Scottish Oil Care
Welcome to Scottish Oil Care, a campaign to
promote the responsible delivery, storage, use and disposal of oil
and oil related products in Scotland.
The Scottish Oil Care Campaign was launched in
1999 to encourage and inform good practice to help prevent oil
pollution. We produce guidance and information material, organise
events and promote the Oil Care Code, the Oil Bank Information Line
and the Emergency Pollution Hotline. You should find Oil Care
information on oil containers, oil filters, in car maintenance
manuals and on new oil storage tanks.
We are keen to get our message across to commerce and industry,
small businesses, farmers, oil distributors, motor mechanics,
transport and freight operators, boat owners and householders. We
want to work with anyone who uses oil to help prevent the pollution
of Scotland’s air, land and water.
The following information and guidance material is available
from the SEPA website:
You can find additional guidance for dealing with oil in the web
pages of the Oil Care
Campaign. 
What should I do with waste
oil?
Waste oil should be taken to an oil bank for recycling. Go to
www.oilbankline.org.uk or call the Oil Bank Line on 08708 506 506, to find the
location of your nearest oil bank. If no specialist disposal
facilities are available, household chemicals should be stored in
their tins or containers, or disposed of in their sealed containers
with regular household waste, until facilities can be provided.
These chemicals include oil, wood-dyes, varnishes, preservatives,
paints, solvents and pesticides. Your local authority can advise on
whether facilities for these wastes are available.
What should I do if I see oil
pollution?
Contact SEPA's Pollution Hotline on 0800 80 70
60. This service is open 24 hours a day.
Yellow fish
Yellow Fish is an active, enjoyable and effective way of raising
awareness of the issues of waste and pollution, and helping make
Scotland's environment a cleaner and healthier place.
Many of Scotland's drains lead directly into local burns and
rivers. You may find these drains on the street, in car parks, on
industrial estates or around shopping centres and community
buildings. Pouring unwanted liquid wastes such as oil, paint,
solvents, garden chemicals or other chemicals down the drain can,
therefore, cause pollution and kill fish, birds and other wildlife.
Even disposing of wastes down outdoor household drains can result
in water pollution, or can cause problems at wastewater treatment
works.
How yellow fish works
Yellow Fish is very simple. Volunteers mark drains with a
stencilled yellow fish. Local leaflet distribution and poster
displays, as well as media publicity help to get the message
across: DISPOSE OF YOUR LIQUID WASTE RESPONSIBLY - NOT DOWN ANY
DRAIN!
Yellow Fish projects can be undertaken by a
variety of local groups, including schools, youth groups, community
groups, interest groups, sports and recreation groups.
Getting started
Comprehensive guidance is available here, providing you with all the information you
need to organise a Yellow Fish project.
If you would like more information about Yellow Fish, or would
like to organise Yellow Fish in your area, please contact:
Communications department
The Scottish
Environment Protection Agency
Corporate Office
Erskine Court
The Castle Business Park
Stirling
FK9 4TR
Telephone: 01786 452546
Email: communications@sepa.org.uk