You’ve changed your oil or used antifreeze, but now what? Motor oil containers can’t be thrown in Richmond’s blue bins, but an initiative with the BC Used Oil Management Association is hoping to make recycling used oil containers easier in the city.
As part of a province-wide campaign to improve recycling infrastructure, BCUOMA executive director, David Lawes, was at Richmond’s Regional Recycling Depot on Tuesday. Now, Richmond residents can bring lubricating oil, oil filters, oil containers, antifreeze and antifreeze containers to the recycling depot for free. According to Lawes, the recycled products are recovered and reused.
“Three quarters of the oil that we collect, it’s put back into new motor oil,” Lawes said. “All the antifreeze we collect gets put back into antifreeze.”
Previously, Lawes said some local businesses had a hard time collecting oil containers because of late-night drop-offs and unknown substances being left outside their doors.
Now, the improvements in the Richmond depot include a 10-foot container along with spill containment. BCUOMA has also created better signage at the depot to explain how to recycle materials properly.
“Just bring in your oil or antifreeze. Keep it hopefully in the container it was in when you purchased it,” said Lawes. “Hand it to the staff and they’ll direct you where to put it…there’s no cost to the consumer.”
According to BCUOMA, approximately 50 million litres of oil and three million litres of antifreeze are collected and managed through approximately 300 public collection facilities and over 4,000 generators across B.C.
“We really encourage consumers to use this new infrastructure,” Lawes said. “It’s free and easy to recycle.”
To find a recycling depot that accepts used oil containers, visit bcusedoil.com.
