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New motor oil recycling initiative a boon for environment

Wellington Shire Council has just introduced a new initiative to recycle motor oil, which promises significant benefits for local waterways, bush, landfill sites, parks and gardens.

By Wellington Shire Council - 17th February 2004 - Back to News

This is a joint environmental drive with EcoRecycle Victoria and the Federal Government.

As part of its commitment to the Victorian Used Motor Oil Collection Network, the council is encouraging residents across the shire to take full advantage of a new 3,000 litre oil collection tank at the Sale Transfer Station and a similar 2,000 litre tank at Yarram landfill. Free of charge they will be able to safely and cleanly dispose of used or unwanted motor oil that may be sitting in sheds, garages, old vehicles and equipment. Much of this will then be recycled.

With used oil containing toxic contaminates such as arsenic, lead and magnesium, the aim is to reduce the risk of this threatening our natural environment. Indeed, one litre of used oil can contaminate up to one million litres of water – the size of an Olympic swimming pool.

According to the Federal Government, Australians buy more than 500 million litres of motor oil every year – with 60 million litres unaccounted for. While much of this ‘missing oil’ is presumed to be sitting in sheds and garages for example, there is the belief that the remainder may have been put in the household rubbish, or illegally dumped .

Most of the collected oil at Sale and Yarram will be refined and blended back into ‘fuel oil’, which is used in industry for power generation.

The tanks themselves are more environmentally-friendly than those traditionally located underground, as they are made of galvanised steel, double-skinned and located above ground – cutting off any possibility of ground seepage.

Residents should take their used motor oil to the collection points in a clean plastic container, such as the original oil container. Avoid paint cans and other metal containers, or containers used for petrol.

Said Wellington’s Mayor John Jago: "We are pleased to introduce this very worthwhile, environmentally-friendly initiative, which helps protect our land and water systems, by taking unwanted oil out of harms way and enabling it to be reused in a beneficial manner by industry. Everyone comes out a winner.


Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com



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