In Chattogram’s industrial belt and the shipbreaking yards of Sitakunda, this discarded lubricant -- widely known as “pora mobil” (burnt engine oil) -- routinely flowed into rivers, canals and open land with little oversight and almost no organised recovery system. What began in the late 1970s and 1980s as small-scale efforts by a handful of local entrepreneurs to recover and reuse discarded oil has gradually evolved into Bangladesh’s lubricant re-refining industry -- a business now tied to industrial demand, import savings and resource recovery. POTENTIAL TO REDUCE IMPORTS

Bangladesh’s lubricant market has grown into a Tk 6,000 crore industry, insiders estimate, as rising numbers of vehicles, factories, farms and transport businesses drive demand for oil and lubricants.

Against this backdrop, recyclers say waste lubricant has become an increasingly valuable resource, as every tonne of recycled base oil helps reduce dependence on imports and eases pressure on foreign currency reserves.