LOS ALAMITOS : City Joins Bid to Get Oil Recycling Grant

City officials are seeking a state grant that will be used to educate residents about the need to recycle used motor oil and encourage gas station operators to set up used oil collection centers.

City Council members voted last week to join Seal Beach, La Palma and Cypress in applying for a $31,368 state grant for the project.

If the grant application is approved, a panel of representatives from the four cities would oversee the project, officials said.

Public Services Director Victor Rollinger said in a report to the council that part of the grant will be used for school programs that would encourage recycling of used motor oil.

Information about the recycling program also will be printed on city publications, utility bill inserts and on billboards, he said.

“All these efforts are designed to improve the safe handling, transportation and recycling of used oil,” Rollinger said in his report.

There are two state-certified collection sites in Cypress, and 15 more are being considered in the four cities. A 1991 state law authorized the collection of four cents for every quart of lubricating oil sold in the state.

The money goes to a fund from which local governments can seek grants for development of a certified used oil collection system and public education.

By joining with other cities, Los Alamitos officials said, they could apply for a larger grant and implement a more effective program.