Waste Board to Boost Cities' and Counties' Used Oil Management Programs with Funding

LONG BEACH--The California Integrated Waste Management Board has made more than $11.4 million available to local governmental agencies to reduce risks associated with mismanaged used oil. The money will support the used oil collection and recycling efforts of more than 500 city and county governmental agencies, serving 95 percent of the state's population.

"Old motor oil poured down street drains or dumped on the ground has the potential for more widespread environmental contamination in California than the 1989 Exxon Valdez tragedy, which spilled 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound," said Waste Board Chair Linda Moulton-Patterson. "Hopefully, this money will help to plug the leaks in our used oil collection system."

In California, nearly 20 million gallons of the 150 million gallons of lubricating oil sold annually are disposed of in an undetermined manner.

A list of the jurisdictions that have received funding from the Waste Board, and the attendant amount is available at this site.

The funds come from a 16-cent State surcharge levied on oil manufacturers for each new gallon of lubricating oil sold in California and are allocated to cities and counties annually with the award amounts determined on a per capita basis.

To qualify for the money, a jurisdiction must submit a completed application to the Waste Board by December 1, 2001; have properly documented expenditures from previous grant cycles; and reimbursed the Waste Board any unspent funds owed from past used oil block grants. Grantees will have up to three years in which to spend the funds (see www.ciwmb.ca.gov/HHW/Grants.htm).

Cities and counties can use the money to set up and maintain used oil and oil filter collection centers and events for residents, provide public education and outreach efforts, develop regional programs with other jurisdictions to boost the collective effectiveness of used oil and used oil filter recycling operations, and establish partnerships with private nonprofit and other governmental organizations to leverage additional funds and resources.

The improper disposal of used automotive oil represents a significant environmental safety and public health risk in California, where millions of trucks and cars fill the state's four-lane highways and crowd residential streets daily. Illegally dumped, a single gallon of used oil has the potential to contaminate the taste of 1 million gallons of drinking water, the yearly supply of 50 people. An estimated one in four households change their vehicles' motor oil in California and there are approximately 2,700 used oil collection centers--usually automotive parts stores--and 70 curbside collection programs.

The six-member Integrated Waste Management Board is responsible for protecting the public's health and safety and the environment through management of the estimated 66 million tons of solid waste generated in California each year. The Board works in partnership with local government, industry, and the public to reduce waste disposal and ensure environmentally safe landfills. California now diverts an estimated 42 percent of its solid waste away from disposal.

The Waste Board is one of six boards and departments within the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA).

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The energy challenge facing California is real. Every Californian needs to take immediate action to reduce energy consumption. For a list of simple ways you can reduce demand and cut your energy costs, Flex Your Power and see our Web site at www.ciwmb.ca.gov/.