Used oil and antifreeze can now be disposed of responsibly by a North Island First Nation and the town of Zeballos.
The centre is located at 601 Mainline Rd. in Zeballos and has a 1,100-litre intermediate tank and modified sea container to manage the responsible collection of oil.
It is being managed by the BC Used Oil Management Association. The association is a not-for-profit group that collects and recycles used motor oil, oil filters, oil containers, and used antifreeze and antifreeze containers in B.C.
Ehattesaht First Nation, with support from the Comox Valley Regional District, got a grant from the association to get the container and tank.
The association says used oil is a valuable resource and if it is recycled it can be recovered and reused in lubricating oil or raw material inputs for manufacturing or energy products.
BC Used Oil Management CEO David Lawes says they worked with the Ehattesaht First Nation to come up with a solution for their used oil, and it will benefit the local area.
“Zeballos is a small, remote community that takes great pride in their beautiful West Coast coastal environment,” said Lawes.
“This area is world-famous for its eco-tourism, and this new facility ensures residents and tourists have a safe location to return used oil and antifreeze program materials.”
Ehattesaht operations and maintenance manager Ryan Foster says the facility provides a need to the First Nation and their environmental goals.
“We worked with the team at BC Used Oil Management Association to develop a facility that our community members could drop off used oil program materials easily and at no cost. This has been an important initiative for us,” said Foster.
“By working with organizations like BC Used Oil Management Association, we can provide more opportunities to divert unwanted or unusable items from our environment.”
Ehattesaht band member Lyle Billy says their community is working to review opportunities to provide more effective waste management options.
