Can waste petrol be recycled?

In brief

Yes. Most waste petrol is recovered rather than destroyed. Waste petrol is tested, dewatered and recovered, usually as refinery feedstock or into fuel blending; phase-separated ethanol and water are treated separately. Because of its flash point it is handled under tighter fire and explosion controls than diesel. Call 07950 582635 or send an enquiry.

What stops waste petrol being recycled

Heavy contamination does: loads that are mostly water or sludge, or that contain chemicals or solvents, go for treatment instead. Keeping waste petrol separate from other wastes keeps it recoverable.

Recycling waste petrol and the waste hierarchy

Recovery ranks above disposal in the waste hierarchy that producers are expected to follow, which is why recoverable fuel should go to a recovery route.

Petrol in practice

E10 petrol in older vehicles and small engines that sit unused is a common source of phase-separated, water-laden waste petrol.

How City Fuel Services handles waste petrol

Send us the five details: business and postcode, roughly how much waste petrol there is, what it is and any contamination, how it is stored and reached, and whether you need one collection or regular ones. We assess it, confirm a rebate or a collection charge, and collect on a consignment note.

Terms used in this answer

Rebate: A payment from City Fuel Services to you for fuel that still has recoverable value, agreed after assessment and before collection.
Environmental permit: Permission from the regulator to run a site that stores, treats or receives waste, with conditions on how much and how.

Key facts
Density at 15°C	720–775 kg/m³ (BS EN 228 limits)
Flash point	About −40°C or lower
Final boiling point	No higher than 210°C
Octane (RON)	At least 95
Sulphur	10 mg/kg maximum
Ethanol	Up to 10% (E10) or 5% (E5)
Fuel	Petrol
Also called	gasoline, motor spirit, unleaded
Waste code	13 07 02* (petrol)
Transport	UN1203, class 3, packing group II
Standard	BS EN 228