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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Experts dispute impact of oil change boxes on land
Question: On his weekly radio talk show on KUMU, local automotive expert George Nitta tells listeners that using the absorbent drain boxes for used motor oil is a waste of time, because the boxes are just going straight to the landfill, where the oil will eventually leach into our drinking water. He implies that all our trash is handled this way and suggests that everyone might as well save the cost of these boxes by just putting their used oil into coffee cans, plastic containers or other vessels, and throwing them into their trash containers. However, I know that a good portion of our household trash on Oahu is first burned at the HPOWER plant, with the resulting ash buried at the landfill. Therefore, it is preferable to have the oil absorbed in these drain boxes so that there is less chance of spillage before it gets to the HPOWER plant. Can you check with the city to find out what percentage of Oahu's household trash is burned at HPOWER?
Answer: "All residential waste" and most general commercial trash are taken to the HPOWER waste-to-energy facility, according to city officials, while noncombustible construction debris and industrial wastes go directly to the landfill.
However, some of the waste intended for HPOWER is diverted to the landfill when the plant is shut down for maintenance or when the volume of waste exceeds capacity, said Suzanne Jones, the city's recycling coordinator who was instrumental in allowing the oil change boxes for disposal.
Asked how much is diverted, Jones said details on the number of days HPOWER is down for maintenance or hits "fullness" were not readily available. She said she could not quantify the "small percentage" of trash diverted to the landfill.
But she said, "Contrary to Mr. Nitta's comments, should some used oil boxes reach the landfill in the mixed waste, the landfill is designed to fully protect the environment with liners and leachate catchment systems. Nothing seeps into the ground and certainly not into our drinking water."
She characterized his statements as "irresponsible."
Officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state Department of Health's Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Branch indicated no concerns with the city's disposal method.
That said, we double-checked with Nitta as to exactly what he has told listeners to his radio show (11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, AM 1500) on the subject.
He said you misstated some of his comments.
"I've been trying to get people to stop buying the (oil change) boxes and take the waste oil to Jiffy Lube or some place like that to dispose of," he said.
He believes using the boxes is akin to just dumping the oil into the ground, so he recommends that people "just put the oil in a coffee can or similar container and take it to somebody who can dispose of it for you."
His contention is that the city takes most of the used oil to the landfill, citing "one of the people at HPOWER," who listens to his program, telling him that HPOWER burns "only three days of the week."
He also said that the other islands don't have HPOWER plants, so motorists are "all using the (oil change) boxes and (they're all) going to landfill. And why is it illegal on the mainland to use those boxes? Because they're all going to the landfills and into the ground. I'm just trying to save Hawaii."
He says the boxes also should be made illegal in Hawaii.
The state does regulate commercial generators of used oil, requiring businesses to properly manage, store and dispose of the oil.
"As a business, they are NOT allowed to drain the oil in 'oil eater boxes,'" said Grace Simmons, supervisor of the Health Department's Hazardous Waste Section. "On occasion we have seen small businesses draining their oil into the boxes and have instructed them not to do so."
However, the state does not regulate "do-it-yourself oil changers," many of whom use the "oil eater boxes," she said.
Maui, Kauai and Hawaii counties receive state funding for a "Used Oil Collection Program," where people can drop off used oil at collection centers. The counties have contracted with used oil companies to dispose of or recycle the oil appropriately, Simmons said.
Meanwhile, each state is given authority to set up its own rules and requirements regarding the disposal of solid waste, said Dean Higuchi, press officer for the EPA's Region 9.
He said he could not confirm nor deny that many mainland jurisdictions prohibit the use of oil change boxes "without taking a poll of every state."
"There could be some truth" to Nitta's assertion that most jurisdictions have banned the oil change boxes, he said, "but there could be a lot of untruths, because realistically it's hard to say."
Some cities that rely only on landfills may not allow the boxes, he said. That may be because the landfills are not lined or with monitoring wells, so the oil could possibly get into the soil.
"But each state will make a different decision based upon their local condition," Higuchi said. And, because solid waste programs are run by the state and city, "we're not going to step in" and say they're doing something wrong.
"The bigger issue with used oil is not so much the disposal of those boxes, which goes to HPOWER, but the average individual saying, 'Forget it, I'm not going to pay for a box, I'm going to dig a hole in my back yard,'" Higuchi said. "The bigger issue for the public is that they shouldn't be doing that."
Meanwhile, Jones said she is very familiar with this topic because in 1990, when she became the city's recycling coordinator, she participated in a government/industry task force looking for ways for do-it-yourselfers to dispose of used motor oil.
"The concerns were about oil poured down storm drains, into streams, into the ground," she said. "Some people thought pouring used oil over their outdoor faucet helped to lubricate the mechanism. The impact of a small quantity of used oil dumped in our environment was huge."
Jones said the initial proposal involved charging an advance disposal fee to support service stations that would take the used oil, then add it to their used oil collection tanks for disposal.
The oil industry was resistant to the fee, "but would have gone along if pressed," she said. However, the service stations were against it, concerned that householders would bring in oil contaminated with other automotive fluids, "creating a hazardous waste and a huge cost."
But even if the advance fee program had been put in place, Jones said she was concerned about whether many do-it-yourselfers would even participate.
"I was the one who found the used oil box and brought it to the table," she said.
She said the box is "not only an intelligent, convenient solution, it has created a new local recycling operation," with one of the two boxes sold here made in Hawaii using local recycled paper.
"However, the heart of question is whether disposal of the used oil boxes" either through HPOWER or the landfill, has a detrimental effect on the environment. "Even when the mixed waste is diverted to the landfill, there is full protection," she asserted.
Got a question or complaint? Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered. E-mail to
kokualine@starbulletin.com.
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