United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(OS-305)
EPA/530/SW-88-047
March 1988
4>EPA USED OIL RECYCLING
EPA ANNOUNCES NEW INITIATIVE TO PROMOTE
USED OIL RECYCLING
Over 200 million gallons of used oil are
generated each year by Do-lt-Yourselfers
(DlYs) who change their own motor oil. Of this,
less than 10 percent is recovered through recy-
cling.
Oil drained from automobile crankcases is
a valuable resource when properly recycled.
Recycling can conserve our nation's natural
resources, protect the environment, and save
consumers money. However, when improp-
erly disposed of, used oil can contaminate the
soil and surface and ground waters.
Authorized drop-off points for used oil -
such as at service stations and on county
property - should be organized and publi-
cized. DIY used oil should not be mixed with
other substances, since this mixing can trans-
form ft into a hazardous waste.
We are initiating an education and promo-
tion campaign at EPA to promote the proper
recycling of used oil. Our Used Oil Program will
serve as a clearinghouse for information for the
regions, the States, local governments, and
other groups interested in recycling. As part of
that information exchange, we will publish this
bulletin as needed to pass on information about
successful programs, new ideas, and data on
recycling oil.
We need your help to make this exchange
a success. Please share with us any informa-
tion, ideas, or concerns you have about this en-
vironmental issue by writing to or calling Sarah
Carney (U.S. EPA, WH565A, 401 M Street,
S.W., Washington, DC 20460,202-382-7932).
Fact sheets for DlYs and service stations are
available upon request.
PROJECT
PROJECT ROSE PROMOTES ENERGY CONSERVATION
recycled oil saves energy
Organized in 1977 by a chemical engi-
neering professor at the University of Ala-
bama, Project ROSE (Recycled Oil Saves
Energy) helps Alabama citizens save energy
and preserve the environment by recycling
used motor oil. As a state and regional energy
conservation program, Project ROSE serves
as an information and resource center for both
industry and do-it-yourselfers (DlYs).
The program's goals are to increase
awareness of the hazards of dumping used oil
and to organize a convenient used oil recycling
network for individual communities.
Project ROSE receives office space and
support personnel from the University of Ala-
bama. Otherwise, it is funded through the
Alabama Department of Economics and Com-
munity Affairs. The project has two full-time
staff members ~ the Project Coordinator and
the Promotional Assistant. The state grant
monies pay for various educational materials,
such as brochures, flyers, information packets,
printed on
recycled paper
and a slide show that is distributed on request.
Project ROSE'S greatest assets are its many
volunteers, who are active in every part of the
program.
According to Janet Graham, Project
ROSE's Coordinator, the key to successfully
promoting used oil recycling is a continuous
educational program involving every layer of
society. Thus, Project ROSE communicates
its message through the media, schools, spe-
cial events, and civic and volunteer organiza-
tions. For example, the project airs biannual
public service announcements on every radio
and television station in the area, publishes
press releases in local papers and magazines,
produces and distributes brochures and mails
a quarterly newsletter to 1,200 subscribers. In
addition, the state telephone service and
power company include information about
Project ROSE with their bills at least once a
year.
Project ROSE assists commu nities and cit-
Continued on page 2
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PROJECT ROSE PROMOTES ENERGY CONSERVATION ... continued
ies by offering several recycling options, allowing them to
design programs to meet their specific local needs. The
three options currently being used are curbside collec-
tion, collection centers, and drum placement. Because
much of Alabama is rural, collection centers, in the form
of service station collection, are the most widely used
system. Several largercities provide curbside collection
of used oil. In Tuscaloosa, the garbage trucks are fitted
with racks to carry the used oil. The state has eight Pro-
gram Center locations where volunteers help promote,
operate, and maintain the program in their area.
Project ROSE tracks the amount of Dl Y used oil that
is recycled in the state by asking the used oil recyclers on
a regular basis how much used oil they have gathered
from within the state. This system, although simple,
gives the Project a general idea of the level of participa-
tion in the programs.
Project participants constantly work to increase the
number of collection sites in the state. They distribute
posters to service stations that collect DIY used oil, and
are planning to offer decals for the doors of participating
service stations to show they are considerate of the
environment.
Project ROSE holds large promotional campaigns in
several parts of the state to involve as many groups as
possible in the recycling effort. The campaigns make the
project visible and provide a way for the Project ROSE
staff to get materials out to the public. The first step in a
promotional campaign is to choose the geographic area
of focus. The next step is basically groundwork, which
includes calling service stations to update the lists of
collection sites. A sponsor group(s) is found to provide
monetary assistance, volunteers, or other types of aid,
and arrangements are made to participate in a prear-
ranged public event. The area is then saturated with
information about used oil recycling through press re-
leases, public service announcements on television and
radio, school presentations, and more. So far, these
campaigns have been very successful.
Project ROSE received the second place award in
the state/federal agency category of the 1987 Keep
America Beautiful, Inc., National Awards Program. The
project's emphasis on public/private partnerships, citizen
action, and public education in the area of recycling were
cited as the major reasons for giving the award to the
program.
The success of this program and its ability to attract
such a large volunteer work force provides vivid proof of
the commitment of the people of Alabama and the
Southeast to preserve the great aesthetic beauty and
abundant natural resources of their environment. It also
proves that Project ROSE has developed a program that
works.
If you or your organization would like further information
on this project, please call or write:
Project ROSE, P.O. Box 6373, Tuscaloosa, Ala.,
35487-6373, (205) 348-4878.
STATE p 0 NT AQT S ON US £tit. O I L R E G Y C L I ti G
The following list contains EPA's most recent directory of state used oil recycling contacts. Contacts, if your name,
address, or phone number is incorrect or if there are others who should be included on the list, please inform Sarah
Carney, U.S. EPA, OS-323,401 M Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20460, 202-382-7932
(Updated August,1988)
Alabama
Ms. Janet H. Graham
Project ROSE Coordinator
Box 6373
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-6373
205-348-4878
Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-257-2317
Arkansas
Mr. Ed Davis
Industrial Development Comm
4210 East 11th Avenue
Denver, CO 80220
303-331-4830
iSSiOn r?nnna»t:»nt
2000 14th St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
202-939-8115
Florida
Mr. David l-l Kollnv
Mr. Daniel Cooper
Chief of Land Division
Attention: Hazardous Waste Branch
Department of Environmental Manage-
ment
1751 Federal Drive
Montgomery, AL 36130
205-271-7746
Alaska
Mr. Stan Osburn
Department of Environmental
Conservation
P.O. Box 0
Juneau.AK 99811
907-465-2653
Arizona
Ms. Stephanie Wilson
Department of Environmental Quality
2005 N. Central
One State Capitol Mall
Little Rock, AR 72201
501-371-1370
California
Ms. Carol Brow
Solid Waste Management Board
1020 9th Street. Suite 300
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-322-1446
Mr. Leif Peterson
Department of Health Services
Alternative Technology Section
P.O. Box 942732
Sacramento, CA 94234-7320
916-324-1807
Colorado
Mr. Greg Starkebaum
Solid and Hazardous Waste Section
Department of Health
Mr. Charles Zieminski
Department of Environmental Protec-
tion
State Office Building
165 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
203-566-4633
Delaware
Mr. John Posdon
Division of Facilities Management/
Energy Office
P.O. Box 1401
Dover, DE 19903
302-736-5644
District of Columbia
Russel Hawkins
Department of Public Works
6th floor,
Department of Environmental Regula-
Twin Towers Office Building
2600 Blair Stone Road, Room 238
Tallahassee, FL 32399-2400
904-488-0300
Georgia
Mr. John Olivier
Environmental Protection
Division
Department of Natural Resources
Floyd Towers East
205 Butler Street, Room 1154
Atlanta, GA 30334
404-656-7802
Hawaii
Mr. Denis Lau
Chief of Hazardous Waste Program
Department of Health
PO Box 3378
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LIST OF THE STATE CONTACTS ON USED OIL RECYCLING... continued
Honolulu, HI 96801
808-548-6410
Idaho
Dr. John Moeller
Department of Health and Welfare
450 West State Street
3rd Floor
Boise, ID 83720
208-334-5879
Illinois
Mr. James Mergen
Environmental Protection Agency
2200 Churchill Road
P.O. Box 19276
Springfield, IL 62794-9276
217-785-4437
Indiana
Mr. James Hunt
Department of Environmental Man-
agement '•
105 South Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46206
317-232-4535
Iowa
Mr. Stu Schmitz
Department of Natural Resources
900 East Grand !
Des Moines, IA 50319
515-281-8499
Kansas
Mr. Richard Flanary.
Department of Health and Environ-
ment
Bureau of Waste Management
Bldg 730
Forbes Field
Topeka, KS 66620
913-296-1609
Kentucky
Mr. Charles Peters
Department of Environmental
Protection
Natural Resources and Environmental
Protection Cabinet
18 Reilly Road
Frankfort, KY 40601
502-564-6716 \
Louisiana
Mr. Tom Patterson
Department of Environmental Quality
Hazardous Waste Division
P.O. Box 44307
Baton Rouge, LA 70804
504-342-4677 :
Maine
Mr. Richard Kaselis
Department of Environmental
Protection
State House Station #17
Augusta, ME 04333
207-289-2651
Maryland
Dr. Cliff Willey
Maryland Environmental Services
2020 Industrial Drive
Annapolis, MD 21401
301-974-3291
Massachusetts
Ms. Cynthia Bellamy
Division of Hazardous Waste
Department of Environmental Quality
Engineering
One Winter Street, 5th Floor
Boston, MA 02108
617-292-5848
Michigan
Ms. Julie Stoneman
West Michigan Environmental Action
Council
1432 Wealthy, SE
Grand Rapids, Ml 49506
616-451-3051
Mr. Hien Nguyen
Department of Natural Resources
P.O. Box 30028
Lansing, Ml 48909
517-373-0540
Minnesota
Mr. Kevin O'Donnell
Waste Management Board
1350 Energy Lane
St. Paul, MN 55108
612-649-5750
Mr. Randall G. Hukriede
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
520 Lafayette Road North
St. Paul, MN 55155
612-296-9395
Mississippi
Mr. Jack McCord
Bureau of Pollution Control
Department of Natural Resources
P.O. Box 10385
Jackson, MS 39209
601-961-5171
Missouri
Mr. Bruce Martin
Department of Natural Resources
P.O. Box 176
Jefferson City, MO 65102
314-751-3176
Montana
Mr. Bill Potts
Solid Waste Management Bureau
Department of Health and Environ-
mental Sciences
Cogswell Building - Room B201
Hefena, MT 59620
406-444-2821
Nebraska
Mr. Dale Gubbels
Nebraska State Recycling Association
P.O. Box 80729
Lincoln, NE 68501
402-475-3637
Nevada
Mr. Curtis Framel
Office of Community Services
1100 East William St.
No. 117
Carson City, NV 89710
702-885-4908
New Hampshire
Ms. Wendy Waskin
Waste Management
Department of Environmental Services
Health and Welfare Building
6 Hazen Drive
Concord, NH 03301
603-271-2900
New Jersey
Ms. Athena Sarafides
Office of Recycling
Department of Environmental
Protection
401 E State Street
Trenton, NJ 08625
609-292-0331
Ms. Joanne Held or Mr. Gary Price
Department of Environmental
Protection
32 East Hanover Street
Trenton, NJ 08625
609-292-8515
New Mexico
Mr. Mike Sanders
Hazardous Waste Section
Environmental Improvement Division
Health and Environmental Department
P.O. Box 968
Sante Fe, NM 87504-068
505-827-2924
New York
Dr. Roberta Weisbrod
Department of Environmental
Conservation
50 Wolf Road
Albany, NY 12233
718-482-4949
North Carolina
Ms. Judy Lund
Department of Human Resources
P.O. Box 2091
Raleigh, NC 27602
919-733-2178
Ms. Mary MacDaniel
Southeast Waste Exchange
Univ. of NC at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC 28223
704-547-2307
North Dakota
Mr. Dave Switlick
Division of Waste
Management and Special Studies
Department of Health
1200 Missouri Avenue
P.O. Box 5520
Bismarck, ND 58502
701-224-2366
Ohio
Ms. Susan Buchanan/Mr. Kevin
Clouse
Environmental Protection Agency
1800 Water-Mark Drive
Columbus, OH 43266-0149
614-481-7239
Oklahoma
Mr. Al Coulter
Industrial Waste Division
Department of Health
P.O. Box 53551
Oklahoma City, OK 73152
405-271-7067
Oregon
Mr. Peter Spendelow
Department of Environmental Quality
811 SW 6th Street
Portland, OR 97204
503-229-5253
Mr. Gary Calaba
Hazardous Waste Department
P.O. Box 1760
Portland, OR 97207
503-229-6534
Pennsylvania
Mr. Bill LaCour
Department of Environmental
Resources
P.O. Box 2063
Harrisburg, PA 17120
717-787-7382
Rhode Island
Mr. Eugene Pepper
Department of Environmental
Management
83 Park St.
Providence, Rl 02903
401-277-3434
South Carolina
Mr. Allen E. Raymond
Department of Health and
Environmental Control
2600 Bull Street
Columbia, SC 29201
803-734-5200
South Dakota
Mr. Tim Rogers
Department of Water
and Natural Resources
Air Quality and Solid Waste Programs
Joe Foss Building
Pierre, SD 57501
605-773-3153
Tennessee
Mr. Frank Victory
Department of Health & Environment
Customs House
701 Broadway
Nashville, TN 37219-5403
615-741-3424
Texas
Mr. John Fatchford
Head of Small Quantity Generator
Program
Texas Water Commission
Hazardous and Solid Waste Division
P.O. Box 13087, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
512-463-7761
Utah
Mr. Ronald Firth
Division of Oil, Gas and Mining
355 West North Temple
3 Triad Center
Suite 350
Salt Lake City, UT 84180-1203
801-538-5340
Vermont
Mr. John Miller
Agency of Environmental Conserva-
tion
103 South Main Street
Waterbury, VT 05676
802-244-8702
Virginia
Mr. Alan Lassiter
Division of Energy
2201 West Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23220
804-367-1310
Washington
Ms. Rhonda Hunter
Department of Ecology
Mail Stop PV-11
Olympia, WA 98504-8711
206-459-6356
Wast Virginia
Mr. William Willis
Fuels and Energy Office
1204 Kanawha Blvd.
2nd Floor
Charleston, WV 25301
304-348-8860
Wisconsin
Ms. Linda Lynch/Mr. John Reindl
Department of Natural Resources
P.O. Box 7921
Madison, Wl 53707
608-266-5741
Wyoming
Mr. Dave Finley
Solid Waste Management Program
Department of Environmental Quality
Herschler Building
122 West 25th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002
307-777-7752
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND
• - i . . .1 •:
A SOLUTfOM
Enacted on July 1, 1978, the Maryland Used Oil
Recycling Act prohibited and set penalties for the im-
properdisposal of used oil. It also specified that recycling
stations could not charge anyone who deposited their oil
with them.
With the help of coordinators in each of the state's
counties, the Maryland Environmental Service recruited
service stations to voluntarily accept waste oil from do-it-
yourselfers (DIYs).
In the early 1980s, about 140 service stations were
participating in the recycling program in Montgomery
County, a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C. Today,
only 27 service stations are accepting used oil from DIYs.
The decline has two probable causes. First, when crude
oil prices dropped, transporters began charging service
stations to haul their used oil to recyclers. Because
service stations couldn't pass on the cost to the do-it-
yourselfers, the program became too expensive. Sec-
ond, when EPA proposed regulating used oil as a haz-
ardous waste, service stations became even more reluc-
tant to participate in the program because of the stigma
produced by the hazardous waste label.
In October 1986, the county attempted to fill the need
for collection stations by placing a 250-gallon tank de-
signed to collect DIY used oil at the County's Solid Waste
Transfer Station. The program has been a success.
Today, there are four tanks where an average of 2,200
gallons is collected monthly.
A recycling facility based in Pennsylvania provides
the tanks and collects the oil at no charge to the county.
The tanks are placed directly on the pavement at the
transfer station and have no special leak detection sys-
tem. The collector samples the contents of each tank
before accepting it. If the oil is contaminated, the county
is responsible for proper disposal. So far, there has been
little problem with contamination. The county has not
been required to pay for disposal.
Three of the tanks are conveniently placed next to
the garbage drop-off point in the public unloading area,
which is restricted to cars and station wagons. The other
tank is in the main transfer building where trucks unload
used oil. A catchy logo designed by the owner of the
tanks and signs on the outside of the tanks make them
visible and clearly define their purpose.
Each tank has a small door that is easily opened on
the top of the horizontally seated drum. A wire mesh
cover on the opening prevents solid objects from enter-
ing the tank. The DIY simply opens the small door and
pours in the used oil. An absorbent material is kept close
to the tanks in case of spillage or overflow. Cleanup from
spillage is the responsibility of the county and has been
necessary only a few times.
The used oil tanks in the public unloading area are
available from 7:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Monday through Fri-
day, 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 9:00 a.m.-
5:00 p.m. on Sunday. The used oil collection tank in the
main transfer building is open 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Mon-
day through Saturday.
To prevent commercial groups from depositing their
oil in these tanks, the county restricts each deposit to five
gallons. Mixing the oil with such hazardous substances
as solvents is prohibited. A county worker is stationed
close to the public drop-off point to answer questions and
loosely monitor the deposits. There have been no prob-,
lems with people mixing their oil with other wastes.
Public education about this program has been very
limited-through word of mouth and periodic announce-
ments in the monthly county newspaper. Nevertheless,
the program has grown quickly because the interest
among residents to recycle their oil remains high. In the
first year, the station collected 25,000 gallons. The
system is successfully filling a need.
County workers have found that the largest volume
of used oil is deposited on the weekends. When partici-
pation in the recycling program was growing and the
county didn't have enough tanks to fill the demand, DIYs
were allowed to leave their used oil in sealed containers
close to the tanks. County workers then deposited the oil
in the tanks after the oil was collected for recycling. Now
the county can accommodate the DIYs, as long as the
tanks are emptied every week to ten days.
Montgomery County is committed to increased recy-
cling. Part of the county has mandatory curbside news-
paper recycling. The transfer station also collects used
batteries, aluminum cans, glass bottles, and newspa-
pers. In the future, the county will continue to support
used oil recycling by encouraging service stations own-
ers to serve as community collection sites and continuing
its collection operations at the county transfer station.
Straight from the Crankcase
The State of Rhode Island recently purchased 41 containers designed
to collect DIY used oil. These containers will be distributed through-
out the State.
Sunnyvale, California distributes one-gallon containers for residents
to use in the curbside collection of used oil.
Did you know cowboys used to recycle their oil by pouring it through
an old cowboy hat.
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