Dumped used oil pollutes!

Used oil dumped in the ground or down drains pollutes, causing soil and water pollution. Such oil may enter the food chain harming wildlife, and eventually affecting human health!

What can you do?
It is vitally important you do not dump used oil or put it down drains.

All you have to do is place your used oil in a collection tank at your local participating service station. The used oil is then taken away by Environmental Systems to an environmentally friendly recycling plant.

How is used oil recycled?
The oil industry in Botswana has joined forces to combat the potentially serious environmental hazard posed by used oil. A collection service has now been formed for all oil users, large or small, to participate in.

Environmental Systems, a citizen-owned company, is paid by the oil companies to collect oil from small and medium users such as garages, workshops and do-it-yourself mechanics.

The oil companies have also arranged to collect used oil from their large customers such as the Botswana Defence Force and the Central Transport Organisation.

All the used oil is delivered to an environmentally friendly recycling plant.

What is used oil?
Used oil is any oil that has become contaminated as a result of its usage e.g. lubricants (engine, turbine or gear), hydraulic fluids, metal working fluids, insulating fluids and coolants.

Waste oil is any oil that has become contaminated prior to its intended use e.g. crude oil spills, oily sludge at the bottom of storage tanks and oily wastes from refineries.

This initiative collects used oil only i.e. oil contaminated through its usage. We do not collect used oil polluted with solvents, cleaning fluids or other hazardous wastes.
Authorised waste disposal companies should handle the disposal of these wastes.

Any person found guilty of dumping used oil which pollutes the environment shall be liable to a fine not exceeding $14, 000 and/or imprisonment for a maximum of 10 years. Refer to the Awareness Strategy for more details.