A pair of youth ambassadors working on summer internships with the B.C. Used Oil Management Association made stops at several Sea to Sky corridor locations last week to remind residents about the importance of recycling used oil, filters and oil containers.

Katya Kirsh, a communications student at Simon Fraser University, and Michelle Haaf, who’s studying marketing at UBC, were in Whistler last Wednesday (Aug. 25) and Pemberton on Thursday (Aug. 26) as part of a summer-long tour of the province.

Their message was simple: that because one drop of oil can contaminate one million drops of clean water, it’s vital that everyone take advantage of a system set up to collect and recycle oil, filter and containers.

“We’re accepting used oil from the public and trying to educate them on the importance of recycling their used oil,” Kirsh said during a telephone interview from Pemberton on Thursday.

Since mid-May, the two have been traveling around the province to spread the same message. During that time they have visited all but about 20 of the 500 used oil recycling depots in B.C. They have been blogging about their experiences online at www.bcusedoil.com

Last week Kirsh and Haaf visited four such local depots: SMD Automotive (Function Junction) and Barney’s Automotive (Mons Crossing) in Whistler, and the Esso Sales Distributor and Olemotive in Pemberton.

Kirsh said that used oil that’s brought in for recycling is re-refined into lubricating oil for industrial equipment and other uses. Filters are dismantled and the metal parts are melted down to make rebar and other items. Plastic oil containers are cleaned, chipped recycled into all manner of plastic products, she said.

The BCUOMA is a non-profit, non-governmental group funded through point-of-sale environmental handling charges. Its mandate is to facilitate the recycling of used oil, filters and containers in an environmentally friendly, cost-effective manner. For more information visit www.usedoilrecycling.com/en/bc