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COM(74)334
Vol.1974/0059

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COMMISSION OFTHESUROfSAN COMMUNITÏES
COM(74)334Final
Brussels,20March19741
PROPOSAL FORA
DIRECTIVE ONTHEDISPOSAL OFWASTEOILS
(submitted .totheCouncilbytheCommission)
COr(74)334Finei

ElW/XI/657/7'+-E
EXPLANATORY MFMORANDUM
I.Introduction
This draft directive forms part oftheCommunities' action programme
fortheprotection oftheenvironment ofNovember 22nd ,1973 (c.f .
0#J.No.C112 ,December 20th ,1973 )*This programme stresses thepriority -
attached tothe disposal ofwaste cils .Inaccordance with the Informa­
tion Agreement of5thMarch ,1973 concerning thepossible harmonization
ofurgent measures related totheprotection ofthe environment throughout
theCommunity *),moreover ,theFrench andDutch governments sent theCom­
mission legislative proposals relating ,inter alia ,tothedisposal
ofwaste oils .The Commission informed theFrench and Dutch governments
ofitsintention tosubmit adraft directive onthis subject toCouncil
within the timetable fixed bytheInformation Agreement .
Thepollution ofsoil andwater bywaste oils poses aproblem which has
become acute due togrowing industrialization ,urbanization ,and the
continued development oftransport facilities .Inaddition ,certain treat­
ments ofwaste oils create new sources ofpollution ,especially airpollu­
tion .
There hasbeen asteady increase inthequantity ofwaste oils and in
particular ofemulsions ,alarge part ofwhich are disposed ofwithout
controls (c.f .annex ).
Theextent andurgency oftheproblem isunderlined bythe fact that
sometimes asmuch as20-60%ofallwaste oils aredisposed ofwithout
any control insome Member States ;theresulting water pollution would
account forapproximately 20$ofallindustrial pollution according to
some estimates .
Thus one ofthemain objectives ofthis draft directive istoensure
effective protection ofwater ,airand soil against theharmful effects
caused bythedischarge ,deposit and treatment ofthese oils .
*)O.J. C9,Karch l^th ,1973 -

-2- ENV/Xl/657/71+-E
Itshould also benoted that recycling ofwaste oils whether aslubn -
ficants orasasource ofenergy isvery worthwhile economically .Thus
Article 2ofthe directive isinfavour ofitandagainst their destruc­
tion .
Moreover ,thenational legislation andregulations inforce throughout
the Community relating tothis matter leave certain lacunate which are
harmful tothe environment .
Finally ,there arebasic differences tobefound amongst theexisting orpro
posed national provisions relating tothe field ofcovered bythis proposal .
InGermany andDenmark ,there isvery detailed and complete legislation
which provides for asystem ofcollection and finance ,thus ensuring the
safe disposal ofwaste oils .IntheFederal Republic ofGermany ,bythe
lawofDecember 23rd ,1968 ,laying down themeasures toensure thedisposal
ofwaste oils (Gesetz Uber Kafinahmen zurSicherung derAltolbeseitigung )
afundhas been created ,intended tocover the costs which are not covered ,
during thewaste oildisposal operations ,Thrs fund isfinanced' byacharge
levied when lubricants aredelivered forconsumption .IntheNetherlands
adraft lav ;onchemical wastes andwaste oils would setupacomprehensive s
comparable tothat which already exists intheFederal Republic ofGermany
(asystem ofcollection anddisposal with charges andindemnities tocover
uncovered wastes ).InGreat Britain ,legislation controls disposal ofpollu­
ting wastes ,andinparticular ofwaste oils .InFrance there isadraft
decree which would regulate thedischarge oflubricants oroil .InFrance
and inItaly ,recycled oils are taxed atalower rate inorder toensure
the safe .disposal ofwaste oils and toencourage their reuse .Intheother
countries there isneither legislation norproposed legislation specifically
concerned with waste oils ,but incertain cases ,general legislation pro­
tects water and air'against pollution.'

-3- EOT/Xl/657/7if-E
These differences may lead tofinancial charges differing from oneMember
State ,from onesector ,from one firm ,toanother within theCommunity ,
and thus could create barriers to .theproper functionning gfthe common
market anddistort competition .
Thedraft directive which follows ,based onarticle 100oftheTreaty of
theEEC ,isintended toharmonize legislation ,and tothus create acoherent
system oflegal provisions applicable inallMember States .
The Commission has also consulted ,before drafting thepresent proposal ,a
working group ofnational experts whose task was tostudy theproblems
posed bythe disposal ofwaste -oils .This group met four times .

-h.- EHV/XI/657/7**-$
COMMENTS ONSPBCIF ICARTICLES
Article 1
The definition selected for waste oils isintended tomake the directive 's
field ofapplication aswide aspossible ,but also toavoid toolarge
differences ofinterpretation .Emulsions and certain residues are expressly
mentioned because their disposal poses special technical and economic
problems .
Article 2
Regeneration andcombustion ofwaste oils arethemethods ofdisposal
least harmful tothe environment .Thus their use should beencouraged as
much aspossible .The simple destruction ofwaste oils nolonger seems
tobeallowed .
article 3
Inorder toachieve thedisposal ofwaste oils without damage totheenviron­
ment ,considerable restrictions must becreated uptoandincluding the proh.'
bition ofanydischarge anddeposit ,inorder toprotect internal andcostal
waters ,soil and air .
Article k
Itisessential that theMember States ensure ,,byappropriate means ,the
collection anddisposal ofwaste oils .
Article5
Inorder toguarantee that thecollection and disposal ofwaste oils is
infact made ,one orseveral firms ,properly authorized ,canunder certain
conditions berequired tocarry outthese operatiora Itis,infact ,one
result oftheparticular technical and economic problems associated with
thecollection and/orthedisposal ofwaste oils ,that these operations
are not always economically viable .Todeal with these cases ,aduty to
collect isprovided .
Tfcoactual form which thecompulsory collection anddisposal ofwaste oils
t isshall beleft tothe competent authorities todetermine ;ifneed be ,
V.aycan set upzones within which aduty tocollect comes into effect .
Since theduty tocollect isneeded only tosolve certain special cases

-5- EITV/XI/657/7t–E
itisnotnecessary tocreate acorresponding right fortheholders to
have their products collected .
Article 6
Thegranting ofanauthorization shall certify that the firms which are
involved inthecollection and/orelimination ofwaste oils have theappro­
priate facilities .
Articles 7,o,9,10
These articles complete thesetofprovisions concerning theacts prohibited
inlaw and the disposal system .
Articles 11,12
The control mechanisms provided arenecessary inorder togive •effect
totheprohibitions and the disposal system .
Article 13
Thecollection anddisposal ofwaste oils caningeneral bedone without
the intervention ofthe State .
This hypothesis isvalid only when -the firms which collect ordispose of
waste oils -canmake aprofit oratleast cover their costs .Since "inparti­
cular circumstances this isnot .possible and since certain firms maybe
required tocarry out these operations ,compensation forservices rendered
isprovided .
Inorder toavoid toowide adiscretionary margin ingranting these indem­
nities tothe firms ,sufficiently precise and flexible criteria have been
set up,which canrespond toparticular circumstances .Thecompensation will
bedetermined according tocosts which arenotcovered ,but infact occuring
allowing forareasonable profit margin .Measures offiscal nature (eg.tax
exemptions )would notallow forvariations incompensation according tothe
region orfirm and are therefore excluded .

-6- EKV/XI/65?/74-jS
Article l4
Only thecreation ofacharge imposed onthedelivery for ,consumption of
new orre-refined products allows forapplication ofthe pollutor' pays
principle .inthis matter .. ■' - ;:
Delivery forconsumption canbedefined as,when theproduct inquestion
leaves thBproducing firm inorder tobesold orused ,when itisused
within such anestablishment ,orwhen itisimported .. . . .~.
III .CONSULTATION WITH THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL
COMMITTEE .. , ... . . ..
The opinion ofthese twoinstitutions ,;pursuant toarticle 100paragraph 2,
isrequired . --

-7- ENV/XI/657/74-E
ANNEX
TABLE
Anapproximate estimate ofquantities oflubricating oils consumed ,total
amdper capita ,ofquantities ofused andwaste oils which are disposed
without controls ,intotal and inpercentages for each Member State .The
figures are for 1972 andmeasured in1000 tons .
I
I
i iiConsumption
oflubricating
oils
2
rNuraber of
inhabitants
in
millions
3Consump -
tion by
inhabitant
inl/a
4
i
Germany jio !
I1081i i
!58.6 !
i i18.5
1France !
I-834 I|48.9 i17
Italy . j548 !j ■51.6!10.5
{Jnited Kingdom I1295 j52.3 25
Ireland '35 iI 4.4 I 8
i
1Denmark j90 4.8
9.5i19
Belgium91
<7
Luxemburg j
l11.3 0.3 ;37.5
Netherlands 209;12.3
»i16.5
Total : ^103.3l
\
I
!Quantity Id.asa
ofwaste propor *-
oil tion of
the total
6 5
520
458
275
650
17.5
45
9
0.6
105
______Quantity
dispose ]
without
control ;;
7
48
55
50
50
50
50
1
50
5057+
120
134
85
?
0.6
45
441.6
i
Thepercentage ofrecovery istherefore about 50%\according toinformation
received ,only about 1million tons ofwaste oils isactually recycledj thus
1million tons islost asenergy oraslubricants ,with obvious consequen­
cesfortheenvironment and foracomprehensive fuel supply policy .
+)■These figures areonly valid for1971 .

4DRAFT COUNCI LDIRECTIV E |i\
OHTHE DISPOSAL OFWASTE OILS
THECOUNCIL OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
HAVING REGARD totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community
and inparticular article 100 thereof ,
HAVING REGARD totheproposal from theCommission ,
HAVING REGARD totheOpinion oftheEuropean Parliament ,
HAVING REGARD totheOpinion oftheEconomic andSocial Committee ,
WHEREAS national legislation concerning thetreatment ,discharge ,deposi
and collection ofwaste oils differs from oneMember State toanother ,
and that these differences constitute barriers totrade within theCommu
nity and thereby directly affect £hefunctionning ofthe Comraun Market ;
WHEREAS allprovisions relating tothedisposal ofwaste oils should hai
asone oftheir essential objectives ,theprotection oftheenvironment
against theharmful effects caused bythedischarge ,deposit and treat­
ment ofthese oils ;
WHEREAS thereuse ofwaste oils canmake alarge contribution toenergy
supply policy ;
WHEREAS theCommunity 'saction programme fortheprotection ofthe enviro
ment approved jointly bytheCouncil oftheEuropean Communities ancl the
representatives ofthe governments oftheMember States meeting inthe
Council inthedeclaration ofNovember 22nd ,1973+^underlines theim­
portance oftheproblem ofthedisposal ofwaste oils without harmful
effects upon the environment ;
+)O.JtC112 ,20/12/1973 .

-9- ENV/Xl/657/7^-E
WHEREAS the quantity ofwaste oils and inparticular ofemulsions has
continued togrow rapidly inallMember States ;
WHEREAS aefficient andcoherent system oftreatment forwaste oils ,
which will neither create barriers tointercommunity trade nor affect
competition ,should apply toallproducts ,even those which are composed
only inpart ofoiland should provide for their safe treatment under
economically feasible conditions ;
WHEREAS such system should regulate the treatment ,discharge ,deposit
and collection ofwaste oils andprovide aprocedure for theauthorization
offirms which collect ordispose ofthese oils and •also under cer­
tain circumstances setupacompulsory system forcollection and dis­
posal ofthese oils andcreate accordingly suitable inspection procedures ;
WHEREAS inthose cases where certain firms will berequired tocollect
anddispose ofthese oils ,that part oftheir costs arising from these
activities notcovered bytheir revenues ,should becompensated forby
indemnities ,thelatter being financed byacharge onneworre-refined
oils :
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE :

, • -10- Em/XI/S57/7^
\
Article 1 - .
For thepurpose oftheapplication ofthis directive ,the terra "waste
oils "shall betaken tomean anysemi-solid orliquid used product to­
tally orpartially composed ofmineral orsynthetic oils ,including the
oily residues from cisterns and emulsions . ,
Articlè 2
TheMember States shallt take allpossible measures toensure that the
disposal ofwaste oils shall becarried outbyrecycling (regeneration
and/orcombustion ).
Article 3
TheMember States shall take allnecessary measures toensure theprohi­
bition of
1.thedischarge ofwaste oils into internal surface waters ,underground
water ,coastal waters and canals j
2.thedeposit anddischarge ofwaste oils which hasharmful effects on
the soil ,and anyuncontrolled discharge ofresidues which result from
theprocessing ofwaste oils ;
3.anyprocessing ofwaste oils causing airpollution which exceeds the
minimum compatible with the state oftheart . •"
î' t
Article k
TheMember States 6hall take allnecessary measures toensure thecollection
andsafe disposal ■ofwast^oils .
Article 5
TheMember States shall take allnecessary measures toensure that ,in
the case where these operations are notprofitable ,one orseveral enter­
prises referred tointhefollowing article shall carry outthecollection
ar.d/ordisposal oftheproducts offered tothem bytheholders inthezone wh
ijassigned tothem bythe competent authorities .

-11- ENV/XI/657/7^-E
Article 6
Anyfirm which collects and/ordisposes ofwaste oils must obtain aper­
mit todoso}this will begranted after examination ofinstallations and
will impose conditions required bytheexisting level ofthestate ofthe
art .
Article 7
Whosoever has asupply ofwaste oils which hecannot eliminate himself
pursuant totheprovisions laid down according toarticles 2and 3must
keep itatthedisposal ofthe firm orfirms referred toinarticle 5*
Article 3
The holders ofwaste oils containing impurities ,which are inexcess ofa
certain percentage fixed bythe competent authorities according tothe
category and volume oftheproduct ,must stock them seperately .
Article 9
Thefirms which collect and/ordispose ofwaste oils must dosoinsuch a
way that there will benoavoidable risk towater ,air arsoil .
Article 10
Anyfirm which holds ,collects and/ordisposes ofaquantity ofmore than
200litres ofwaste oils ayear must keep arecord oftheir quantity ,
quality ,origin andlocation ,andalso oftheir assignment andreceipt ,
recording the dates ofthe last two transactions .
Article 11
Anyfirm which disposes ofwaste oils must forward tothecompetent autho­
rities ,onrequest ,anyinformation concerning such disposals oronthe
deposit ofwaste oils orresidues thereof .

-12- ENV/XI/657/7^E
Article 12
The firms referred toinarticle 6which hold ordispose ofwaste oils
shall beregularly inspected bythecompetent authorities ,particularly
asregards their compliance with theconditions oftheir authorization .
Article 13
TheMember States will grant toall firms which ,pursuant toarticle
have anobligation tocollect and/ordispose ofwaste oils ,anonfiscal
indemnity ,which shall represent apayment forservices rendered . .
This indemnity should not exceed what isnecessary tooffset theannual
costs toeach firm which are not covered and are incurred infact ,and
toassure them areasonable profit margin .
The amount ofcosts tobeconsidered inthecalculation oftheindemnity ,
should not exceed theaverage costs ofall firms engaged inthesame acti­
vities ,under similar conditions ,intheMember State under consideration .
Article l'f
Theindemnities will befinanced byacharge ,imposed atthe time ofthe
delivery forconsumption ofproducts which after usearetransformed into
waste oils .
Article 15
TheMember States will regularly convey totheCommission information con­
cerning their technical expertise and theresults deriving from theappli­
cation oftheprovisions pursuant tothis directive .
TheCommission shall send asummary ofallinformation received tothe
other Member States .
Article 16
Every three years theMember States shall draw upareport onthesituation
relating tothedisposal ofwaste oils intheir respective countries .These
r^rorts will besent tothe Commission .

-13- ΕΝν/ΧΙ/657/7^-Ε
Article 17
Member States shall put into force themeasures needed xnorder tocomply
with this directive within eighteen months ofitsnotification ,and shall
forthwith inform the Commission thereof .
Article 18
Theprovisions adopted bytheMember States pursuant tothis directive can
beprogressively applied tothefirms referred toinarticle 6,existing
atthetime ofthedirective 'sadoption ,within three years ofthenoti­
fication referred toinarticle 17.
Article 19
Member States shall ensure that the texts ofthenational laws andprovi­
sions which they adopt inrelation tothis directive shall becommunicated
tothe Commission .
Article 20
This directive isaddressed tothe Member States .
Dg**at