When you choose a used oil collector, you are not just choosing a service provider — you are choosing the entity that will carry a share of your legal compliance obligation for the waste you hand over. Choosing a collector that is not properly accredited does not discharge your cradle-to-grave duty of care under South African environmental law. It can, in fact, expose you to significant liability. The ROSE Foundation accreditation is one of the most reliable ways to verify that the collector you are working with meets the required standard.
The ROSE Foundation — Recycling Oil Saves the Environment — is a South African non-profit organisation established to manage the collection and recycling of used oil in a responsible and sustainable manner. It was established with funding from major oil producers and importers who recognised both the environmental risk posed by improperly managed used oil and the commercial opportunity represented by recovering a valuable resource.
ROSE operates a network of registered collectors and drop-off points across the country, coordinates public education campaigns, and provides a framework for responsible used oil management that complements the legislative requirements of NEMWA. Auto Blue Oils is an accredited ROSE Foundation collector.
ROSE Foundation accreditation is not simply a registration — it involves an assessment of the collecting company against defined criteria:
When you hand your used oil to a ROSE Foundation-accredited collector, you are working within a documented, accountable system. The Waste Manifest you receive at the time of collection, and the Safe Disposal Certificate that follows, are your legal evidence of compliance with your cradle-to-grave obligation under NEMWA.
For businesses subject to environmental audits — including those supplying to large corporations, government entities or export markets — these documents are essential. They demonstrate to auditors, clients and regulators that your waste management practices meet the required legal standard.
The used oil collection market includes operators who work outside the formal accreditation framework. These operators may offer collection at lower apparent cost — often because they are not carrying the compliance overhead of proper vehicles, storage, documentation and downstream accountability.
But the risk to you as a generator is significant. If oil you hand over to an unregistered collector is subsequently found to have been disposed of illegally, you may be held jointly liable for that illegal disposal under NEMWA. The fact that you paid someone to take the oil away is not a defence if you cannot demonstrate you exercised due diligence in choosing a compliant partner.
Auto Blue Oils holds ROSE Foundation accreditation and is additionally recognised by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, the City of Johannesburg WasteHub and GDARD. Every collection is documented. Every litre of oil we collect is tracked through to its destination at a licensed processing facility. Your Safe Disposal Certificate is your proof — and ours — that the job was done right.
Auto Blue Oils — ROSE Foundation accredited used oil collection across Gauteng and KZN.