POINT ARENA CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
AGENDA ITEM: IX C
MEETING DATE: 9/26/2023
TITLE
Future of Used Oil Program
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Discuss and direct staff
ANALYSIS
For the past 22 years, the City of Point Arena has operated a Used Oil Program prevent illegally disposed used oil, recycle used oil/used oil filters, and reclaim used oil. It provides an alternative to illegal disposal and encourages the recycling of used oil.
Used oil and filters are deposited by consumers at a rented shed on the property housing L&B Avalos Bodyshop. City staff check the facility regularly and transport the used oil and filters to the waste oil facility located at the County’s corporate yard on Eureka Hill Road. When filters or oil or both get close to full, the City contacts World Oil, a certified waste oil processor, to pick up oil and filters, This happens about once a year.
The City of Point Arena receives a $5,000 grant annually to manage the Used Oil Program. The money comes from CalRecycle through the Mendocino Solid Waste Management Authority. Similar to the Arena Cove Recycling Facility, the Used Oil Program is utilized by the entire region. The program is intended for use by households; it is not for commercial use.
The cost of the program includes $1800 in rent for the use of a storage shed located next to the auto shop with the balance of the funds used for wages and benefits for public works staff who manage the program. Over the past five years, the City has expended
YEAR GRANT EXPENSE DIFFERENCE
17-18 $ 5,000.00 $ 5,610.16 $ 610.16
18-19 $ 5,000.00 $ 6,629.53 $ 1,629.53
19-20 $ 5,000.00 $ 7,720.69 $ 2,720.69
20-21 $ 5,000.00 $ 5,139.85 $ 139.85
21-22 $ 5,000.00 $ 5,589.00 $ 589.00
22-23 $ - $ 5,470.75 $ 5,470.75
Expenses without 22-23 grant $ 11,159.98
Expenses with 22-23 grant $ 6,159.98
more on the program than the $5,000 yearly. The City expends approximately $1000 of general fund money in addition to the grant.
The Mendocino Solid Waste Management Authority (MSWMA), from whom the City receives the grant funding, has seen regular staff turnover in the past two years. Last year, the County Department of Transportation managed the program. This year, the City of Ukiah has taken over MSWMA’s administrative functions.
Due to the staffing issues, it has become increasingly difficult to ensure the City receives these grant funds. For example, we have yet to receive funding for FY 22-23 despite repeated efforts to engage with staff. We did not receive funding for FY 20-21 and FY 21-22 until early 2022.
There is concern that the City will not receive further funding in a timely manner – if at all – and that leaves the City on the hook for the entire expense at a time we cannot afford it.
Staff seeks direction on whether to continue the program with a chance of reimbursement or to shut the program down altogether. Should the Used Oil Program end, waste oil can be disposed of at the South Coast Transfer Station on Fish Rock Road.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approximately $6,000 in savings
ATTACHMENTS
1. EPA Used Oil Recycling Backgrounder
2. Original Authorizing Resolution 2001-19
3. Photo of Waste Oil Shed
CITY MANAGER SIGNATURE
_________________________________
Paul Andersen, City Manager
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Stormwater Best Management Practice
Developing a Used Oil Recycling
Program
Minimum Measure: Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination Subcategory: Trash and Illegal Dumping
Description
Used motor oil is a hazardous waste that contains heavy metals, contaminants and dirt filtered or discarded from engines. It is toxic to humans, wildlife and plants—which means anyone using it should store it and dispose of it properly.
More specifically, the user should:
Never dump used motor oil in a landfill or down a
drain.
Store the oil in a plastic or metal container with a
secure lid.
Never use containers that previously stored bleach,
gasoline, paint, solvents or other household
chemicals for used motor oil.
Never mix used motor oil with other substances such
as antifreeze, pesticides or paint stripper.
Dispose of it at a local recycling or disposal facility.
Fortunately, it is sometimes possible to recycle or reuse used motor oil. In the United States, recyclers handle an estimated 380 million gallons of used oil every year (U.S.
EPA, 2019), marketing it to asphalt plants, steel mills, boilers, pulp and paper mills, cement/lime kilns, and a number of other places. Furnaces can burn reprocessed
motor oil for heat, and power plants and industrial
burners can use it as fuel. Recyclers can blend motor oil for marine fuels, mix it with asphalts for paving, or rerefine it into lubricating oils that meet the same standards as new oil. It takes only 1 gallon of used oil to produce two-and-a-half quarts of high-quality lubricating oil, thus reducing demand for new crude oil (U.S. EPA,
2019).To encourage proper disposal and recycling of
used oil, municipalities can establish an oil recycling program. When establishing oil recycling programs,
municipalities should provide the public with
informational resources, including drop-off locations and hours of operation. The public can look up nearby
recycling centers on Earth 911's website. For more
information, visit EPA’s managing, reusing, and recycling webpage.
Providing communities with easily accessible methods to properly dispose of used oil is critical to protecting
stormwater quality.
Applicability
All states and communities that seek to protect their
local environment and public health can benefit from oil recycling programs. Urban areas may find them
especially useful, because vehicles are the most
common source of used motor oil—and urban areas
have more vehicles, so they generate more used oil.
Implementation
A wide variety of businesses generate and handle used
oil. But used oil recycling is still uncommon: for example, Florida recycles only 35 percent of the more than 7
million gallons of motor oil sold there each year (FDEP, 2019). Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations part 279 details EPA's used oil management standards.
These standards highlight good housekeeping
requirements and essential information that businesses
can use to manage and implement a used oil recycling
program while protecting human health and the
environment.
State statutes often have built-in oil programs, providing the framework and in some cases the funding to
encourage the collection and recycling of used oil. Most legislation also contains a component that requires
https://www.epa.gov/npdes EPA-832-F-21-029B
December 2021
NPDES: Stormwater Best Management Practice ——Developing a Used Oil Recycling Program educating the public about oil recycling. The American
Legislative Exchange Council has developed a model
used oil collection act, which provides incentives to
increase the number of certified collection facilities for used oil.
Two types of local-level oil recycling programs currently exist: drop-off locations and curbside collection. A dropoff location is a designated spot or business in the community where residents can bring their used oil: for example, a service station, recycling center, auto parts retail store, quick lube or landfill. These locations are effective because they are familiar, permanent,
conveniently located and abundant in most communities.
In curbside collection, a municipality or waste collection service allows residents to leave oil at the curbside in an approved container, either on a designated day or upon
request. Local or state governments can implement
recycling programs through mandate; service stations,
quick lubes, auto parts retailers, oil processors or any combination of the above can also implement them
independently.
Increasing Public Awareness
Communities should increase public awareness of how
to properly dispose of and recycle used oil. They can
achieve this by using Web sites or social media or by
displaying used oil collection signs in automobile repair shops and auto parts stores. Communities should
educate the public on the part they can play in recycling used oil. For example, when getting an oil change (at a service station, quick lube, etc.), a driver should check if their mechanic recycles motor oil. Home mechanics
should always take used motor oil to a recycling center.
To make recycling motor oil more convenient for the
home mechanic, oil recycling programs should put
recycling locations in convenient places throughout
communities (e.g., auto parts stores, local recycling
centers).
In 1991, the American Petroleum Institute (API)
established a used oil collection and recycling program.
The program educates the public about collecting and
recycling used oil, making oil collection more convenient, and handling this valuable resource appropriately. See
API’s Used Motor Oil Program Web site for more
information.
Local Recycling Programs
Many states, cities and communities have developed
their own recycling programs. Communities can use
existing used oil programs around the country as models when developing their own programs. For example, San
Diego, California, and Kansas City, Missouri, have both developed successful oil recycling programs. In addition, CalRecycle, a California state program, provides
monetary incentives for development and maintenance
of local collection programs, as well as grants for
research and demonstration projects. CalRecycle uses a
statewide network of collection opportunities and
outreach efforts to publicize and encourage used oil
recycling. The program provides information including
collection locations, certification information, proposed regulations, used oil facts and other resources. For more information, visit the CalRecycle Used Oil Recycling
Program Web site.
Benefits
Recycling used motor oil benefits the environment,
public health and the economy. Improperly disposing of
oil in landfills, ditches and waterways, or dumping it on the ground or down storm sewers, can cause it to
migrate into surface water and groundwater. Below are
some statistics that may help educate residents about
the benefits of oil recycling and the impacts from
improper disposal:
The annual demand for lube oil in the United States
is around 2.5 billion gallons, including 1.5 billion
gallons of automotive lubricating oils (DOE, 2006).
The United States recycles around 1 billion gallons
of used oil each year (DOE, 2006).
The United States improperly disposes of an
estimated 350 million gallons of used oil each year
(DOE, 2006)
In 2004, vendors sold 150 million gallons of
lubricating oil in California. About 60 percent of the
oil was recycled; an estimated 20 to 40 percent of
the remainder was combusted or leaked (CalEPA,
2006).
Limitations
The potential for contamination sets a constraint on oil recycling. Oil is a hazardous waste when mixed with
other substances, such as chemical residues in storage
Office of Water, 4203M
NPDES: Stormwater Best Management Practice ——Developing a Used Oil Recycling Program containers. In such cases, collection facilities should dispose of it in keeping with applicable environmental
regulations (including, potentially, the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act).
Another limitation is public education. While oil recycling programs can be effective, it is often difficult to
effectively educate and inform the public about oil dropoff locations. Municipalities can address this limitation by including recycling information in utility bill inserts, on community Web sites and newsletters, and in
newspaper ads and mailings.
Effectiveness
The effectiveness of a used oil recycling program is
difficult to quantify as there is little quantitative
information to draw upon. A University of California
Berkeley study tracked the annual volume of oil recycled in California from 2007 to 2012 and found that, on
average, consumers recycled 70 percent of the oil sold
in the state. However, each year saw a general
decrease in the amount of oil recycled, indicating the
importance of increased outreach and education
(Kuczenski et al., 2014). A national report by the U.S.
Department of Energy also attempted to quantify used
oil disposal and recycle patterns. The authors found that, from 1996 to 2004, fewer people were changing their
own oil and more were relying on “do it for me” outlets such as quick lube shops, garages and auto dealerships, suggesting less chance of improper disposal by “do it
yourself” (DIY) consumers (DOE, 2006). They also
reviewed data from individual states and concluded,
qualitatively, that there had been improvements in DIY
oil changers behavior but that improper disposal was still common. Communities can reduce improper disposal by
providing information on recycling facilities, making
recycling more convenient for the public and continuing public education.
Costs
Costs for used motor oil recycling programs vary
depending on whether a community has already
established similar programs. Major costs include
advertising and oil collection. CalRecycle funds its
statewide program through a 24-cent-per-gallon fee
added to the sale of lubricating oil throughout California (CalRecycle, 2020). While service stations and collection facilities often allow the public to drop off their oil free of charge, these facilities need to pay a recovery service to collect and dispose of the accumulated oil.
Costs for programs also vary depending on whether they
use curbside pickup or drop-off facilities. For example, Boulder County, Colorado, charges businesses $0.11 a
pound to drop off used oil at the county hazardous waste facility (Boulder County, 2020). Local recovery services can offer more specific information about oil collection fees and services available.
Additional Information
Additional information on related practices and the Phase II MS4 program can be found at EPA’s National Menu of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Stormwater website
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NPDES: Stormwater Best Management Practice ——Developing a Used Oil Recycling Program References
Boulder County. (2020). Hazardous waste disposal costs for businesses.
California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA). (2006). Characterization of used oil in stormwater runoff in California.
CalRecycle. (2020). Collection center basics.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). (2019). Annual used oil registration and renewal information.
Kuczenski, B., Geyer, R., Zink, T., & Henderson, A. (2014). Material flow analysis of lubricating oil use in California. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 93, 59–66.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). (2006). Used oil re-refining study to address Energy Policy Act of 2005 Section 1838.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). (2019). Managing used oil: Answers to frequent questions for businesses.
Disclaimer
This fact sheet is intended to be used for informational purposes only. These examples and references are not intended to be comprehensive and do not preclude the use of other technically sound practices. State or local requirements may apply.
Office of Water, 4203M