The collection of used oil in Spain was flat in the first nine months of this year, virtually unchanged from the same period in 2021, and this year’s full-year total was projected to slightly top 2021’s total of 178,184 tons, according to Sigaus, a non-profit organization that manages the country’s recycling of used lubricants.
The volume of used oil collected was up slightly at 135,143 tons during January-September last year, compared to 134,958 tons in the same period in 2021, according to Sigaus’ “Used Industrial Oil in Spain 2021/2022” report released earlier this month.
During the first nine months of 2022, the highest volume collected was nearly 17,000 tons in May, and the lowest was around 13,000 tons in January. Declining after the May peak, the volume collected rose back above 16,000 tons in September.
The organization projected that the full-year total for 2022 – given that collection activity through the first nine months was very similar to 2021’s pace – would reach close to 180,000 tons, a 1% increase.
The number of producer points from which used oil was collected declined 3% to 60,300 points at the close of the 9-month period last year, down from 62,249.
Sigaus manages Spain’s Collective System of Extended Producer Responsibility, which aims to ensure that waste oil rerefining remains financially viable. It pays subsidies to used oil collectors and rerefiners. The funds come from a tax charged per kilogram charged by engine oil installers.
The organization increases or decreases its subsidies each quarter, based on fluctuations in prices for base oils and waste oil.