Information Bulletin
14 July 2004
Waste Oil Bank for Yell
Shetland Islands Council has recently sited a Public Waste Oil bank beside the Shetland Amenity Trust waste transfer station at Colvister Quarry in Yell. The bank is for the use of householders disposing of their waste oil from vehicles and also for the use of leisure boat owners servicing their boats. This collection point joins two other Council operated sites at Central Garage, Brae and at Sutherland's Garage, Lerwick.
Oil is a common and highly visible form of pollution. Because of the way it spreads even a small quantity can cause a lot of harm. Five litres (an average oil change) is enough to cover a small loch. In Britain oil accounts for a quarter of all pollution incidents. As well as endangering fish and water species oil also coats plants and animals that come into contact with it. Its faulty disposal by pouring down drains causes serious problems in sewerage works whilst burning it causes air pollution.
Oil is the most commonly recorded type of water pollutant investigated. Nearly all oil poured down drains will eventually find its way into streams, groundwater and the sea. Cleaning up oil spills costs UK business up to £56 million per year. Most incidents could have been avoided.
It is a little recognised fact that by far the largest input of oil into the world's oceans is from the disposal of waste oil - (largely domestic) - down the drain (c 1.63 billion litres yearly). This is ten times more than that from major oil spills and 25 times more than that escaping from offshore drilling facilities, (Smithsonian Institute).
Currently in the United Kingdom less than a third of all waste oil produced by the DIY motorist is collected separately for recycling or safe disposal. In Britain, therefore, around 13 million litres of waste oil is lost annually into the environment.
In Shetland a good percentage of people carry out home vehicle oil changes or service their leisure crafts and in general marinas do not offer facilities for separate disposal of waste oil.
By tackling the problem through the siting of special waste oil collection points the Council is seeking to limit environmental pollution. There have been a number of oil pollution incidents in the Lerwick area which have been directly traced to waste oil being poured down street drains. Similar pollution incidents have been noted elsewhere in Shetland. Each year, for example, there are dozens of cases of large drums of used oil found on beaches and on the coastline throughout Shetland by Redd Up volunteers. By expanding its network of appropriate disposal sites the Council, in partnership with the Shetland Amenity Trust in Yell, is responding to clearly identified public need for appropriate facilities.
For further information on safe oil disposal or to discuss problems of pollution from DIY use please contact Mary Lisk on (01595) 744818.