Town Increases Recycled Oil Collection by 40%

Mount Pleasant, SC (February 9, 2005) - In 2004, residents of Mount Pleasant recycled a total of 2,815 gallons of used motor oil and gas/ oil mixtures – an increase by nearly 40 percent from the previous year. “Word is spreading locally that used oil, gas/ oil and oil filters can be recycled at the Town’s maintenance facility on Six Mile Road,” said Stormwater Manager Hillary Repik. “This is great news for the town, the environment and our local waterways. It clearly shows a commitment on the part of residents to face up to the environmental challenges facing our municipality.”

Santee Cooper “Give Oil For Energy Recovery” (GOFER) program collects the material for free. As an energy source, used motor oil provides approximately 135,000 Btus per gallon. The GOFER program has collected in excess of 14.5 million gallons in its 14 year history. This was converted into enough electricity to provide power for approximately 1,350,000 average-sized homes for one month. Santee Cooper's approach to recycling used oil is unique in that a lost resource is efficiently utilized, according to GOFER officials.

“By recycling the used oil products residents are helping to keep our local waterways clean. Some residents, however, still have not gotten the news that our storm drains are not the place to be dumping their motor oil (or anything else) because they lead directly to our neighborhood ponds, creeks, and marshes,” added Repik. “We still find evidence of illegal dumping when we conduct inspections of storm drain systems.”

Because drainage systems do not go to a treatment plant, proper waste disposal is critical. Our drainage system helps to recharge our ground water – and that can mean our drinking water too. People are not the only victims. Because drainage systems flow into our wetlands and water ways aquatic life, such as shrimp and oysters can be impacted as well.

There are several main pollutants that make their way through the drainage systems. Trash is the most visible pollutant but pet waste, fertilizers and pesticides also contribute to local pollution problems. Proper disposal is the key to helping keep our environment healthy. Residents and business owners can help by collecting trash and litter around their property, by picking up pet waste and putting it into their garbage cans, fertilize yards less often and never before rainfall and limit pesticides use. There are many other ways that residents can help – Join Adopt a highway, participate or host a creek or pond sweep, report illegal dumping, plant a vegetative buffer along your pond or creek bank, and continue to spread the would about used oil recycling.

The Town’s oil center is open Monday through Friday from 8 am until 4:30 pm. Paint, household chemicals, and other recyclables should be disposed of through Charleston County Recycling residents can call 720-7111 for more information. Look for more water quality information on the Stormwater/ Water Quality web pages under the Public Services Department at www.townofmountpleasant.com or call the Stormwater Office at 856-2157. For more information about the GOFER program visit http://www.scgofer.org/index.html.