Association for Sustainable Agriculture & Food in Poland

If the soil is contaminated with petroleum-based substances such as fuels, lubricants, oils, the first thing to do is to repair the leak that contributed to the leak. Measures must be taken to stop the further spread of hazardous substances into the ground so that groundwater is not contaminated.

If necessary, surround with a protective dike of dry soil, sand or other non-combustible material. Significant spills can be carefully covered with foam to reduce the risk of fire. Remove the protected soil and place it in a sealed container until it is handed over to an entity that will manage this waste. Any remedial action should also be taken to ensure that the contamination does not pose a risk to people or the environment. It is the responsibility of the landowner to remove the contamination.

Repairs to machinery, replacement of operating fluids and filters should be carried out by a professional third-party company; it is up to them to manage the waste, unless otherwise specified in the contract with this service provider.

Oil waste, used lubricants, filters, cleaning cloth, hydraulic hoses, sorbent contaminated with petroleum substances should be handed over to a waste disposal unit. Oils should primarily be recovered by regeneration or be subjected to other processes. The average holder of used oils is not in a position to carry out these procedures on their own, so they should hand them over to an entity that guarantees their management in accordance with the law. One of the entities authorised to collect this type of waste is the PSZOK (Selective Municipal Waste Collection Point). The staff of the PSZOK take down the data of the waste donor, which they verify on the basis of an identity card or other document confirming identity. When handing in your waste, you will also need to show proof of payment for municipal waste management in your municipality or town. Another way to dispose of used oils is to collect them in a separate container and then hand them over to a petrol station. This solution requires us to keep quantitative and qualitative records of waste and to pay an environmental fee for waste disposal.

The waste oil storage facility must meet fire protection requirements. Containers with oils shall be stored on a hardened place, protected from ground contamination, precipitation, have non-flammable means to collect possible spills. Waste oils are collected in sealed containers made of at least flame-retardant materials, resistant to waste oils, dissipating static electricity, equipped with tight closures and protected against breakage. The containers shall bear the inscription “waste oil” for identification purposes. The full text of the Regulation of the Minister of Economy of 5 October 2015 on the detailed handling of waste oils Journal of Laws 2015 item 1694 at: https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU20150001694