How to Start an Oil Absorbent Reuse Program at your Manufacturing Facility

Reusing oil absorbents often delivers far greater environmental and cost benefits than recycling them.

TL;DR:

Recycling and reuse aren’t the same. Recycling breaks absorbents down into raw materials or waste fuel, while reusable oil absorbents are cleaned and used again in a closed-loop system, reducing waste, energy use, and disposal costs while supporting sustainability goals like ISO 14001.

Recycling vs. Reuse

While often used interchangeably, there is a difference between absorbent recycling and a reusable oil absorbent.

Recycling means turning an item into raw materials that can be used again, usually for a completely new product. Several recycled absorbents on the market contain recycled material, such as old rags or t-shirts. Absorbent recycling services will repurpose absorbent mats, pads, and socks as fuel or blended waste. However, recycled absorbents may still end up in a landfill.

Reuse, on the other hand, refers to using an object again without breaking it down. Reuse, unlike recycling, offers a closed-loop process.

Reuse is preferred over recycling. It consumes less energy and eliminates a waste stream.

Reuse offers several key benefits over single-use pig mats and absorbent recycling services:

Closed-loop program generated zero waste.
Waste oils are captured and recycled to reduce environmental impact.
Supports sustainability, waste reduction, and ISO 14001 initiatives.
Can reduce costs by eliminating waste hauling or incineration fees.
Reusable mats and pads are more durable and absorbent, which supports housekeeping and safety.

How to Reuse your Oil Absorbents

To reuse oil absorbents, you will need to remove the spent oil from the absorbent. You can do this one of two ways:

Oil absorbent pad wringer (squeezes the oil out)
Laundering the absorbents

For mechanical and hand wringing, you can purchase special equipment to complete this process. You will need special, durable absorbents that can handle the wringing process while maintaining product integrity. Keep in mind you will need to dedicate time and space in your facility to house the equipment and air dry the absorbents. If the absorbents are put in storage before completely dry, they could become moldy.

For laundering, you will want to outsource this process to an industrial laundry that is properly set up to handle oil-laden material. Laundering of such material also requires special EPA permitting. The advantage is that it does not require any additional resources of time or space in your facility.

With a laundering service, the industrial laundry will provide special absorbents that can withstand laundering. Similar to a towel rental service, your soiled absorbents get picked up, laundered, and returned to you for reuse.

Sustainability Highlight

Eaton, Dresser-Rand, and American Axle are just a few of the many manufacturers that have implemented a SorbIts® reuse program to save time, support safety, and eliminate a waste stream. Collectively, that have diverted over 5,000 lbs of waste from landfill last year. Below are a few pictures of their sustainability certificates.