Shell starts used oil management service in India

In an effort to fulfil circular economy objectives while minimising waste, oil and gas company Shell, has announced the development of a used oil management service to organise India’s waste oil disposal system and to boost the rate of re-refining.

According to a press release, the company has teamed up with used oil re-refiners to start used oil collection and re-refining on a pan-India basis. The company intends to expand the project in upcoming years by strengthening its network of partners.

The service intends to establish an environment for used oil disposal, which is considered as the main obstacle to encouraging circularity in the sector. In cooperation with re-refiners and industrial partners, Shell aims to raise knowledge about best practises for waste oil management.

Used oil contains dangerous metals and is classified as hazardous waste. One million litres of freshwater can be contaminated by one litre of old oil. Half of all lubricants that are disposed of improperly end up in the environment.

India produces roughly 1.3 million tonnes of wasted oil per year, of which less than 15% is refined again.