The Ministry of Environment and National Beautification is putting a new arrangement in place for the receipt and blending of used engine oil with crude oil for export.
This will go into effect from April 22 and will be done in collaboration with the Barbados National Oil Company Limited (BNOCL).
This new process is governed by guidelines approved by the Cabinet of Barbados entitled, “Guidelines for the Collection, Storage and Transport of Used Engine Oil”.
They are available on the website of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) and also on the Barbados Government Information website.
“Used engine oil” is defined as engine oil, transmission fluid, refrigeration oil, compressor oils, metalworking fluids, laminating oils, industrial hydraulic fluids, heat transfer fluids and oils used as buoyants.
People disposing of “engine oil” are advised that absolutely no water shall be included in the oil and it should also be free of any other impurities such as metal filings, dirt, solids, rags and debris.
It is also strongly recommended that the used oil be filtered to remove impurities and be stored away from the rain in an approved labelled container in a spill containment area (bund) or spill containment tray to ensure that spills are not allowed to contaminate the environment.
The containment area or tray should be capable of storing the full volume of the storage tank and should be easily accessible to collect and transport the oil to the approved facility.
Animal, vegetable or cooking oils, antifreeze (radiation fluid) or petroleum distillates used as solvents are not included in this new process and will not be accepted at the BNOCL facility.
The public is reminded that used oil must be disposed of at an approved facility for processing and final disposal.
The EPD further advises that oil is to be transported to the BNOCL facility by a registered transporter in accordance with the approved guidelines. The registered transporter with the EPD is Machinery and Allied Engineering Services (MEAS) Inc. The contact person at MEAS is Allison Graham, and she can be reached at telephone numbers 537-1628 or 266-9465.
People having used oil generators are required to register with the EPD. All registration and reporting forms are available on the EPD’s website. Upon entering the site, click on the News and Information tab, then Announcements. The completed form should be emailed to epd.secretary@epd.gov.bb.
The list of registered used oil generators will be shared with the registered transporter, and generators of “used engine oil” will be required to pay the cost of transport of their “used engine oil” to the approved disposal facility. (BGIS)