---
title: Can red diesel contaminated with water be recovered?
url: https://cityfuel.services/questions/can-red-diesel-contaminated-with-water-be-recovered/
publisher: City Fuel Services Ltd
---

# Can red diesel contaminated with water be recovered?

In brief

Usually yes. Free water settles and is drawn off, and the fuel above it normally keeps most of its value once filtered. At a permitted facility the water layer is separated and treated as contaminated water, and the fuel is filtered and recovered. Call [07950 582635](tel:+447950582635) or [send an enquiry](https://cityfuel.services/enquiry/).

## What water in red diesel does to value

Water reduces the value of a load roughly in proportion to how much there is. A little water barely changes the terms; a load that is mostly water may carry a charge.

## How water in red diesel happens

Condensation forms inside tanks as they warm and cool; rain gets in through worn fill caps, vents, seals and hatches; and floods or a high water table push water in through fittings.

## How City Fuel Services handles waste red diesel

We collect waste red diesel from cans and drums up to bulk tanks, across England, Wales and mainland Scotland, from our licensed site in Droylsden, Manchester. Terms, a rebate or a charge, are agreed before collection.

## Terms used in this answer

**Environmental permit**: Permission from the regulator to run a site that stores, treats or receives waste, with conditions on how much and how.
**Uplift**: The fuel trade's word for a collection: pumping fuel out of a tank or container and taking it away.

**Key facts**

| Problem | Water in Red diesel |
| --- | --- |
| Recoverable? | Usually yes. |
| Fuel | [Red diesel](https://cityfuel.services/fuels/red-diesel/) |
| Also called | gas oil, rebated diesel, marked gas oil |
| Waste code | 13 07 01* (fuel oil and diesel) |

## Related questions

- [How do you stop water getting into red diesel?](https://cityfuel.services/questions/how-do-you-stop-water-getting-into-red-diesel/)
- [Is red diesel contaminated with water hazardous waste?](https://cityfuel.services/questions/is-red-diesel-contaminated-with-water-hazardous-waste/)
- [Who collects red diesel contaminated with water?](https://cityfuel.services/questions/who-collects-red-diesel-contaminated-with-water/)
- [Can you still use red diesel with water in it?](https://cityfuel.services/questions/can-you-still-use-red-diesel-with-water-in-it/)
- [What happens to water-contaminated red diesel after collection?](https://cityfuel.services/questions/what-happens-to-water-contaminated-red-diesel-after-collection/)
- [What happens if water gets into red diesel?](https://cityfuel.services/questions/what-happens-if-water-gets-into-red-diesel/)
- [Can red diesel contaminated with diesel bug be recovered?](https://cityfuel.services/questions/can-red-diesel-contaminated-with-diesel-bug-be-recovered/)
- [Can red diesel contaminated with petrol be recovered?](https://cityfuel.services/questions/can-red-diesel-contaminated-with-petrol-be-recovered/)
- [Can red diesel contaminated with AdBlue be recovered?](https://cityfuel.services/questions/can-red-diesel-contaminated-with-adblue-be-recovered/)

**Official guidance:** [GOV.UK: hazardous waste](https://www.gov.uk/dispose-hazardous-waste).

---
City Fuel Services Ltd, Fairfield Road, Droylsden, Manchester M43 6AX. Call 07950 582635 or send an enquiry at https://cityfuel.services/enquiry/.