RAPID Spill Control has compared the costs involved in cleaning up an oil spill using kitty litter and its Oil Absorbent Pads.
According to Rapid Spill Control, the real costs of oil absorbents should be calculated by looking at the life of the product from purchase to disposal. As a demonstration, it looked at the costs for cleaning up a 20L oil spill.
Kitty litter absorbs as little as 50% of its weight. A 20L oil spill would require around 30kg of the product. The NSWEPA specifies absorbents that are able to absorb 100% of their total weight.
Rapid Spill Control says its Oil Absorbent Pads absorb over 20 times their weight in oil, meaning less than 2kg would be needed for the 20L oil spill.
Additionally, Rapid Spill Control says kitty litter can contain free silicas which present a health risk. The OH&S controls needed delay effective spill response.
Once sufficient kitty litter is brought to the site of the spill, it takes time, brooms and shovels to spread the material over the spill, sweep it through and shovel it up.
To clean up using Oil Absorbent Pads, the pads are placed on the spill, left for one minute to absorb, and then disposed of.
With 20 litres of oil and 30kg of kitty litter, uses will have to pay for the disposal of 50kg of oil soaked waste. The total waste generated from a 20 litre oil clean up using Rapid Spill Control Oil Absorbent Pads is 22kg.
Add a comment