Australian industries produce approximately 250 million litres of waste oil annually. This is a considerable amount of oil that, if not handled correctly, can cause a lot of harm to the environment. It is for this reason that oil recycling has become a significant issue in the country. That being said, waste oil recycling can only be successful if companies approach the issue correctly. For instance, it is not enough to hire a qualified and licensed waste oil collector. Other factors come into play, and this article highlights practices that will help ensure successful waste oil recycling. 

Store Waste Oil in Separate Containers

It is easy for businesses to mishandle used oil because they harbour the perception that recycling companies have the required expertise and resources to make the most out of waste oil. However, nothing could be further from the truth because recycling companies rely on proper storage of waste oil to produce quality recycled waste oil. Therefore, businesses should understand that different lubricants have different properties and should never be mixed. If you combine waste oils thinking that recycling plants will separate them during recycling, then the chances are that the oil will not pass the first phase of recycling. Ensure that you store different types of waste oils in separate containers to preserve their purity during the recycling process. 

Store Containers Under a Shade

Used oil can be stored underground or above ground, and which storage mode you adopt will depend on various factors, such as space availability. If you don't have enough indoor space to store used oil containers, then there is nothing wrong with keeping them outside. However, if you choose this route, ensure you keep the containers away from direct sunlight. The reason is that exposing the containers to direct sunlight increases the chances of water ingression inside the containers. When this happens, the containers will be susceptible to rusting, which will contaminate the used oil. This makes the recycling process long, cumbersome and expensive.

Store Oil Cleanup Material

Leaks and spills are common in industries and must be cleaned up to avoid hazards. Since most cleanup materials contain oil, they should be treated as waste oil. Unfortunately, most establishments don't do so, and they end up throwing cleaning rags away. This not only endangers the environment, but it also reduces the amount of waste oil that is recycled. A better approach is to squeeze out as much oil as possible from the cleanup rags. However, you might not remove every bit of free-flowing waste oil from the rags. It is for this reason that you should store waste oil cleanup materials with the waste oil because recycling plants have the resources to extract the free-flowing waste oil.

For more information on waste oil recycling, contact a company like Wren Oil.