Mission no longer has any facility to recycle used motor oil.
In the past year, both Canadian Tire and Lordco ended their local recycling programs leaving locals no option to dispose of used oil.
Michael Tralenberg, like many Mission residents, changes his own vehicle oil and says when he contacted the District of Mission, he was told he had to drive his oil to Abbotsford in order to recycle it.
Tralenberg, who also runs a car at Mission Raceway, said he’s concerned about what some people might do now that there is no recycling in Mission.
“I’m old enough to remember that people used to throw the oil down the storm drain and that’s going to happen again if something isn’t done,” said Tralenberg.
According to the District of Mission’s website, “The provincially mandated stewardship program is undergoing changes, and as such, there are currently no drop-off locations registered with the BC Used Oil Management Association (BCUOMA) in Mission.”
The Mission site also states “We apologize for the inconvenience this temporary service gap is causing and are working on resolving the issue with BCUOMA.”
The website bcusedoil.com lists six locations in Abbotsford – Abbotsford Chrysler Jeep, two Great Canadian Oil Change locations, Mr. Lube, Petro Canada Cardlock and Prairie Coast Equipment – and one in Hope (Hope Quick Lube) where residents can discard their used oil.
Barry Azevedo, Mission’s manager of environmental services said he spoke to BCUOMA and expressed his concerns.
“We don’t like this and we want our residents to have something here,” he said.
Azevedo said while the BCUOMA is not providing a solution, it is offering to provide some funding if the District sets up a program.
“So we are looking at our options.”
It is not clear what those options will be. For now, residents will have to bring their used oil to Abbotsford.
