Likely landfill can now recycle used oil & antifreeze

The community of Likely is now part of the Interchange Recycling network.

Earlier this week the Likely Landfill received a 10-foot sea container and an 1100 litre tank for used oil collection.

Director of Operations from Interchange Recycling, Jenn Robson, said the sea container came through their Infrastructure Grant Program that’s offered throughout BC.

“It comes fully equipped and prepared to accept materials such as used oil, antifreeze, filters, and the containers that the product is sold in. This container has everything necessary to collect the materials safely as well as spill containment on the floor to prevent to prevent any environmental impact.”

Robson said it’s critical that people, especially for those that are doing it themselves, changing their own oil, this is a free and easy opportunity to bring in their used oil to ensure that it’s collected safely, cleanly, and in doing so that oil can be re-refined into new motor oil for sale.

‘The ideal type of oil we’re looking for is something that has been collected properly, handled safely so that it’s as clean and pure as possible and that type of oil can be re-refined. For other oil that maybe isn’t as clean as we do have other opportunities to ensure that it has a second life such as through waste energy management and cement kilns for example.”

Interchange Recycling said used oil can be re-fined into new lubricating oil or material inputs for manufacturing or energy products.

Used oil filters contain metal which is recycled into metal products like rebar, nails, and wire.

Interchange Recycling said used oil and antifreeze containers are recycled and used to manufacture new oil containers, drainage tiles, and parking curbs, while used antifreeze is refined and reused as new automotive antifreeze.

Robson said they currently have around a 99.4 per cent accessibility rate in British Columbia and we know the majority of the oil we collect is through commercial generators.

“So out of all the oil in a year, we collect close to 50 million litres annually, about 5 per cent of that volume comes directly from consumers who are changing oil themselves.”