Students doing dirty job to help keep environment clean
Each summer, young people travel B.C. to spread the message about the need to recycle used motor oil
Ali Omelaniec (left) and Emily Louie (right) are B.C. Used Oil Management Association ambassadors. They recently visited local shops and met with staff such as Lubeworld manager Mark Rellin on their journey around B.C.
Photograph by: Heather Colpitts , Langley Advance
Click here to see Used Oil Recyclers in Langley (in PDF)
It's a dirty job, but Emily Louie and Ali Omelaniec wanted to do it.
They are spending their summer educating people about used oil, as ambassadors with the B.C. Used Oil Management Association.
"We're canvassing the whole province," Omelaniec said of their summer work.
By the time Louie, from Vancouver, and Omelaniec, from Langley, finish up their roles, they will have visited about 120 municipalities and 520 facilities as well as taking part in various community activities.
The ambassadors were at the Aldergrove Fair Days Car Show and will be attending the Langely International Festival Car and Bike Show on Aug. 25 and 26, along with mascot Mr. Oil Drop.
The businesses that do oil changes seem to be well acquainted with the requirements and have the infrastructure to be able to collect and dispose of used oil.
But the driveway mechanic is another matter.
"The biggest target is do-it-yourselfers," Omelaniec said.
The used oil recycling program started in 2005 to get more people collecting and recycling used oil as well as antifreeze (added in 2011) and their respective filters and containers. Find out more at www. usedoilrecycling.com.
needs to be done. The message is getting through but more
"We have a recovery rate of 73 per cent of the oil," Omelaniec said.
More than 18 million litres of used motor oil are not recovered in B.C. each year, getting into landfills and the environment, including the water system.
hcolpitts@langleyadvance.com
