By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

searching for a solution

More options to recycle used oil possibly coming to Red Deer

Sep 29, 2019 | 11:04 AM

There is hope in the air that Red Deerians could soon be afforded more opportunity to recycle used oil products in their own community.

The Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA) currently oversees other forms of recycling in Red Deer, including that of paint and used tires. Other than periodic one-day drop-offs, however, there’s no permanent used oil recycling depot in Red Deer.

The nearest are in Sylvan Lake and Lacombe, and the Prentiss Transfer Station takes used oil as well. ARMA CEO Ed Gugenheimer says he is meeting next month with The City of Red Deer to discuss possible options.

“We have reached out to 230 municipalities to make sure they’re willing to continue to collect used oil on our behalf,” says Gugenheimer, whose organization took over used oil recycling for the province last year. “Definitely we’re working with Red Deer so I can understand the pain points The City of Red Deer has, what their concerns are, and so we can figure out if we can come up with a solution that’s going to work for constituents and the environment.”

Used paint is also a bone of contention that ARMA has had to deal with.

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“Sometimes people leave their paints in their basement and they just don’t seem to, for whatever reason, think of taking it to an eco station or a recycling station,” he explains. “So we’ll do a round-up where we put flyers out and tell them to bring their paints in, and we’ll take everything they have.”

Gugenheimer says people often resort to throwing these types of products in the landfill, household waste or down the drain, actions which are significantly detrimental to the environment.

The last round-up ARMA had in Red Deer for paints and used oil was in July. The next is coming up on October 26 at 4229 Hewlett Drive in Red Deer County.

City of Red Deer Manager of Environmental Services Tim Ainscough confirmed he is set to meet with Gugenheimer in late October, adding he is optimistic they can come up with a practical solution that suits the needs of Red Deerians.

Depots or collection sites for used oil and paints are typically funded, wholly or in part, by a grant from ARMA to the municipality.

According to ARMA’s website, Albertans have recycled more than 1.7 billion litres of used oil since 1997, enough to lubricate 340 million vehicles. Just under 85 million litres were recycled in 2018.