BME INVITES MORE PARTNERSHIPS FOR ITS SAFE OIL DISPOSAL

Safely disposing of millions of tonnes of used oil each year is one important way that explosives leader BME fulfils the vision of its holding company Omnia – to protect life, sustain livelihoods and create a better world.

Used oil holds many risks for the environment and society if it is not disposed of responsibly, warns Ramesh Dhoorgapersadh, BME’s General Manager for Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ). Just one litre of oil can contaminate over a million litres of water, for example, and can also undermine food security and human health if it contaminates soil.

“As the leading consumer of used oil in the explosives sector, BME has been a significant contributor to a cleaner environment for decades,” said Dhoorgapersadh. “We do this by incorporating used oil as a base product for our emulsion explosives, thereby removing the risk of this oil contaminating water or soil.”

This contribution was recognised recently by the Chemical and Allied Industries’ Association (CAIA), which gave BME the CAIA Responsible Care® initiative of the year award in the Category A segment. The collection, testing, treatment, and utilisation of used oil is a complex and demanding process which reflects BME’s innovative approach as well as its meticulous standards of operation.

“We have over the years developed considerable technology and know-how in this field and are looking forward to rolling out this initiative further in South Africa and globally,” said Dirk Voogt, BME’s General Manager for Production and Logistics. “Consuming almost 15 million litres of used oil annually in South Africa alone, we now have plans to increase our processing capacity even beyond that.”

BME’s used oil collection network includes its mining customers, some of whom have all the used oil from their mining machinery collected regularly by BME for use in their world-leading emulsion formulations. It also includes a network of 11 approved suppliers – or bulking points – for whom BME has created valuable business opportunities through its consistent demand for used oil.

Voogt highlighted that BME’s success in this initiative is based on its ISO-certified systems and best practice approach. The company is registered as an approved collector and processor with the Recycling Oil Saves the Environment (ROSE) Foundation and conducts laboratory tests on each batch sample before approval and collection.

“From a technology perspective, we constantly push the boundaries to incorporate as much of this waste resource as possible into our formulations,” he said. “In this field, we are well ahead of others in our sector, based on our continuously investment in research and development.”

Sachin Govender, Used Oil Manager at BME, noted that the initiative benefited used oil contributors by ensuring environmental compliance and best practice, but also by contributing to the local community.

“Our initiative currently creates over 120 jobs for small businesses,” said Govender. “Our demand for used oil is growing each year, so we encourage companies to partner with us in disposing of their oil in this way – and at the same time playing their role in creating a more sustainable planet.”