Engine oil is used in vehicles and machines, and due to being derived from petroleum oil, is classed as a hazardous substance. This means if it’s not disposed of correctly, it can have damaging effects on the environment.

In this article, we illustrate an efficient and affordable way for businesses to legally dispose of their waste engine oil. Also outlined is advice and guidelines to follow if you’re thinking of using Commercial Recycling for the disposal of your unwanted engine oil.

Legal considerations when disposing of engine oil

There are a few key pieces of legislation to adhere to when storing or tipping waste oils:

The Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001
If your business stores or uses oil, you must comply with the requirements set out by the Government. If you do not follow these regulations, your business can be fined and the Environment Agency can serve an anti-pollution works notice to ensure you meet legal requirements.
Read more here >>

Duty of Care – Waste Duty of Care Regulations 2005
You must make sure hazardous waste produced or handled by your business causes no harm or damage to individuals or the environment. As a business owner, you have responsibilities known as ‘duty of care’. This puts an emphasis on doing whatever you can to reuse, recycle or recover waste. If you are unable to do this, the waste must be disposed of at a licenced waste facility such as Canford Recycling Centre.
Read more here >>

The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010
This requires individuals to control certain activities which could harm human health or the environment. In carrying out this responsibility, individuals need to take into account the potential impacts waste disposal can have on conservation sites, and try to be more aware with how they dispose of their waste, to ensure it’s completed in a legal manner.
Read more here >>

How to safely prepare your engine oil for disposal

Alongside following current legislation regarding the disposal of engine oil, there are some important safety procedures your business should take when preparing unwanted engine oil for disposal.

1. Tempting as it may be to use an easy ‘get rid’ solution, you must not place your oil in normal waste streams/containers, pour the oil on the ground or down a drain. If your business did this, you would be breaking the law, causing pollution, and if caught most likely to be prosecuted and fined.
2. It should be common sense, but these substances can be extremely harmful to humans, especially when they come in contact with skin. Ensure you always wear gloves when handling your engine oil. This is due to the damaging substances that engine oil contains, like lead, chromium and benzene.
3. Be sure the oil is cool before you attempt to transfer it, as the container it’s transported in could melt and create an unwanted spillage, which could lead to an accident and injuries.
4. Do not mix the oil with any other substance as it makes the oil harder to recycle. To avoid this, make sure the container you use is thoroughly cleaned before pouring the waste oil inside.
5. Ensure that you’re using the right container. It should be made from a strong material, unlike milk bottles that are commonly used, and will need to be sealed for safe transportation. The most common container to store waste oil is a steel drum.

If you’re still unsure how to safely prepare your engine oil, contact Commercial Recycling on 01202 331560 for further advice, or to arrange a collection.

Did you know that used engine oil can be recycled?

Oil doesn’t wear out, it just gets dirty, so can therefore be cleaned, re-refined and used again and again. However, used oils can pollute the environment if they are not recycled properly, especially when it’s leaked into our water sources. This can have devastating impacts on animals, insects, plants and drinking water.

Depending on the local disposal site used, the waste oil will either be bulk stored and transported to a specialist recycling centre for further treatment or it will be cleaned, refined and recycled onsite.

If you are a business looking to dispose of used engine oil, Commercial Recycling will be happy to accept your oil at one of our licenced facilities. Call our expert team on 01202 331560 or contact us here >>

Obtain your hazardous consignment note

As mentioned above, engine oil is classified as hazardous waste due to the harmful substances it contains. This means that when you dispose of engine oil, you will need to obtain a hazardous waste consignment note to prove that the waste has been taken care of correctly.

However, it is important to note that when you are disposing of any hazardous waste, it is the producer of the waste’s responsibility to know where the waste is sent. They must ensure that the correct steps are taken, that those contracted to collect it are operating legally, and that you receive the correct paperwork afterwards.

For help in obtaining a consignment note please contact our hazardous waste specialist on 01202 331560 or hazwaste@commercialrecycling.co.uk

If you are unable to transport your hazardous waste we can collect it for you

For businesses who do not wish to or are unable to transport their engine oil to one of our local recycling centres, we can provide an affordable hazardous waste collection service.

We offer an affordable, flexible engine oil collection service, and although the most common container size for storage of oil is 205L (45 gallons), we can collect waste oil from as little as 20L bins, right up to 2000L containers which are emptied using tanker lorries. At Commercial Recycling, we can supply, exchange and collect these drums of oil for you.

If you choose a waste collection service from Commercial Recycling, our friendly team will arrange a date and time to suit your business and ensure that all the appropriate legal matters are taken care of, including the completion of the hazardous waste consignment note.

Do you need to book an engine oil disposal?

Due to the hazardous nature of engine oil, we prefer you to pre-book a disposal slot, ideally 24-hours before visiting one of our convenient recycling centres.

Our experts will always be happy to help you to successfully navigate the complicated legalities concerning hazardous wastes such as engine oil.

For advice or to book your engine oil disposal, please call our expert team on 01202 331560 or email: hazwaste@commercialrecycling.co.uk

What happens to the engine oil once it has been disposed of?

Recycling oil consumes less energy than refining new oil from the ground. After you have taken your used engine oil to Commercial Recycling, we then transfer it to a specialist licensed facility where it is treated to remove the hazardous substances. It is then recycled back into oil that is suitable for reuse., reducing the negative impact on the environment.

Contact Commercial Recycling for your engine oil disposal

If you would like more information on how to get rid of engine oil or would like to arrange the disposal of your oil with Commercial Recycling, you can give our team a call on 01202 331560 or email us at hazwaste@commercialrecycling.co.uk.

Check out our waste disposal prices here >>

Keep up to date with all the latest CRL news by following our Facebook page for regular advice and updates.

We have now reached the half-way point of the year, and so far, we’ve been busy upgrading our Canford Recycling Centre to further improve the disposal services we can offer to businesses, tradespeople and waste contractors operating in Poole and Bournemouth.

Where is Canford Recycling Centre? It is on Arena Way, off Magna Road, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 3BW

In this article, we cover a number of the key improvements made to the site, as well as some of our future plans and upcoming developments.

The addition of new bays

We’ve added some new concrete lego block style bays to allow smaller ‘Man & Van’ type vehicles to be segregated from the larger commercial vehicles who use the site.

It is expected this particular improvement will make it easier for tradespeople, contractors and businesses to better utilise our Wimborne Recycling Centre in various commercial vehicles, such as; skip lorries, transit vans, pick-ups, tippers and trucks.

New concrete areas

A large 1700m2 area, towards the rear of our site, has now been concreted to provide better driving conditions throughout the site. This enhancement should also contribute to a reduction in tipping turnaround times.

The concrete used in this project was supplied by AMS Concrete and benefited from the inclusion of recycled aggregates, which were produced at Canford Inert Recycling Centre.

New weighbridge for 2019

We finished the installation of a brand new replacement weighbridge in May 2019. The work was essential to ensure all loads continued to be weighed accurately and vehicles can turnaround quickly to reduce queues and waiting time.

What is a weighbridge? It is a large set of scales installed to weigh road vehicles and their contents.

At all our local tipping facilities, vehicles are weighed before and after tipping, this process ensures the weight of the waste being disposed of is accurately calculated and charged accordingly.

Affordable, efficient waste disposal service where customers only pay for the weight of the waste they actually tip!

New waste recycling system

In June 2019, to aid us in moving closer to a zero waste to landfill position we commissioned a new waste recycling system at Canford Recycling Centre. The market-leading system includes screeners, wind sifters, overband magnets, ferrous metal recovery and a five bay picking station for improved manual and mechanical waste sorting and recycling

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Upcoming improvements

Although we’ve already achieved a number of great results this year, we still have a few key projects in the pipeline…
MATA Construction are currently carrying out a 24 week refurbishment programme of ‘Building 2’ following the major fire back in July 2018. You can read more about this incident on our news page here.

The refurbishment is due to be completed in October 2019

The role of this building will be to allow Commercial Recycling to successfully process, recover and recycle higher volumes of waste, which are generated through the fulfilment of various contracts.

Building 2 will allow for larger volumes of locally produced waste to be dealt with, which will help to minimise the amount of ‘waste miles’ currently undertaken.

Keep up to date with CRL

If you’re interested in keeping up to date with all of Commercial Recycling’s improvements and news, please follow our Facebook page.
Alternatively, contact our waste experts onsite at Canford Recycling Centre. They will be pleased to provide you with free advice concerning the disposal of general, construction and hazardous waste. Contact our waste experts today for further advice by calling 01202 331560 or by emailing enquiries@commercialrecycling.co.uk.

Fluorescent tubes and fluorescent bulbs are classified by the UK Government as waste that is always hazardous. Essentially, this means that if they are not disposed of in a safe and compliant way, fluorescent lighting tubes can be harmful to the environment, wildlife and to people.

In England, you have a legal ‘duty of care’ to make sure that hazardous waste produced or handled by your business is managed in a manner that will cause no harm or damage.

In this article, we look at what makes fluorescent lighting potentially hazardous and how you can safely dispose of fluorescent tubes and bulbs in Dorset or Somerset.

Safe fluorescent tube disposal near you in Dorset and Somerset

If you’re looking for safe fluorescent tubes disposal in Dorset or Somerset, Commercial Recycling can help. If you’re in Dorset, our specialist facility, Canford Recycling Centre, near Wimborne in Dorset, is fully licensed to accept hazardous waste. Should you or your business be near Shepton Mallet, our Somerset Recycling Centre in Evercreech is a wise choice for fluorescent tube disposal in Somerset. Each of our facilities is easy to use and authorised to accept waste fluorescent lighting. 

Commercial Recycling take all necessary precautions to ensure that the waste tubes we accept for disposal are safely stored prior to transportation to a specialist recycling facility.

Why does fluorescent tube disposal need to be conducted safely?

Certain components within fluorescent tubes pose a danger to people, animals, and the environment, this is because fluorescent tubes contain small amounts of mercury, also commonly known as quicksilver, which is highly toxic.

If fluorescent tubes are disposed of incorrectly, for example, if they are placed in mixed waste, mercury could be released into the atmosphere and contaminate wildlife or water, increasing the risk of mercury poisoning in humans.

Did you know… mercury is most commonly dissipated into the atmosphere when it’s incinerated

How can I safely dispose of fluorescent tubes in Dorset or Somerset?

As with all hazardous waste, fluorescent tubes must be stored, collected and treated in accordance with strict guidelines, to ensure that they don’t cause harm.

Commercial Recycling can help you dispose of all hazardous waste, but please note, our hazardous waste disposal service must be pre-booked before arrival on site. For guidance on what hazardous and difficult wastes are accepted at our recycling centres, please contact our expert team on 01202 331560.

We strongly recommend all customers requiring hazardous waste disposal first contact our head office, by calling 01202 331560, before visiting either site. This is because our Southwood site is not licensed to accept all types of difficult waste.

If you require us to, we can arrange to collect the fluorescent tubes or bulbs from your premises by providing a hazardous waste removal service. When collecting your hazardous waste, in most cases, we will provide a specialist lightweight ‘fluorescent tube coffin’ that can be filled to allow the hazardous waste to be transported safely.

To enquire about hazardous waste collections in Bournemouth, Poole, Dorset and Somerset please contact the team on: 01202 331560 or enquiries@commercialrecycling.co.uk.

How to safely dispose of a broken fluorescent tube

In the event of any breakage, it’s really important to limit the number of people who are exposed to a broken or damaged fluorescent tube. If you do accidentally break or damage a fluorescent tube in your business premises, doing the following can help to keep everyone safe:

• Ask anyone in the room to leave.
• Turn off the air conditioning or central heating system to prevent any toxins from spreading further.
• Open the window to air the room.
• Transfer fragments of the broken tube into a disposable container; be careful not to touch the tube directly, use cardboard or paper to move it instead.
• Collect smaller shards with sticky tape.
• Avoid using a vacuum cleaner as the mercury powder can be spread the next time you hoover.

If you have a broken fluorescent tube that you need to dispose of, contact the Commercial Recycling team on 01202 331560, we are happy to advise on what you need to do to dispose of broken fluorescent tubes safely.

Fluorescent tube disposal for commercial contractors in Dorset and Somerset

If you are a commercial contractor that requires frequent fluorescent tube disposal in Dorset or Somerset, call our sales team on 01202 331560 to find out about the discounts we offer to tradespeople and contractors.

Hazardous waste advice and additional information

Our hazardous waste experts, onsite at Canford Recycling Centre, are able to provide free advice about safely disposing of fluorescent tubes to businesses, tradespeople and individuals. Click to contact our hazardous waste experts today for further advice, by calling 01202 331560 or email enquiries@commercialrecycling.co.uk.

Motor oil is classed as a hazardous substance and therefore must be disposed of safely in accordance with the appropriate legislation. In this article, we illustrate a legal method to dispose of waste oil, which is both affordable and efficient. It also covers who to contact for free advice on motor oil disposal in Dorset.  

Why is motor oil hazardous?

Motor oil is hazardous due to the many contaminants that it picks up when it’s run through an engine such as lead, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, and benzene. These chemicals can be very harmful to humans, animals, and the environment.

Why should I dispose of motor oil properly?

In order to prevent waste motor oil ending up where it is not permitted or wanted it must be transported to a facility where it can be accepted and disposed of correctly. Depending on the local disposal site used, the waste oil will either be bulk stored and then transported to a specialist recycling centre for further treatment or it will be cleaned, refined and recycled onsite.

Did you know? If you are in possession of waste oil or materials contaminated with oils, it is your duty to take every step to ensure that the waste items are stored securely and transported safely and legally to a licensed disposal facility, such as Canford Recycling Centre.

How should I dispose of motor oil correctly?

Firstly, decant your unwanted motor oil into a suitable container, then get in touch with your local recycling centre to book in your disposal and/or collection service.

If you are in Dorset or Somerset, you can dispose of your waste oil through Commercial Recycling. For further information and contact details, please see our local recycling sites.

It’s important to remember what to do in the case of any spillages:

1. Always wear gloves when dealing with motor oil
2. Don’t use detergents or water when cleaning up motor oil spills because they can react with the hazardous substances
3. Use an old rag to clean up the spillage, then dispose of the contaminated rag at the recycling centre along with your motor oil

Did you know that just one litre of motor oil can contaminate a massive one million litres of water? Be sure to recycle properly to avoid harmful pollution.*

Motor oil disposal with Commercial Recycling

Due to the hazardous nature of motor oil, we do require you to pre-book a disposal slot, ideally 24-hours prior to visiting one of our local recycling centres. If you’re unable to transport your waste motor oil to our recycling centre, we can pick it up for you.

For collection and disposal prices, you can give our team a call on 01202 331560 or email us at hazwaste@commercialrecycling.co.uk.

*http://www.environment.gov.au/protection/publications/factsheet-why-we-should-recycle-used-motor-oil

Is your workplace looking to revamp its rest area(s), or maybe your trusty office fridge has finally reached the end of its life? If so, you’re likely to be asking yourself how to dispose of a fridge used at a business.

Below we answer some of the questions we are frequently asked around commercial fridge disposal, including how to dispose of workplace fridges correctly, what fines can be imposed for not following the legislation and where you can take your fridge for disposal.

Why should I dispose of my fridge correctly?

If your fridge is now unusable and donating or selling it isn’t an option, then disposing of the fridge is the only real remaining option.

Disposing of your redundant commercial fridge at a compliant recycling centre, such as Canford Recycling Centre, will ensure you receive the appropriate paperwork to show you have acted legally and in an environmentally responsible manner.

What happens if I don’t use a compliant commercial fridge disposal company?

As well as acting in an irresponsible manner that could damage the environment further, you are also risking a large fine!

Failure to comply with the Hazardous Waste Laws could leave you liable for a fine in excess of £5,000 not just to the company, but the directors as well.*

Did you know, regardless of whether or not you believe you are acting in the correct manner, as the waste producer it’s your responsibility to ensure that hazardous waste from your business is disposed of legally. Therefore if you can’t transport the commercial fridge yourself to a licensed facility, such as Canford Recycling Centre, you must use a certified waste carrier.

Commercial Recycling offers a compliant Hazardous waste collection service, see below for more information.

How do I know the company I am using for my commercial fridge disposal is compliant?

Any company that you employ to remove and dispose of your commercial fridge must have a waste carriers licence and the correct permits to be able to transport hazardous waste. In addition, they should also be able to provide or assist you to create the correct consignment note.

Don’t risk going with a provider who isn’t licensed! If you’re unsure, contact our hazardous waste team for further advice on 01202 331560.

Once I’ve disposed of my fridge, how is it recycled?

As a commercial fridge counts as a hazardous waste, there are some elements that cannot be recycled. However, at Canford Recycling Centre all domestic and commercial fridges are securely stored on-site and then transported in bulk to specialist facilities where each unit is carefully broken down to ensure all parts that can be safely reused are recovered and recycled.

Fridge parts and materials usually recycled include; oils, liquids, plastics & metals.  

Can you collect my fridge for me?

At Commercial Recycling we offer an affordable collection service for businesses who are unable to or do not wish to transport their waste fridge or freezer.

If you choose a pickup service from Commercial Recycling our friendly team will arrange a date and time to suit your business and will also ensure that all legal matters are taken care of, including the correct consignment note being completed.

You can read more about the steps that you will need to follow if you dispose of yourself, once you are at the centre here.

How much will it cost my business for commercial fridge disposal?

For the exact cost to dispose of your commercial fridge, it’s worth giving our team a call on 01202 331560. Alternatively, you can take a look at our disposal price list here.

Contact Commercial Recycling for your commercial fridge disposal!

If you need more information on how to dispose of a fridge or would like to arrange your commercial fridge disposal with Commercial Recycling, then please get in contact with our team by calling us on 01202 331560 or email enquiries@commercialrecycling.co.uk.

* https://www.recycling4you.co.uk