Your Questions About Recycling
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Filed under Recycling Q & A
Lizzie asks…
How does it waste oil if I don’t recycle?
The Expert answers:
Oil has other uses after you’re done with it.
You just waste the potential of this use if you just throw it away.
Charles asks…
Can BP use the oil that they separate from the water in the gulf or is that oil just wasted?
Can BP recycle the oil that they clean off the water in the Gulf? We only have a limited amount of oil in the ground, I just think it would be a waste if we couldn’t somehow salvage the oil we clean from the water.
The Expert answers:
Yes, there is a vast amount of oil being skimmed and sucked up from the surface of the water, this is then refined in the normal way.
In the case of the oil in the Gulf of Mexico all of the revenue from the reclamation is being donated to those affected by the spill.
Betty asks…
If CO2 buildup is bad for the environment, why advocate recycling?
The concentration of CO2 in the air is 0.04% which some people regard as too high. Why are these same people advocating recycling, when burying organic and oil derivative waste in a deep land fill would sequest carbon underground indefinatley.
The Expert answers:
Unfortunately it’s not so simple as that. Much of the waste that goes into landfill sites decomposes and through the process of methanogenesis (biomethanation) it produces large amounts of methane. Many landfill sites have a stack for flaring the methane that’s been produced, similar to the flaring you see on an oil rig – it gives you an idea how much methane is produced.
There are many other problems associated with landfill including the contamination of the surrounding land, leeching of toxins into the water supply, cost, aesthetic impact, fire risk etc.
Methane is a far more damaging gas than carbon dioxide so by burying waste and it’s subsequent degredation we’re sometimes causing more problems than if it were simply burned.
Another advantage to recycling is that it eliminates the need for mineral extraction and raw processing. Almost all metals have to be mined and this is a very heavy, industrial process. The bulk of the excavated material is spoil, only a small component is useable.
Once mined the material has to be processed and the metallic component extracted and converted into a useable metal.
Both the mining and extraction produce huge amounts of pollution including greenhouse gases, toxic, hazardous and harmful substances. Recycling eliminates the need for this.
Further, resources are finite and once used that;s it so it makes good economic sense to preserve the resources we have for as long as possible.
These same arguments hold true for the hydrocarbons (organic products). They don’t require extracting from excavated material in the way that metals do but they still require fractionation and other processes to convert into useable products.
Donald asks…
What facilites and incentives arein your local area for recycling?
Here we have 2 boxes, one for paper and one for glass and plastics which are collected fortnightly, a brown wheelie bin for garden waste and recycling banks dotted around for clothes, oil, wood etc (amenities dump).
No incentives (cash/lower taxes etc.)
This is in Scotland.
Where are you and what do you have?
The Expert answers:
I live in the midwest in the United States. Our town is pretty progressive with recycling efforts and we have a recyclables-sorting facility in our town. As incentive to recycle, our town provides as many bins as needed to each household/apartment for free. The town hires out an agency to come empty the recycling bins in their trucks once each week. This is a free service to the people of the town as the money the town uses to hire the recycling agency to collect and sort recyclables is included in our property taxes.
On the other hand, trash hauling is NOT hired out by the town so each household or apartment complex has to hire their own trash hauler. With the trash haulers, you pay more depending on the amount of trash you put on the curb each week. The greater the number of bins you put out, the more you pay.
Therefore the end product is that recycling is free to all and trash hauling is not. It has been very successful here.
Helen asks…
what happen to the waste essential oil?
where do they recycle the essential oil and who recycle them
The Expert answers:
Essential oils refer to oils used in the cosmetic industry. Any type of petroleum based lubricating oil is completely recyclable.
Sandy asks…
who are the major oil drilling fluids companies?
It supplies a unique & enviromentally friendly water based drilling fluid to major oil companies including 5 of the big 6. This company also dominates the fluid waste recycling business.
The Expert answers:
The list of all drilling fluids companies :
TIMCAL Graphite & Carbon Inc. – drilling fluids and graphite powder solutions
Gumpro Chem Drilling Fluids – offers a complete range of drilling fluid additives like Specialized Lubricants, Stuck Breakers, loss Circulation material Dispersants,
Houghton Offshore – water based hydraulic chemicals and drilling fluids
RATTLER TOOLS, INC – remove metal contaminants from fluids down hole
Smith International – engineering, drill bits, downhole tools and drilling fluids
Specific Equipment company – fluid handling systems for water, fuel and crude oil
TETRA Technologies Inc. – manufactures integrated calcium chloride and brominated products,
Castrol offshore
Newpark Drilling Fluids
SIP Ltd
Ultraseal – M & D Industries of Lafayette, Inc
Laura asks…
Where can I recycle Oil filters?
I”ve been throwing them away and I feel it’s a waste.
The Expert answers:
Please call your city offices, they surely have recycle centers you can turn them into or set days for you to leave them out to be picked up.
Throwing them away is horrid, they end up in land fills and contaminate the ground.
You may also just want to call your local Jiffy Lube and gas station which does mechanical work, lots of them accept them or will tell you what to do with them.
Thanks for thinking about it and doing the right thing!
Sandra asks…
Do you have to pay tax on recycled vegetable oil for fuel? (UK)?
I realise that you have to pay tax (VAT) on vegetable oil you intend to use as fuel – which is fair enough. However I don’t think its fair that you have to pay tax on vegetable oil which you bought as food (paid VAT) as food, and then recycled it through using it as a fuel which saves on waste oil? Does the law state that you have to pay tax on vegetable oil whether it is recycled or not? In the effort to help the environment I would have thought the government would do more.
I don’t get taxed when I walked to work instead of drive and electric cars don’t get taxed either
The Expert answers:
As well as VAT on the oil you have to pay Fuel Duty on the finished product!
(Most people don’t bother!)
Daniel asks…
Can we recycle oils used for cooking, at home, in restaurants, garages etc, to be collected weekly?
Household waste is collected as well as garden waste and recycling material such as tins, papers and glass etc. Can’t we do the same with oils to recycle for re-use to power our cars?
The Expert answers:
It is possible, but the main issue is there has to be enough of it so it’s economically feasible. It isn’t worth enough money to pick it up from homes unless there is a strong supply and strong demand – which means there has to be a biodiesel or grease recycling plant in the area. Keep an eye on Berkeley and San Francisco to see if this takes off.
There are some companies collecting oil from restaurants (like Darling Int’l) and motor oil is commonly recycled from auto shops.
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