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GESAMP on oil in urban run-off and land sources

Leaks and dumping of used lubricating oil from vehicles and other machinery are major sources of oil in urban runoff. Other sources include ruptures of storage tanks (e.g., at petrol stations), and, in some places, the use of used lubricating oil for dust control. Removing oil from storm drainage is not technically difficult where there is storm sewerage. Constructing storm sewerage, however, requires large capital investment, and may not be feasible in low-lying areas that experience regular flooding, such as Bangkok and Bangladesh. In some places, it may be possible to construct interceptors in strategic locations, such as natural drainage channels, without needing to invest in storm sewerage.

Providing readily available waste oil reception facilities in urban areas can greatly reduce dumping of used motor oil, especially when combined with effectively enforced prohibitions on it, as already exist in some countries. Public education and economic incentives, such as a market for used oil, reduce the reliance on enforcement. Other measures to reduce oil in urban runoff include maintenance standards for vehicles and petroleum facilities, and discontinuing the practice of applying used oil to roads for dust control. Deposit-refund schemes for used motor oil, or surcharges on the purchase of new oil (with the proceeds used to fund disposal facilities), may have potential; but they do not appear to have been widely tried.