The Parksville Bottle and Recycling Depot has received new infrastructure that allows for a safe, eco-friendly and free way to dispose oil and antifreeze.
The infrastructure came from the BC Used Oil Management Association (BCUOMA), a not-for-profit group dedicated to the collection and recycling of lubricating oil, oil filters, oil containers, antifreeze and antifreeze containers in British Columbia.
The association is making significant improvements to used oil recycling centres across B.C.
“I consider (it) our newest and best infrastructure set up in Parksville at the bottle depot,” said David Lawes, executive director at BCUOMA. “It’s a 20-foot container that is modified with spill containment inside and we have a double-walled tank inside as well as really good signage that makes it easy for the consumer to take back and know what to put where.”
Grants for the infrastructure at the Parksville depot and other depots across B.C. are provided by BCUOMA.
Although, Lawes didn’t specify exactly how much was given to Parksville for their depot, he said typically grants range from $20,000 to $25,000 for new infrastructure.
Prior to depots receiving the upgraded infrastructure, Lawes said some facilities, especially retailers, were having difficulties with consumers dropping off their old oil and antifreeze.
“Consumers were dropping off materials at all times of the night, sometimes putting it at the side of the store. Buckets and jugs were getting tipped over and potentially getting into storm drains, so it wasn’t a good situation for the consumer or the retailer,” Lawes said. “The early indication so far is (the new infrastructure) is a big hit with everybody.”
The new infrastructure is targeted for people who are changing their own oil and antifreeze at home and storing in their garages.
“It’s really important for people to make use of this service,” Lawes said.
“Oil and antifreeze, if they’re improperly disposed can be harmful to the environment. It’s really unfortunate because there are still lots of people who are changing their own oil and their own antifreeze that have it sitting around in their house or garage.”
It is free for the public to take their old antifreeze and oil to a recycling depot. Lawes said the sooner people can return their old oil and antifreeze to a depot the better.
“Three-quarters of the oil in British Columbia collected through our program is re-refined into new motor oil and sold as new motor oil so that’s a really good news story,” Lawes said. “All the antifreeze that is collected goes to a couple different processing facilities in B.C. and gets sold again as new antifreeze.”
Re-refined oil is made into new lubricating oil and used as a fuel in pulp mills, cement plants and asphalt plants. Any vehicle maintenance facilities, automobile owners, and other machinery maintenance operations that use oil also can use re-refined oil. Used oil filters contain reusable scrap metal, which steel producers can reuse for metal products like rebar, nails and wire.
Most, but not all recycling depots in B.C. will see upgraded infrastructure for oil and antifreeze recycling.
“We’re targeting ones that are best suited to host that infrastructure,” Lawes said. “Some of the smaller depots are just not suited to host that infrastructure and some places don’t have the staff training to manage oil.”
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