Management of waste oil in Botswana and the possibilities of energy recovery from waste oil

Abstract

Since independence, the economy of Botswana has been undergoing a rapid transition from one in which the majority of the people depend on traditional agriculture and pastoralism to one in which formal sector employment predominates. This is partly reflected by rapid increase in vehicle population. Because of these changes, the country started to experience environmental problems. Unfortunately from the time of independence until late eighties, the level of environmental awareness in the country was very low, and therefore waste minimisation and reduction of environmental impact procedures were never in place. To date, many organisations in the country still seem not to be committed to reducing and disposing their wastes in environmentally friendly manner. The need to reconcile development with environmental concern, thus sustainable development, is vital. For the country to achieve that, an introduction of environmental impact assessment in Botswana is essential, and thus, the main thrust of the current investigation is to determine the level of concern about environmental problems posed by waste engine oil in various organisations in the country. Management of various organisations were interviewed on their methods of waste engine oil disposal. It was found that the disposal of waste engine oil by many organizations is resulting in serious environmental problems.