A used oil and glycol recycling program similar to oil product programs in provinces across Canada will soon be implemented in Prince Edward Island (PEI).

Janice Sherry, attorney general and minister of environment, labour and justice, announced the oil recycling program, an initiative set forth under the Materials Stewardship and Recycling Regulations of the P.E.I. Environment Protection Act, will take effect April 2015.

“Effective waste reduction and waste management is important to all Islanders,” she said. Government is pleased to see the oil and glycol products industry assume a leadership role in the shared responsibility for the collection and recycling of used oil, glycol and containers.”

The oil and glycol products industry will fund and operate the program. SOGHUOMA Atlantic, which is responsible for ensuring the management of recovery and recycling of materials, has submitted a stewardship plan.

Currently, more than 1,500,000 litres of used oil are generated each year in P.E.I., along with more than 150,000 litres of glycol and hundreds of thousands of empty containers. It’s estimated that one litre of used oil is capable of contaminating one million litres of water.

Already a Canada-wide initiative, the recycling program has successfully diverted large amounts of waste to be recycled as raw materials for other industries.