Oceanside CA— The City of Oceanside is hosting a Used Oil Filter Exchange Event on Saturday, October 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at O’Reilly Auto Parts, 3661 Mission Ave (corrected address). During the event residents may bring their used oil and oil filters to be properly recycled and receive up to 2 new oil filters in exchange, for free.
The City of Oceanside holds filter exchange events quarterly, with grant funding from CalRecycle, to raise awareness about the importance of properly disposing used oil and used oil filters. One of the most common hazardous waste materials that pollute the local environment are used motor oil and oil filters. In the United States, 40% of the pollution in our waterways is a result of used motor oil. Not only is this oil pollution widespread, but it is also dangerous. Oil contains contaminants like arsenic, lead, cadmium, zinc, barium and chromium. “Disposing of used oil and other hazardous waste properly is critical to preserving our environment for future generations,” said Colleen Foster, Senior Management Analyst for the City of Oceanside’s Solid Waste and Recycling Program.
There are 13 certified collection centers throughout the City that accept used oil and oil filters everyday. In addition, Oceanside has a permanent Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 2880 Industry Street where residents can take used oil and filters Tuesday through Saturday during operational hours. Other types of hazardous materials such as paint and chemicals can also be disposed of properly at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility every other Saturday for free, simply by making an appointment at (760) 439-2824.
If all used motor oil was recycled every year in the United States, it would save 1.3 million barrels of oil per day. Similarly, if all used oil filters were recycled annually it would save 160,000 tons of steel, which is enough to construct 16 Petco Park stadiums! In 2016, Oceanside residents recycled over 40,000 gallons of used oil and 16,000 used oil filters, demonstrating our community’s commitment to clean beaches and waterways.
These programs are part of the larger Green Oceanside campaign that is dedicated to teaching residents and businesses how to be better stewards of the earth by recycling, reducing waste, composting, using water efficiently, saving energy and preventing water pollution and litter. To view the award winning used oil public service announcement, find dates for quarterly used oil filter exchange events and a listing of the certified collection centers in Oceanside, as well as information on all the City’s environmental programs, visit www.greenoceanside.org. You can stay up to date on Green Oceanside programs and events by downloading the free Green Oceanside App. The app can be downloaded free from the App Store or Google Play by searching “Green Oceanside.”