Summer ambassadors were in Fernie this week promoting the recycling of used oil, used antifreeze and old tires.
As part of their eighth annual province wide tour, the summer ambassadors made stops at Canadian Tire, Day Auto, and Woz Mechanical in Hosmer on Tuesday and Wednesday.
All three locations accept used oil for recycling, and Canadian Tire accepts used tires. Tires can also be dropped at Fernie Chrysler.
“One drop of oil can contaminate a million drops of water,” said ambassador Nadine Hoyt. “So it’s really important to make sure oil is disposed of properly.”
All used oil will be accepted for recycling as long as it has not been contaminated.
Tires must be off the rims. There is no charge for dropping them off as the fee is included in the price at the time of purchase.
“Tires are a danger to health. Mosquitos can breed in old tires and that is a West Nile virus risk,” said Hoyt.
“Plus recycling them is really good. There are lots of uses for recycled tires, such as artificial turf.”
Hoyt and another ambassador made the stops in Fernie to see how well the programs have been running at the three locations, plus generate public awareness to keep these otherwise recyclable materials away from our landfills and out of our drinking water.
Hoyt said it would be great if people could try to drop off the oil and tires during business hours, to avoid spills.
The British Columbia Used Oil Management Association (BCUOMA) in partnership with Tire Stewardship BC (TSBC) runs the summer program.
BCUOMA is a not-for-profit organization responsible for the implementation of a province-wide recovery and recycling system for used oil, antifreeze, and their respective filters and containers. BCUOMA is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of recycling these waste materials. For more information about BCUOMA and a listing of collection facilities across the province, please visit www.usedoilrecycling.com
TSBC is a not-for-profit society responsible for managing BC’s scrap tire recycling program in accordance with its Ministry of Environment approved Tire Stewardship Plan and the BC Recycling Regulation. For more information on TSBC, please visit www.tirestewardshipbc.ca
The ambassadors’ progress can be tracked throughout the summer on their blog at www.bcusedoil.com