Used oil recycling centre officially opens in Nelson B.C.

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, today announced that the Nelson Leafs Bottle Depot located at 120 Silica Street, Nelson, BC will now be responsibly collecting, storing and handling used oil and antifreeze materials, year-round. 

The new infrastructure that has been installed will provide the residents of Nelson, and in the surrounding areas, with an easy, free and eco-friendly way to recycle used oil, antifreeze, filters and containers.

The Return Collection Facility (RCF) infrastructure grant that Nelson Leafs Bottle Depot received from BCUOMA provided them with a modified sea container to facilitate the responsible collection and management of used oil, antifreeze, filters and containers.

"Nelson has grown tremendously over the past several years, and the Nelson Leafs Bottle Depot recognized the need to provide a used oil recycling facility to their clients in order to meet the demands of the growing population," said David Lawes, Executive Director, BC Used Oil Management Association. "The annual round-up events were met with such a positive response that Nelson Leafs Bottle Depot felt it was important for the residents of Nelson to have a year-round convenient, free and easy facility to recycle their used oil and antifreeze materials."

BCUOMA's RCF infrastructure grant program's purpose is to ensure that there are sufficient RCFs across British Columbia for DIY consumers to take back their used oil and antifreeze materials for processing at no charge to consumers. The program also requires the responsible environmental handling, collection, transportation, storage, processing and recycling of used oil and antifreeze material using economic, efficient and environmentally acceptable options.

BCUOMA continues to look for opportunities to upgrade and improve recycling facility locations across the province in order to provide British Columbians with greater accessibility to convenient and free used oil recycling centres. BCUOMA has also created more signage at BC used oil recycling centres that explains how easy it is to recycle materials properly. Municipalities, private businesses, nonprofit organizations, and other sectors interested in BCUOMA's RCF new infrastructure grants can find out more information at http://bcusedoil.com/recycling-collection-facility/.

Used oil is a valuable resource and there is a market for used oil. If it is recycled at a BC used oil recycling centre, it can be recovered and re-used. Used oil can be re-refined 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. Additionally, used oil filters contain reusable scrap metal, which steel producers can reuse for metal products like rebar, nails and wire. Used antifreeze can be reprocessed to produce new automotive antifreeze. Plastic oil and antifreeze containers can be recycled into new oil containers, flowerpots, pipe, guardrails, and patio furniture.

Each year, approximately 50 million litres of oil, and 3 million litres of antifreeze are collected and responsibly managed through the approximately 300 public collection facilities and over 4,000 generators across the province, which are managed by the BCUOMA program. 

For more information on Nelson Leafs Bottle Depot visit https://www.return-it.ca/locations/nelson-leafs-bottle-depot/