image2 02.06.2017

Barysaŭ and Kpupki districts are pioneering a “green” system of used oils collection and recycling

Complex system of used engine oils collection and recycling has been created in Barysaŭ and Kpupki districs of the Minsk region. Both the local enterprises and residents will be able to contribute to the "green" project on waste processing. 50 new specialized points will ensure collection of used oils for their further processing. 6 of them allow local residents to get money for the disposed used oils.

Successful implementation of the pilot initiative will enable recycling of used engine oils, avoid soil contamination by oil, oil burning in furnaces and thereby to reduce environmental pollution. Waste oils are hazardous wastes: only one liter of used engine oil poured into the soil makes 100-1000 tons of groundwater unusable, and the by-products of oils burning contain heavy metals and carcinogens. Thus, the creation of the system ensuring used oils collection and recycling will reduce the negative impact on both the nature and human health.

The pilot system has been created by the “Ecological initiative” NGO within the "Supporting the Transition to a “green” economy in the Republic of Belarus" project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the UNDP in Belarus in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus.

Used oils collection and recycling_1.jpg

50 containers for oil collection have been purchased and installed within the EU funded project. A special 5-section tank for their safe transportation allows to sort oils at the collection stage. In the very near future, the number of installed containers will grow up to 70.

"Green" containers for the collection of used oils appeared at 50 enterprises of in Barysaŭ and Kpupki districs that became partners of the initiative. Among them – such large organizations as «Borisovdrev», «"Paper Mill" of Goznak», «Zdravushka-Milk», «Krupki Department of “Gazprom Transgaz Belarus” Pipelines” and others. And six points allowing local residents to dispose of used oils have been opened on the premises of the existing waste disposal points and at the processing enterprise – their addresses are available at the link.

Transportation of waste oil from the collection points to the processing site is ensured by a specially developed logistic scheme. The recycling of the collected oils has been established at the "DVCh-Management" complex opened in 2015, located in Krupki, Minsk region.

The experience of European countries was taken into account for the development of the new system of used oils collection and recycling. The system that is innovative for Belarus will allow to collect and process 10 tons of waste oils per quarter. Today the products of the collected within the new system oil processing are already used in the production of wall panels, anti-tracing agents for potassium transportation and bicycle lubricants.

Successful implementation of the pilot initiative in Barysaŭ and Kpupki districs will be a feasible base for creating the efficient system of oil waste collection and processing over the whole republic. According to preliminary estimates, if 50% of oil waste currently out of official cycle (approximately 40 thousand tones) are collected in Belarus, the direct economic effect for the state from revenues and import replacement will be equal to approximately 18 mln USD per year.

The project "Supporting the Transition to a “green” economy in the Republic of Belarus", within which the pilot initiative has been implemented, aims at supporting the Republic of Belarus in generating “green” economic growth, including environmentally sustainable and economically feasible use of natural resources, promotion of green production and green consumption patterns, green jobs creation, changing target group's behavior towards greater environmental sustainability. The budget of the project – 5 million euro.