Regulation on the Control of Waste Vegetable Oils

The Regulation on the Control of Waste Vegetable Oils was published in the Official Gazette No. 29378 on 6 June 2015. It entered into force on the date of publication (the fourth paragraph of Article 16 one year later) and repealed the earlier regulation of 19 April 2005 (Articles 22-23). No later amendment appears in the official consolidated text.

Which oils does the regulation cover?

It covers waste vegetable oils classified under "20 01 25 – edible oil and fat" in the waste list and used frying oils classified under code "20 01 26*" (Article 2). A waste vegetable oil producer is a household, business, public or private institution that causes such oil to arise, or a catering business; a catering business serving inside another institution is treated as the producer (Articles 4-5).

What are the main prohibitions?

Importing waste vegetable oil is prohibited. Storing or transporting it in a way that harms the environment, and discharging it to surface water, groundwater, the sea, sewers or soil, is prohibited, as is mixing it into edible or crude oils. Waste oils are collected only by environmentally licensed recovery facilities and waste vegetable oil interim storage facilities; no one else may collect them. Recovered waste vegetable oil may be used, in line with the relevant technical regulations, only for biodiesel and biogas production (Article 5).

What must waste oil producers do?

Institutions, organisations and businesses producing waste vegetable oil must make an annual contract with an environmentally licensed recovery facility or an interim storage facility (Article 5). Except for households, producers collect the oil in leak-proof, corrosion-resistant containers, send it to treatment facilities with licensed carriers and use the national waste transport form for shipments. Producers under the contract obligation complete and approve the waste declaration form online by the end of March each year with the previous year's data and keep it for five years (Article 10). In temporary storage areas, containers carry the marking "waste vegetable oil", the area is protected from rain and the floor is leak-proof reinforced concrete at least 25 cm thick (Article 14).

What conditions apply to recovery and interim storage facilities?

Recovery facilities obtain an environmental licence from the Ministry and interim storage facilities from the provincial directorate (Article 17). Recovery facilities recover the oil they accept within three months, have non-recoverable oil disposed of and send annual reports to the provincial directorate by the end of February (Article 11). Interim storage facilities do not store waste vegetable oil for more than three months, contract with a recovery facility, report collected quantities monthly to the provincial directorate and supply collection drums and containers to producers (Article 12). Facilities keep weighbridge records and must have an impermeable floor, a fire-extinguishing system, lightning protection, odour measures and a washing unit (Article 15). Facilities producing biodiesel must comply with the technical regulations of EPDK (Article 19).

What does it mean for destruction and recycling?

Used frying oil from restaurants, hotels, canteens and industrial kitchens must be handed to the licensed chain as waste; pouring it down the sink or giving it to an unlicensed collector is prohibited. If the oil cannot be converted into recovery products, has expired at interim storage or was not recovered in time, it must be disposed of at environmentally licensed facilities according to its characteristics (Article 18). The oil is used for energy as biodiesel or biogas.

What should companies pay attention to in practice?

Breaches lead to the penalties in the Environment Law, the Law on Misdemeanours, the Metropolitan Municipality Law, the Municipality Law and other relevant laws (Article 21). Municipalities apply the necessary penalties to producers without a contract and inspect against oil being poured into the sewer (Article 8). Businesses should keep track of the annual contract, the carrier's transport licence and the declaration deadline.