Written question asked by Tom Levitt (Labour) on Tuesday, 2 March 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 4 March 2010. It was answered by Dan Norris (Labour) on Wednesday, 10 March 2010 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Oils: Waste Disposal

Question: (2) what recent assessment his Department has made of capacity for waste oil regeneration.

Answer: Approximately 350,000 tonnes of waste oils require treatment in the UK annually.In 2008, the latest year for which data are available, 50,000 tonnes of waste oil was regenerated into lubricant oils. 6,500 tonnes was exported to the EU for oil refining or other uses of waste oil.Of the original 350,000 tonnes of waste oil, it is estimated that up to approximately 250,000 tonnes could be potentially suitable for regeneration. Currently there is one waste regeneration plant operating with a capacity for processing 50,000 tonnes per annum. In addition it is estimated that 20,000 tonnes of waste oil per annum are subject to laundering (cleaning).

Secondary information