As of April 2021, each gallon of lubricant sold in Ecuador began to pay four cents more. That item, which is called ecovalueit began to be recharged in purchases made by consumers and applied to lubricating oils used in the industrial, automotive and maritime sectors.
The ecovalue, which was established in Agreement 042 of the Ministry of the Environment, finances the system recoilwhich allows the management of used lubricating oils and empty containers generated in the marketing chain, and the traceability of these residues. Last year, 4.1 million gallons of these oils and 1.8 million containers were treated and recycled, says Valeria Naveda, Recoil’s operations manager.
The ministerial agreement establishes that in the first year of application of this model, the goal that 20% of used lubricating oils of the total market and 10% of packaging units should be recycled should be met. The goal is to reach 100% in the medium term.
“This first year the goal has been met. With each liter of oil that has been managed in 2021, more than 155 million liters of water have been protectedNaveda says. In addition, Recoil has allowed the traceability of waste since it is imported, produced, placed on the market and subsequently treated when it becomes used. 60% of the local demand for lubricants is produced in the country, where more than 30 brands compete.
More than 5,000 points of generation of this waste (lubricators, workshops, farms and industries) are currently registered at the national level. They access a system to report the need to withdraw both used lubricants and their containers or they can call 1800-RECOIL. An authorized environmental manager is then assigned, depending on the location, to remove the waste.
Used oils are used for “re-refining” (their use to obtain raw material that is used for a new lubricant base) and co-processing for energy use in cement kilns.
While, the containers are used for the production of plastic wood and energy use: “Something we are working on at Recoil is research and development to better reuse plastic containers, since having oil inside it is usually quite complicated to carry out a recycling process, as it is quite expensive. We are talking with universities”, affirms Naveda.
Companies such as Teojama Comercial managed the recycling of 20,280 gallons of automotive oil in 2021. These chemical substances were generated by the mechanical work carried out in their technical workshops, says David Álvarez, the company’s head of Safety, Health and Environment.
In addition, it has carried out constant internal training to achieve correct management and collection of oil, cleaning of storage areas and delivery of the product. Recoil also provides advice at generation points so that they properly collect, store and deliver waste.
Naveda also calls for citizens to commit to the initiative and every time they go to a lubricator or a mechanical workshop ask what is being done with the used oil, since they have detected that there is a mismanagement of these substances in several centers.
“Many times the used oil is withdrawn and sent to destinations where ovens are used that do not have the permits to burn these oils and generate great pollution. The user must ask what happens to the lubricants to generate pressure for good waste management. In addition, as the containers are more complex to recycle, they leave them in dumps.”, he indicates.
By 2022, Recoil has a goal of recycling at least five million gallons of used oils and 1.8 million units of packaging. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
