It is common knowledge how bad vehicles are for the environment, the gas emission, as well as the copious fuel consumption in the automotive sector, are common culprits for major environmental damage. However many people do not realise that even the oil in a car is bad for the environment. Transmission oil goes through a car’s engine to assist with functionality. Many mechanics recommend changing transmission oil regularly because it becomes sludgy and can damage the engine. This occurs because the oil picks up contaminants from other parts of the engine like lead, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, dioxins and benzene. If this is bad for an engine, can you imagine how bad this is for our environment? When not disposed of correctly these chemicals are released into the environment and can harm humans, plants, animals and marine life. They are also known cancer causing substances that have been found in used motor oil.
Used motor oil becomes like sludge and you can even see the sludgy oil floating on the surface of the water. It looks like a thick layer of scum on the top. This scum can prevent sunlight and oxygen reaching the water, causing marine plants and fish to die off. It can also kill other animals that commonly live along the surface of the water like frogs. One litre of used oil can contaminate 1 million litres of water! That is once scary ratio. Can you imagine what is happening to our water supply when millions of litres of used oil is unaccounted for yearly? In addition to this, burning used oil even at low temperatures can be hazardous to people and animals, especially their lungs.
What can you do to help reduce the negative impact that used oil is having on our environment?
There is good news however; used motor oil can be recycled. Once recycled, the oil can be repurposed for industrial use. This is because the oil is not damaged, just dirty. The recycling process involves cleaning the oil, re-refining it and finding environmentally friendly ways to use it again. If the oil is in fact usable, recycling companies dispose of the oil in a manner that is not harmful to the environment or any living organism. By recycling oil millions of litres of harmful oil is prevented from draining into lakes and rivers, thereby contaminating and clogging sewers and storm drains as well as contaminating the soil and landfills. It means we have purer drinking water and less chemicals in our environment.
You may be wondering which companies are responsible for collecting and recycling old oil. There are many used oil collectors like the Rose (Recycling Oil Saves the Environment) Foundation in Durban and across the country. They are dedicated to oil recycling in South Africa and their mission is to reduce environmental pollution from used motor oil. They collect the oil from you or you can drop off. In addition to this, there are also a number of other oil recycling companies in South Africa. They collect and recycle motor oil and sell it back into industry ensuring that it is reused in an environmentally responsible manner. While recycled used oil prices are not much cheaper in South Africa than using new oil, the benefits to the environment are worth it. In addition to this, it is perfectly safe to use for many applications after it has been recycled and the sludge has been removed. The recycling process is quite costly but there are still many organisations in South Africa that recycle used oil. It is important to note that used car oil disposal and recycling is the ethical thing to do. It costs money to actually dispose of used oil in the correct manner as specific service providers are required. Why do this when there is a far better way. If you do not want the hassle of handling the recycling process yourself, you simply have to find a mechanic that can recycle your oil and fill re-refined oil for your next oil change or call one of the many oil recycling companies in your area. If you are not using virgin oil for your oil change ensure that the oil has been API certified. This is a regulatory mechanism put in place to ensure the oil used will work the same as virgin oil. Recycled used oil can be reused in engines, in the shipping industry and to run generators and machinery in the industrial sector. If you are a major generator of used oil then it is especially important for you to put channels in place for recycling.
For many years South African legislation had not been updated to keep up with this growing environmental concern. Recently, this was rectified and generators of used oil and waste in general are now required by law to ensure that their waste is disposed of in a responsible manner. Previously, due to the discrepancy in legislation, non-profit organisations like the Rose Foundation actually paid people to recycle oil so that there was some kind of incentive to ensure oil was being recycled. This actually created a major problem later on as individuals started using it as an income generation model and escalated the prices of used oil to unsustainable levels. While this is still a concern, it is hoped that the new legislation will rectify this imbalance as used oil becomes an obligation to recycle rather than a commodity. It is important to note that recycling used oil is an ethical consideration and should not be for economic purposes. Companies that collect larger amounts of waste oil should not look at it as a means to earn a few bucks but a responsibility to the environment and society to dispose of correctly. The small payout that some organisations offer is meant as an incentive to individuals to encourage recycling and benefit the environment. If you are an individual that does your own oil changes, many local garages also have a collection point for used oil which is then picked up by oil recycling companies.
Tips for waste oil recycling in South Africa
- Ensure you use a secure container to hold the oil so that it does not harm you or anyone that handles it.
- Try and use rubber gloves or protective gear when handling used oil.
- Make sure the container you use to store the oil is clean and leak proof.
- Do not mix the oil with anything else.
- Do not heat the oil.
- Ensure it is labeled and kept in a secure place, particularly if you have children or pets around.
- The oil is flammable so it should also be kept away from any area where it could potentially cause a fire.
- Once you have collected enough oil, call any of the oil recycling companies that are listed below to collect. You can also drop off or find a local garage that has a collection point for used oil.
- Be wary of selling to individual used oil buyers in Durban or anywhere else who are not compliant with government legislation or the Rose Foundation recommendations as the recent escalation of used oil prices is actually detrimental to the recycling process.
This post was brought to you by Enfields Chemicals, a leading new and used oil refinery, based in Durban. We are passionate about the environment and reducing the impact of oil on it by recycling used motor oil so that it can be reused.
