Save a Whale by Recycling Your Oil

Oil’s well that ends well.

That is the thrust of a campaign under way to promote the safe disposal of used motor oil.

Slick issue, huh?

Consider this: At least 25% of car owners--some say as many as 60%--change their own oil.

And much of it ends up in the garbage or the gutter, eventually making its way into ground-water supplies or the ocean, says Heal the Bay. The environmental group estimates that about 33 million gallons of the toxic stuff is unaccounted for in Los Angeles County each year--a good deal of it, they say, dumped illegally.

That’s nearly as much as three Exxon Valdez oil spills, said Heal the Bay science and policy adviser Roger Gorke.

Hence, the banners (in oily black, naturally) now hanging from street lights throughout Los Angeles. They read: “Recycle used motor oil because the earth can’t.”

“One gallon of oil improperly disposed of potentially pollutes a million gallons of ground water,” said Jesse R. Huff, chairman of the state Integrated Waste Management Board.

“The typical ‘do-it-yourself’ oil changer is young, male and changes his oil in part to save money, but mostly for self-satisfaction,” according to a report prepared for the state board.

“He views his automobile as a symbol of achievement, even manhood. It is likely to be his most prized possession. . . . He doesn’t trust others with his car, so he takes care of it himself, including changing the oil--frequently.”

So how does one generate interest in something as, uh, uninspiring as recycling used motor oil?

“The campaign must persuasively communicate the thought that the job isn’t done right until the oil is disposed of correctly,” said a state report.

It doesn’t hurt to offer money, either.

Do-it-yourself oil changers can turn in their used oil for cash--at four cents a quart.

The money comes from a four-cent deposit charged on each quart of oil sold in California under a little-known 1991 state law designed to promote recycling of used motor oil.

The oil recycling campaign now under way in Los Angeles is intended to reach everyone--not just young males who worship their cars.

The city’s campaign has the help of strange bedfellows: Unocal Corp. and the American Oceans Campaign have put up the banners and put out the word.

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To claim a refund, take your used oil to one of about 650 authorized gas stations and auto parts stores in California. Many gas stations and auto parts stores accept used motor oil, but not all offer the rebates. Some even charge a fee to accept the oil.

There are a few basic do’s and don’ts (mostly don’ts): Do not mix the used motor oil with other substances. Contaminated motor oil cannot be recycled and must instead be brought to a household hazardous waste roundup.

Used oil must be in containers no larger than five gallons. There is a 20-gallon limit per individual per day.

Los Angeles residents can find the closest oil collection center by calling the city’s household hazardous waste hot line at (800) 98-TOXIC.

There also is a state recycling hot line that has a list of collection centers. The number is (800) 553-2962.

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Since the rebate program began in April, 1993, the state has paid out $706,000.

What you get for your trouble, they say, is more than just the four cents: It’s the satisfaction of good citizenship.

That may sound like a drop in the bucket. But it is the equivalent of 4.4 million gallons of used oil that did not find its way into the ocean, and state officials hope they will be recycling 15 million gallons next year.