Old automotive oil filters could soon be banned from going into Wisconsin landfills.
Proposed legislation at the Capitol would prevent used filters and materials used to soak up oil spills from being thrown away. State Senator Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls), a sponsor of the bill, says those materials would instead need to be recycled. She says those technologies are readily available, and are already used to collect used oil directly.
Brian King, who runs Woodville-based CRI Recycling Services, says those materials can generate a great deal of oil when thrown away. He says the collect nearly 15 gallons of used oil for every 55-gallon drum worth of oil absorbent materials they recycle.
Harsdorf says all that oil could leak out of landfills, contaminating nearby groundwater supplies and soil. She says that could result in costly clean-up efforts later on.
A proposed amendment would exempt those who change their own oil from the ban.
The measure is currently being considered by an Assembly committee.
