Disposal & recycling
Waste Oil (Altöl)
Also known as: Altöl · used oil · engine oil disposal · used motor oil · Gebrauchtöl
Waste oil (Altöl) is used engine, gearbox or heating oil and counts as hazardous waste (Sonderabfall) in Switzerland. It must never go into the drains or the residual waste; it has to be handed in at a point of sale or a collection point, which takes it back free of charge for household quantities.
Why waste oil is critical
A single litre of waste oil can contaminate around one million litres of water. Waste oil also contains heavy metals and combustion residues, which make it considerably more problematic than fresh oil. Pouring it into the drains, into the ground or into a watercourse is a criminal offence in Switzerland.
Points of sale must take it back
Anyone who sells engine oil is obliged to take back waste oil free of charge, up to the quantity they sell. That applies to filling stations, garages and DIY stores. For household quantities, disposal is therefore free — provided the oil has not been mixed with other substances.
Important: never mix waste oil with solvents, brake fluid or antifreeze. Mixed oil counts as chemical waste and has to be disposed of at a cost.
A frequent find in clearances
In garages, workshops and the cellars of detached houses there is almost always waste oil — often in old canisters, or decanted into unlabelled containers. We collect such material separately, pack it so it is safe to transport, and hand it in at a collection point.
A real example
During a garage clearance in Wädenswil, nine containers of unidentifiable liquids turn up. After sorting: four canisters of waste oil, two of brake fluid, one of antifreeze, two of paint thinner. Everything is labelled separately and handed over to the hazardous waste collection point — mixed together, disposal would have cost several times as much.
Frequently asked questions about Waste Oil (Altöl)
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