The short answer
Keep waste oil in a sealed, suitable container (a UN-marked drum or IBC, or a bunded tank) that stands in secondary containment such as a bund or drip tray. Keep it under cover and away from drains, label it, and don’t mix other liquids into it. Then have it collected by a registered waste carrier before the container gets full.
Why storage matters
Used oil is hazardous waste. As the business that produced it, you have a legal duty to store it safely and stop it escaping. A split drum or an overflowing tank can send oil into a surface water drain, and many of those drains run straight to a stream or river. Under the Environment Agency’s pollution guidance, causing pollution can lead to an unlimited fine, a prison sentence of up to 5 years or both.
Do the oil storage regulations apply to waste oil?
The Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001 apply to businesses that store oil in a container of 201 litres or more. The Environment Agency’s guidance lists which waste oils fall inside these rules. It says they apply to waste synthetic oil and waste vegetable oils. They don’t apply to oil drained from vehicle engines, gearbox oil, turbine and hydraulic oil, or petrol and diesel mixtures. For those, you should check whether you need an environmental permit.
Whichever side of the line your oil falls on, the standards in the regulations are a sensible benchmark for any waste oil store, and your hazardous waste duty to store safely still applies.
Choosing a container
- Drums and IBCs: the guidance says a drum or IBC marked “UN” meets the design standard. Keep lids and bungs on.
- Fixed tanks: a purpose-made waste oil tank built to a recognised standard (for example British Standard 5410 or the relevant OFTEC standard). Fixed tanks must be bunded; a drip tray isn’t enough.
- Don’t use open trays, buckets, old food containers or anything that can’t be sealed.
Bunds and drip trays: how big?
- Single tank, IBC or bowser: the bund must hold 110% of the container’s capacity. For example, a 2,500 litre tank needs secondary containment of 2,750 litres.
- Drums: the drip tray must hold at least a quarter of the drum. If the tray can take more than one drum, it must hold a quarter of the combined capacity of all the drums it can take, even if only one is on it.
- Several containers in one bund: whichever is greater of a quarter of the total capacity, or 110% of the largest container.
Bunds must be impermeable, with no drain valve or opening in the base or walls. A twin-walled or double-skinned tank on its own doesn’t count as secondary containment in the guidance.
Where to put it
- Away from drains, gullies and watercourses
- Out of the way of forklift routes and vehicle turning areas, or protected by barriers or bollards
- Under cover, so rainwater doesn’t fill the bund or get into the oil
- Somewhere a tanker can reach on collection day
Containers kept inside a building with walls and a roof that would hold a leak are outside the oil storage regulations, but a drip tray under drums indoors is still good practice.
Keep your waste oil clean
Oil that’s kept on its own is easier to handle and recover. Keep water, antifreeze, brake fluid, solvents, fuel and cleaning chemicals out of your waste oil. Drain used filters and keep them in a separate lidded container (see how to dispose of oil filters). Contaminated fuel should be stored separately too. We don’t collect cooking oil, so keep any cooking oil out of your waste oil store.
Antifreeze, brake fluid and oily rags should each go in their own sealed, labelled container. We can collect them on the same visit as your waste oil, so keep them separate and tell us what you have when you book.
Farms
Fuel oil stored on a farm for agricultural use is covered by separate rules for agricultural fuel oil. See our farm waste oil collection page.
Ready for collection
Book a collection before your store is full. Tell us the oil type, roughly how much there is (number of drums, or tank size and how full it is) and your postcode, and we’ll give you a free quote for waste oil collection. You’ll get a consignment note each time.
Frequently asked questions
How should waste oil be stored at a business?
In a sealed, suitable container such as a UN-marked drum or IBC or a bunded tank, inside a bund or on a drip tray, under cover, away from drains and labelled. Keep other liquids out of it.
Do the oil storage regulations apply to waste oil?
Partly. The Environment Agency’s guidance says the rules apply to waste synthetic and vegetable oils in containers of 201 litres or more, but not to oil drained from vehicle engines, gearbox, turbine or hydraulic oil. Following the same standards is still a sensible benchmark.
What size drip tray do I need for a drum?
At least a quarter of the drum’s capacity. If the tray can hold several drums, it must hold a quarter of the combined capacity of all of them.
How big does a bund need to be?
For a single tank, IBC or bowser, the bund must hold 110% of the container’s capacity.
Can I store waste oil outside?
Yes, if it’s in a suitable sealed container with the right bund or drip tray, ideally under cover and away from drains and vehicle routes.
Need waste oil collected? BL Oils is based in Doncaster and collects from businesses across all of Yorkshire, plus Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. Call or WhatsApp 07785 921493, email info@bloils.co.uk or ask for a free quote. Got an urgent problem? Our phone is answered 24/7: see emergency waste oil collection.
Sources and further reading
- GOV.UK / Environment Agency: Oil storage regulations for businesses
- legislation.gov.uk: Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001
- GOV.UK / Environment Agency: Pollution prevention for businesses
- GOV.UK: Hazardous waste (producers and holders)
Checked against official guidance in October 2026. This guide is general information for businesses in England, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the linked guidance or ask the Environment Agency if you’re unsure.