Kenya is set to get a new used oil recycling facility in Kwale County, as a Kenyan company moves to establish a plant capable of processing 20,000 litres of used oil per batch.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Published through a Gazette Notice dated September 4, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) confirmed it received an Environmental Impact Assessment study report for the project and is now calling on members of the public to weigh in before any decision is made. The proposed facility will sit on a plot within Kwale County and will feature ten storage tanks alongside a plant shed measuring 659.68 square metres.

Beyond the recycling equipment, the site will also host an office block, a quality assurance department, a truck parking area, a loading and offloading bay, and a boundary wall standing eight to ten feet high.

“The proponent proposes to construct and operate an approximately 20,000-litre-per-batch used oil recycling facility comprising 10 storage tanks, a 659.68 m² plant shed, recycling plant machinery, an office block, quality assurance department, truck parking area, loading and offloading bay, and an 8 to 10-foot-high boundary wall and main gate, together with associated facilities and amenities on Plot L.R. No. Kwale/Samburu/South Samburu-Gora in Samburu, Kwale County,” stated the notice in part.

📌 What You Need to Know

Since heavy trucks will be moving in and out regularly, the transporter will be required to maintain an Emergency Response Plan covering rollovers, spillages, fires and explosions, while also meeting EPRA's transport regulations.

To guard against pollution from spills and leaks, the developer will carry out a Hazard and Operability Study and install a multi-stage Oil-Water Interceptor system alongside secondary stormwater containment measures.

On waste, the plant will engage NEMA-licensed handlers for both solid and sanitary waste , following the Sustainable Waste Management Act of 2022 and the hazardous waste regulations introduced in 2024.

Air quality has not been left out either, with double-netted dust screens planned during construction and bi-annual monitoring of stack emissions, alongside Air Pollution Control Systems for vapours and fumes.

The project will also need approvals from the Kwale Water and Sewerage Company (KWSC), Kenya Power, and the county government, while workers will be protected under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 2007.

Used oil, which includes drained motor oil, hydraulic fluid, and industrial oils, need not go to waste. Rather than being discarded, it can be recycled, re-refined, or repurposed for energy recovery and various industrial applications, reducing environmental harm.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke