Car Enthusiasts Recycle Antifreeze, Oil Filters and Empty Lube Oil Containers
The Recycling Challenge:
What to do with Waste from Driveway DIY
Thousands of Ontario automotive businesses—from dealerships to gas stations to oil and lube franchises—collect their used oil containers and filters, as well as antifreeze, for processing through Stewardship Ontario’s special waste program. But what about those do-it-yourself (DIY) car enthusiasts who buy their own materials, and want to do the right thing with their leftovers? Between 10 and 15 per cent of all oil changes are done at home on the driveway, but you can’t put your containers and filters in the Blue Box. And it’s harmful to the environment to dispose of these products in the garbage—Environment Canada estimates that one litre of oil can contaminate up to two million litres of water.
The Sustainable Solution:
Make the Drop to Recycle Automotive Waste
Thanks to Stewardship Ontario’s Orange Drop Program, householders can drop off their leftover antifreeze, used oil filters and empty engine lubricating oil containers at close to 600 convenient locations across the province.
Retail Automotive Service Locations
Many retail automotive service locations participate in the Orange Drop Program, ranging from independent garages to brands like Jiffy Lube and Mr. Lube, as well as Active Tire Green + Ross and Canadian Tire. The network of automotive drop-offs includes urban, suburban and rural locations, and coverage currently extends from Windsor to Cornwall, and north to places like Timmins, Sudbury and Thunder Bay. It’s how we’re making automotive recycling even more accessible across Ontario.
What Happens to Your Leftover Automotive Products and Containers?
DIY drop-off sites collect your antifreeze in storage tanks, while containers and oil filters are stored in drums and totes, waiting for delivery to processing plants. It’s there that the plastic is shredded before being sold to manufacturers, who use the recycled raw materials (or feedstock) to make new items like plastic lumber, railway ties, curbstones and irrigation pipes. Oil filters? They’re crushed to extract the residual oil, which can be refined again as lubricants. The steel casings are sent to foundries to be reborn as recycled steel. Antifreeze is distilled to recover the glycol for reuse.
The Automotive Collaborators:
Stewardship Ontario’s Orange Drop—Stewardship Ontario is a not-for-profit organization funded and governed by the industries that make and market the products and packaging materials recycled through the programs it manages–the Blue Box and Orange Drop.
Automotive Processors—There are more than 30 processors registered under Stewardship Ontario’s Automotive Incentive Program. For a complete listing please see the Stewardship Ontario Approved Transporters and Processors List
There are hundreds of automotive locations across the province of Ontario that take part in Stewardship Ontario’s Automotive DIY Program—from national chains to independent franchisors—including participating locations at:
Active Tire Green + Ross Tire and Auto Centre
Jiffy Lube
Mr. Lube
Canadian Tire
Connect with Stewardship Ontario
We are always interested in hearing about new ideas to improve recycling. Contact us to talk about your green innovations and forward-thinking recycling technologies.
