Disposable Absorbents vs. Reusable Absorbents

The majority of businesses in the United States that have a regular need for oil absorbent products such as oil absorbent pads, oil absorbent socks, granular oil dry, shop towels and rags are disposing of these waste streams in a non-sustainable fashion. In fact, most are not aware that a sustainable alternative even exists. This means that an astronomical amount of waste is being sent out annually via the 3 classical disposal options: Landfilling oil absorbents, Incinerating oil absorbents or waste to energy oil absorbents. Not only are these disposal methods unsustainable, but they also are harmful to the surrounding environment. Closed Loop Recycling will identify major flaws in the three most commonly known disposal methods for oil absorbent products, while also highlighting the advantages of recycling oil absorbents with us.

When it comes to landfilling oil absorbents, there are a few things to be aware of: 1) No free liquid requirement – Oil Absorbents to the landfill must not be saturated per the EPA under the Paint Filter Liquids Test. 2) Pollution – Landfilling Oil absorbents is harmful to the environment, as these chemicals can seep into the ground and cause cancer or other health issues. 3) Overcrowded landfills – Landfilling oil absorbents is attributing to a major issue we are seeing nationwide, as the environment cannot keep up with our waste generation.  Landfilling oil absorbents can also negatively impact any green initiatives or ISO goals that you may have. Landfilling oil absorbents is not a sustainable practice as you are constantly purchasing and disposing of these items, thus creating a waste stream.

Incinerating Oil Absorbents is another well-known method for disposal, and while it is more sustainable than landfilling absorbents, it still has its drawbacks: 1) Cost – building an Incinerator at your facility is costly, and requires routine maintenance. Contracting a third party to incinerate absorbents is even more expensive in the long run. 2) Pollution – Incinerating Oil Absorbents produces smoke during the process. This smoke has been known to contain dangerous gases and by-products that are harmful to the environment. 3) Public health concerns – it has been discovered that communities living near incineration plants are at a higher risk of developing health problems like cancers and Neurological problems.  Oil absorbent incineration is an unsustainable practice because one is still regularly purchasing/using disposable absorbent products, and emitting harmful waste into the environment.

Waste to energy oil absorbents is more sustainable than the other two methods, but has drawbacks similar to that of oil absorbent incineration. 1) Cost – building a waste to energy process at your facility is costly, and requires routine maintenance. Contracting a third party to convert oil absorbents from waste to energy is even more expensive in the long run. 2) Pollution –the Waste to Energy Oil Absorbents process produces smoke. This smoke has been known to contain dangerous gases and by-products that are harmful to the environment. 3) Public health concerns – it has been discovered that communities living near waste to energy plants are at a higher risk of developing health problems like cancers and Neurological issues. Waste to Energy is more sustainable than its counterparts in the sense that you are creating an energy source from the waste, but you are still purchasing disposable products and paying to convert your waste to energy, thus making it unsustainable.