{"id":867866,"date":"2026-07-29T10:48:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T08:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=867866"},"modified":"2026-07-29T10:48:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T08:48:47","slug":"the-environmental-risk-many-businesses-overlook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/industry-news\/867866\/the-environmental-risk-many-businesses-overlook\/","title":{"rendered":"The environmental risk many businesses overlook"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>South African businesses generate millions of litres of used oil every year. Most never think about it after it leaves their premises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet used lubricating oil is classified as hazardous waste, and just one litre has the potential to contaminate up to one million litres of water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From transport fleets and workshops to factories, mines and farms, how that oil is stored, collected and recycled matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/rosefoundation.org.za\/?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Sponsored+Article&amp;utm_term=July+2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Click here to learn more about the ROSE Foundation<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For more than 30 years, the ROSE Foundation (Recycling Oil Saves the Environment) has worked with industry to ensure used oil is collected and managed responsibly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Established in 1994, the organisation serves as the lubricants industry&#8217;s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme and has helped keep more than 1.5 billion litres of used lubricant oil out of the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A problem hiding in plain sight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Used oil is one of the most common waste streams generated by businesses that rely on vehicles, machinery and equipment. Yet it rarely attracts the same attention as energy consumption, emissions or water use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the ROSE Foundation, approximately 350 million litres of lubricating oil are sold in South Africa each year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Around 150 million litres eventually become used oil, with roughly 120 million litres considered collectable for recycling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those figures highlight the scale of the challenge \u2013 but also the opportunity. Every litre that is collected and recycled responsibly is one less litre that could contaminate soil, groundwater and waterways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Most businesses would never deliberately pour used oil into the environment,&#8221; says Bubele Nyiba, CEO of the ROSE Foundation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;But that&#8217;s why responsible collection and recycling are so important. Once used oil leaves a site, it needs to be managed correctly.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More than waste<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Used oil may have reached the end of its original purpose, but it still has value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most used oil collected in South Africa is recycled as industrial heating fuel, while some is re-refined into base oil. Recovering and reusing these materials helps keep valuable resources in circulation and supports circular-economy principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Used oil should be seen as a recoverable resource,&#8221; says Nyiba. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;When it is collected and managed correctly, it supports both environmental protection and resource recovery.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Turning intention into action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many businesses are looking for practical ways to strengthen their environmental credentials. Responsible used-oil management is one of the simplest places to start because the results are tangible and measurable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Working with accredited collection networks helps businesses ensure used oil is directed into approved recovery streams rather than being disposed of irresponsibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The benefits extend beyond environmental protection. Responsible management can help organisations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reduce the risk of pollution and contamination<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Support good environmental practice<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strengthen governance and accountability<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Contribute to circular-economy outcomes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For businesses that generate used oil, the message is straightforward: responsibility does not end when that oil leaves your premises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Every litre that is collected and recycled responsibly is a positive outcome for the environment,&#8221; says Nyiba. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;When thousands of businesses do the right thing, the collective impact can be significant.&#8221;<br><br><a href=\"https:\/\/rosefoundation.org.za\/?utm_source=BusinessTech&amp;utm_medium=Sponsored+Article&amp;utm_term=July+2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Learn more about the ROSE Foundation<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Used oil is one of the most common hazardous waste streams generated by South African businesses. Managing it responsibly prevents pollution, supports resource recovery and keeps valuable materials in use for longer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":867878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"posted","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"2082387915158466939","_sma_x_attempts":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10459],"tags":[16662],"class_list":["post-867866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-news","tag-rose-foundation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=867866"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":867868,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867866\/revisions\/867868"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/867878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=867866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=867866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=867866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}