasn’t been used but can’t serve its intended purpose. Often this is because it also contains contaminants, such as if water or other chemicals have leaked into an oil drum. Therefore, it must be disposed.

Yes, for certain types of oil waste – normally used cooking oil, vegetable oil, or grease – you can sometimes get paid for it. This still requires safe and legal waste oil storage and removal to a certified facility, where they will clean and transform the likes of cooking oil into biofuel.

The amount you could earn depends on the type and amount of oil you have to sell. You can’t normally get paid for waste hazardous oil though, such as engine, motor, and lubricant oil. Instead, arrange for authorised oil collectors to remove this from your business premises.

Waste oil can be used for a variety of purposes depending on its type. After being dewatered, filtered, and distilled, waste oil can be:

• Reused in motorised equipment
• Turned into hydraulic oil
• Used for making plastics
• Converted into biofuel
• Mixed with new fuel oil for use in boilers

Store it securely in a clearly labelled container, separate from other waste, and arrange collection by a licensed carrier. Never pour oil down drains; it’s illegal and harmful to the environment.
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Aside from used cooking oil, most non-edible oil waste is generally considered hazardous. This is because it can be harmful to both the environment and human health when not disposed of properly, as it can contain volatile liquid hydrocarbons, nitrogen, sulphur, and other potentially dangerous elements.

Oil waste may also pick up other contaminants whether it’s used or not. Just one litre of waste oil can contaminate a million litres of water according to the European Commission. For these reasons it’s essential you arrange proper disposal of your oil and hazardous waste.

At recycling facilities, oil goes through several stages:

1. Dewatering – removing moisture and impurities
   
2. Filtering – cleaning out additives and contaminants
   
3. Distillation – refining into new oil, lubricants, or biodiesel

Businesses must comply with the:

• Environmental Protection Act 1990
• Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005
• COSHH 2002
• Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) Regulations 2001.