Dubois County’s recycling site on Ell Creek Rd. in Huntingburg is accepting used motor oil for recycling again. The site, one of 8 in the county that offers free motor oil recycling for residents, has been waiting on installation of a new waste oil container for several months. The previous container had developed a leak and was deemed unsafe for use.
“We needed to do this right,” said Carla Striegel-Winner, Dubois County Solid Waste District Director. “It is important environmentally and legally to have a safe waste oil container, and they are very expensive, so we decided that we want them better protected from the elements than they have been in the past. That took a little longer, and residents had to use one of the other 7 sites in the county while this one was in limbo.”
The new waste oil container sets on a concrete base and is enclosed by a lean to, which will protect it and keep it operational longer. The oil filter and antifreeze recycling containers are also now housed under this lean to. “It is wonderful,” says Striegel-Winner. “This is a great example of how we work together to make things happen. The Solid Waste District purchased the oil container and the Highway Department made the concrete base and lean to. Our plan is to slowly work towards having this set up at all 8 sites.”
The Ireland and Pine Ridge sites are also getting new oil containers and a new lean to in 2018, and the District and Highway Department plan to continue adding the protective buildings to the rest of the sites in following years, as budgets allow.
The used oil containers at the 8 sites are for Dubois County residents. Residents need only check in with the attendant to recycle their oil for free. Businesses having waste oil to recycle can contact the District for other recycling options. Information on recycling and proper disposal in Dubois County can be found at www.duboiscountyrecycles.org , on the District’s Facebook page, or by calling 812-482-7865.
