HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/19/1997, C-3 - CURBSIDE OIL COLLECTION PROGRAM council Aumgust 19, 1997
j acEnaa Repoizt 61
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO I
FROM: John Moss,Utilities Director �
Prepared By: Ron Munds,Utilities Conse anon Coordinator �/L
SUBJECT: Curbside Oil Collection Program
CAO RECOMMENDATION
Direct San Luis Garbage Company to implement a curbside oil collection program with the
financial assistance from the San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority.
DISCUSSION
Background
California law requires cities and counties to develop a Household Hazardous Waste Element
(HHWE) under AB 2707, a companion bill to the Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989 (AB
939). The purpose of the element is to provide a plan for the City to safely reduce, recycle, collect
and dispose of household hazardous waste generated by residents. The City's adopted HHWE
identifies curbside collection of used motor oil as a program that should be considered for
implementation.
In the past, the City has focused on drop-off facility locations such as auto parts stores and service
stations for the appropriate disposal of used oil. Increasingly, these facilities are limiting the
amount of oil they will accept or discontinuing the service because of the inconvenience disposing
of the used oil.
In June of this year, San Luis Garbage Company and the IWMA approached staff with a proposal
to implement a curbside used oil collection program. The IWMA has agreed to fund all the start-up
costs of the program utilizing grant funding from the Department of Conservation. These cost
include:
I. Retrofitting of recycling trucks for used oil and filter collection.
2. A 500 gallon oil storage tank with drainage rack at the SLOCO Recycles facility.
3. Oil filter bags.
4. Advertising and education money to promote the program.
5. Oil storage containers for customer use.
Additionally, the IWMA will assist San Luis Garbage in obtaining the necessary certification to
handle used motor oil. It is estimated that approximately 10,000 gallons of oil will be collected in
the City per year. Based on this level of participation, there will be no additional on-going costs
associated with oil collection since the recycling crews will collect the oil at the same time they
collect other recyclables.
Other Curbside Oil Programs ,
Many communities around the state have implemented curbside used oil collection programs since
the passage of AB 2707 in 1989. Locally,the cities of Morro Bay,Pismo Beach,Arroyo Grande,
Santa Maria and several unincoporated areas of the county have had curbside oil collection for up
Council Agenda Report-Curbside Oil Collection
Page 2
to three years. In these communities,program participants place the used motor oil in gallon plastic
milk jugs adjacent to their recycle bin for collection. During this period there have been no reported
spills or other problems associated with this method of collection. On a larger scale,the County of
Sacramento collected 115,000 gallons of oil last year without a single incident.
City of San Luis Obispo's Program
Collection Containers
The most important difference between the City's program and other local programs is the
container to be used for collection. The IWMA has agreed to purchase and provide containers to
program participant. Participants will drain the oil from their vehicle directly into the container
which has a secured cap. The full container will then be placed at the curb. Upon collection,the
recycling crew will leave an empty container for future use by the participant. By providing
containers,staff believes the probability of a spill will be minimized while providing a convenient
oil changing and recycling system to our customers.
Liability
San Luis Garbage Company will provide liability insurance in the event there is an accident
involving a used oil collection truck and will assume all liability for the program. Additionally,
liability insurance will be obtained for the oil tank storage facility in the event of a spill or other
accident. In the event of a minor spill, each collection vehicle will carry a spill clean-up kit.
Public Information
The IWMA will fund the initial public outreach program to promote and explain the program.
San Luis Garbage Company and the City will be responsible for ongoing public information
regarding the oil collection program. There should be no additional cost since the oil recycling
information will be included with the other recycling education materials currently be
distributed. As with other recycling programs, continuing education and information is the key
to the success of curbside oil collection.
Implementation Timeline
Upon approval of the program, the start date for collection will be January 1, 1998. This will
allow time for developing and mailing the an information brochure, retrofit the recycling
collection trucks, order and distribute the oil containers, purchase the oil storage tank and obtain
the necessary certification from the state.
FISCAL IMPACT
As previously stated,the IWMA will provide grant funding made available from the Department of
Conservation to cover all start-up costs of the program. In addition, the IWMA will provide
ongoing funding for the future purchase of the oil collection containers. The estimated start-up
costs of the program is approximately $20,000. As previously stated, there will be no additional
on-going cost requiring an increase in the integrated solid waste rate.