Today, we live in an era where environmental protection is more critical than ever, we are compelled to take action to save our own planet. One of these sustainable actions we can do is to properly dispose of trash materials and one of these wastes that must be properly disposed of is oil. Waste oils, whether from vehicles, industrial machinery, or kitchens, can cause severe harm if not properly handled.
Waste oil is any petroleum-based or synthetic oil that has been used or contaminated by dirt, chemicals, or metal particles. Common of these are motor oil from vehicles and machinery, hydraulic oil coming from industrial and construction equipment, and cooking oil from restaurants and food processing.
Environmental Risks of Improper Waste Oil Disposal
Oils just poured down the drains, dumped on land, or burned create significant risks. Imagine with that one gallon of waste oil, one million gallons of water can be contaminated already, and since oil forms a layer on water surfaces, this formation reduces oxygen levels and threatens aquatic life. Thus, improperly disposing of oil in our water forms creates water pollution.
Moreover, dumping them on land degrades the quality of the soil which makes them infertile for agriculture or vegetation. This practice may also affect our drinking water because toxic compounds in the oil can leach into groundwater – the primary source of the water we drink.
In addition to these, without proper equipment, burning waste oil releases harmful toxins into the air including heavy metals and particulates.
Aside from water, land, and air pollutions, improper oil disposal and oil spills can harm wildlife by poisoning them or damaging their habitats.
How Waste Oil Collection Protects the Environment
Waste oil collection services are available to safely remove, process, and either recycle or dispose of in an environmentally safe way our used oils. Through these services, pollution is prevented, the oil is recycled, energy is conserved, and the environment is protected. How do they work?
These collection services have specialized equipment to ensure the safe transport and storage of waste oil to prevent it from contaminating water, soil, and air.
They also recycle used oil into new lubricants resulting in reduced virgin oil extraction, meanwhile, waste cooking oil is converted into renewable biodiesel energy source. In this recycling procedure, less energy is utilized than when producing new oil from raw materials. Oil production through this process reduces carbon footprint.
Oil collection services ensure proper disposal that won’t lead to ecosystem disruption and wildlife damage.
Conclusion
Businesses must partner with licensed services like the Environmental Oils waste oil collection for proper waste oil management, at the same time, employees must be trained on proper oil handling and disposal procedures.
Not only businesses, but even individuals should observe proper ways of handling used oils. Motor oil waste must be taken to recycling centers or designated drop-off locations and avoid pouring cooking oil down the drains, instead, store it in containers for collection.
We indeed benefit a lot from using oil, but we should also be responsible in disposing properly of whatever waste comes out after using it… this is our environmental responsibility.