Small Waste Oil Burners – Are You Legal?

30 November 2016 by CSG

If you have a Small Waste Oil Burner (SWOB) are you aware of the changes to the law permitting their use?

Since 1st April 2016, DEFRA (The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) changed their classification of SWOBs, ruling that they now fall under the Industrial Emissions Directive.

This means that SWOBs are now regarded as small waste incineration plants and as such, are subject to the same level of regulation. As the costs of complying with this regulation are higher than the level that most users would expect to absorb, it means that for most small businesses, waste oils will need to be sent for recycling via a competent, accredited partner – like Oil Monster!

As this is a legal requirement, companies that do not comply with these revised regulations will be committing an offence, which could lead to action led by the Environment Agency (in England) or Natural Resources Wales.  The unregulated use of SWOBs was already banned in Scotland, Northern Ireland and all other EU member states. Non-waste fuels such as gas or fuel oil can still be used.

If you’re still burning waste oil in your oil burner, make sure you stay on the right side of the law. We’ll happily collect your waste oil; quickly and sorting out all the legal paperwork.