How Do I Get My Waste Oil Collected?
If you’ve got waste oil, it can be difficult to know where to start when you need it collecting. That’s why here at Oil Salvage, we aim to make the whole process as straightforward as possible. From knowing where and how to store it, to booking the collection in, here are a few easy steps to take the hassle out of your waste oil collection.
Know What You’re Getting Collected
As with any hazardous waste, it’s important to know what it is before you can get it collected, as this ensures that it is dealt with in a safe and compliant manner. Here at Oil Salvage, we can collect a variety of different waste oils, but there are other hazardous substances that we aren’t able to process at our re-refinery, so before any collection, we need to know what it is we’ll be taking. If you have waste oil, but aren’t sure what type, or you think it may be contaminated, our onsite laboratory can test your waste to ensure that it’s something that we can collect. Just let us know, and our team will discuss how to arrange a sample.
Aside from knowing what waste you need collecting, it is also useful for us to know how much of it you have, as this ensures that our driver has enough space to collect all of your waste oil when they arrive at your site.
Use the Right Containers
Once you know the waste that you have, then correctly storing it is the next step in ensuring a hassle-free collection. Aside from the safety and compliance reasons for correctly storing your waste, which you can read about in our previous guide, there are also several logistical reasons for making sure your waste is in the correct container.
Firstly, if your waste oil is being collected by one of our tankers, the oil needs to be in a container that is big enough to drain from. This means storing the waste oil in 205-litre drums, IBCs or larger tanks, rather than 5, 20, or 25-litre containers, as these pose a risk of spilling or imploding if we try to drain from them.
If your waste oil is being collected by one of our box wagons, then it must be in containers that are sealed and safe for transportation, where there is no risk of a spill or leakage. If you are ever unsure if your containers are suitable for a collection, just contact our transport team and they will be able to advise you.
Make Sure the Waste is Accessible
Beyond being in the right container, it is important to make sure that the waste is in an accessible place for our driver to safely collect it. This means there is somewhere suitable for our vehicle to stop, and if it’s a tanker collecting the waste, then the waste oil needs to be within approximately 100 feet (30 metres) of our vehicle, as this is usually how long the pipework is on our tankers. For box wagon collections, our drivers have a drum trolley to move any drums or bins from your site to our vehicle, but the waste still needs to be in a place where our driver can safely reach it.
There must also be suitable access to your site for our vehicles, so you must consider any weight restrictions, narrow roads or low bridges on the roads leading to your site. Our vehicles vary in size, but most of our collections are done by rigid 6-wheeled tankers. If you’re unsure if these would be suitable for your site, our transport team will be able to take a look at access to your site and discuss which vehicle would be used for your collection before we attend.
Contact Oil Salvage
Once you’re ready for a collection, arranging it with Oil Salvage couldn’t be easier, just fill out the collection request form on our website or give our transport team a call on 03300 584 584. We’ll just need the address and some contact details, and our driver will be out to you as soon as possible, usually within 7-10 working days. Make sure to let our team know any additional instructions our driver may need to attend your site, whether it’s opening hours, gate codes or just to give you a call with an ETA, anything that can make the collection as smooth as possible is appreciated by our team!
If you are based is in Wales, you’ll also need to make sure your site is registered with Natural Resources Wales as a hazardous waste producer before we are able to come and collect anything. If you’re unsure if this applies to you, you can read more about who needs to register in our previous guide.
After the Collection
After our driver has completed the collection, you can rest easy knowing that Oil Salvage will sort the rest. You’ll receive the full consignment note to your email address, as all of the waste oil is brought to our state-of-the-art vacuum distillation re-refinery to be recycled, and whenever you’re ready for your next collection, just contact us again!