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Summer 1998
In This Issue:
- Boater Survey Yields Important
Information
- Oil Recyclers Use the “Power'
of Partnerships
- SOS’ Boater Outreach
Catches Wave in Monterey
- Western Riverside: Airport
Oil Program Soars
- Re-Refined Oil Takes the Checkered
Flag
- Toxic Turnaround
- Cool Corner
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Boater Survey Yields Important Information
At the outset of the California Coastal
Commission’s Boating Clean and Green Campaign, the Commission
and the Campaign Advisory Board identified the need to learn more
about boaters, their practices, their levels of awareness, and
their motivations for behavior change. The California Integrated
Waste Manage-ment Board, the Commission and a coalition of local
government agencies served to underwrite a contract with the Public
Research Institute (PRI) of San Francisco State University to
conduct telephone surveys of 1,000 boaters from fifteen counties
in California to collect baseline data that would account for
how boaters manage used oil and fuel their boats, and help the
Commission refine their outreach campaign.
Background
By using 1997 California Department of Motor Vehicle Boater Registration
records, survey participants were grouped into four regions:
- Delta (Contra Costa, Sacramento,
San Joaquin, Solano, and Yolo Counties).
- San Francisco Bay (Alameda,
Napa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma
Counties).
- Southern California (Orange
and San Diego Counties).
- Los Angeles (Los Angeles
County).
The response rate for the survey was 38
percent. The Commission and partnering government agencies are
now 95 percent confident (plus or minus 3 percent) that they have
an accurate profile of registered boaters in the four regions.
Results
The survey yielded information that has important implications
for local and state-wide outreach campaigns. Some highlights of
the survey results include the following findings:
- Most respondents were Caucasian
(86%), male (86%) and over 50 years old (76%).
- The types of boats owned
were reported as inboard (45%), outboard (31%) sailboat (9%),
jet-propelled (3%) and other (7%).
- Of the 70% of respondents
whose boat requires an oil change, a large majority (76%) report
changing their own oil.
- Of those who change their
oil, 90% reported recycling their oil in some manner (i.e.,
63% reported taking it to a gas station, auto store or collection
center, and 17% reported taking it to a household hazardous
waste collection center).
- Reported primary sources
of oily discharge are the bilge pump (39%) and engine leaks
(31%).
- Of the boaters who notice
oil spills in the bilge, 33% report doing nothing.
- Almost half of all respondents
(49.5%) reported fueling their boats on the water.
Recommendations
Based on the survey results, a number of important lessons can
be used for the Boating Clean and Green Campaign and local outreach
campaigns:
(1) Outreach materials should concentrate
on inboard and outboard maintenance issues and show visual images
of power boats since the majority of survey respondents own powerboats.
(2) Outreach materials should focus on
where the boaters are. For the Clean and Green Campaign, the survey
indicates a need to concentrate equally on inland and coastal
waterways.
(3) Outreach messages to the “do-it-yourself'
boater should emphasize the following points:
- Never drain oil into the bilge;
- Use a pump (preferably electric to change the
oil and make sure it pumps into a closed container;
- Use a tightly sealed system; If there are spills
into the bilge or during oil transfer, use an absorb-ent pad
to soak up the oil and dispose of the absorbent properly;
- Always keep an absorbent
pad secured (i.e., by tying it) in the bilge but make sure it
doesn’t block the bilge pump.
(4) Outreach messages to all boaters should
emphasize the importance of:
- Keeping engines tuned and
operating at peak efficiency.
- Inspecting lines and hoses
and replacing those in poor condition.
- Using Coast-Guard-approved
alcohol-resistant fuel lines;.
- Replacing oil pan and gaskets
when the engine is removed for maintenance.
(5) Much more education is needed on the
importance of recycling oil filters, the use of absorbent pads,
and the correct disposal of saturated absorbent pads.
(6) Information on fueling practices should
focus on methods to prevent overfilling.
(7) Educational information on recycling
should continue to be provided as some people have never considered
recycling their used oil; information about laws, potential penalties,
and impacts to the environment are significant motivators for
proper disposal and cleaning practices and will be included in
the Clean and Green Campaign.
(8) Local agencies should assess their
local boating population to determine where most “do-it-yourselfers'
keep and use their boats, and where they conduct oil changes.
By partnering with multiple agencies and
conducting a statistically valid survey, the Commission was able
to learn much about their target audience and modify their outreach
messages accordingly. The stage is set to begin their Boater Clean
and Green Campaign and they are planning a follow-up survey in
the Spring of 2000 to measure improvements in awareness and practices.
—This article is modified from the
summary findings prepared by Miriam Gordon and Chris Parry of
the California Coastal Commission. For a copy of the detailed
findings, call Miriam Gordon at (916) 904-5214.
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Oil Recyclers Use the “Power' of Partnerships
In an outstanding partnership between
the City of Carson, the radio station Power 106, Pep Boys Evergreen
Oil, Americlean Environmental, Delta 4 and Next Wave Productions,
the City hosted a used oil roundup this month that attracted approximately
350 people and resulted in the collection of 582 gallons of used
motor oil.
By purchasing $10,000 worth or advertising
($5,000 from the City and a $5,000 match from Next Wave Productions),
the City was able to secure 36 ads promoting the event, plus day
of air time, free concert tickets, and free ice cream. Evergreen
Oil’s pumper truck and re-refined oil giveaways helped educate
the public about recycling used motor oil. And an airplane towing
a “Power 106 and Oil Round Up' sign helped garner visibility
for the event.
City staff distributed 200 collection
containers and the Pep Boys manager noted that customer foot traffic
increased significantly because of the event. The event was certainly
a power partnership. For more information, call Jaime Lozano with
the City of Carson at (310) 952-1700 x3508.
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SOS’ Boater Outreach Catches Wave in Monterey
Riding the wave of boater outreach, Save
Our Shores (SOS), a Santa Cruz- based ocean advocacy and education
nonprofit group, is working with the Monterey Bay National Marine
Sanctuary staff to install permanent used oil collection facilities
in three harbors. These oily bilge pump-out facilities will provide
convenient access for used oil disposal to 3,000 boats in the
region.
Beginning this summer, SOS will initiate
a “Harbor Stewards' program consisting of a network of volunteers
that walk or kayak the harbors to distribute information about
the new facilities. Local businesses including Kayak Connection,
Monterey Bay Kayaks and Adventure Sports are supporting this effort
by donating the use of equipment. SOS is currently recruiting
and training volunteers. To learn more about this program, call
SOS at (408) 462-5660.
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Western Riverside: Airport Oil Program Soars
In an effort to expand collection opportunities
and capture additional motor oil in western Riverside County,
the Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG), the City
of Banning and the Community of French Valley, partnered to offer
oil recycling containers and information at two local airports.
Though there are 625 collection sites
in western Riverside County, WRCOG capitalized on a unique market
— small airports and pilots — to capture motor oil and
reach a new target audience. “Pilots really liked the fact
that we made it easy and convenient for them,' WRCOG Director
Joyce Marshall-Woods said. If all continues to go well, three
or four more programs will be organized at other small airports.
In addition to a half-page announcement
about the location of the oil recycling facility at the airports,
WRCOG was able to use many of its existing promotional items to
promote the importance of oil recycling as well as automotive
oil recycling locations throughout the western part of the county.
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Re-Refined Oil Takes the Checkered Flag
The Memorial Day 200 Winston West NASCAR
race at Mesa Marin Speedway in Kern County showcased re-refined
motor oil and provided training to local government used oil programs.
More than 12,000 people attended the races and more than 250 used
oil recycling coordinators, retailers, distributors, and manufacturing
representatives participated in multi-day workshops. All race
attendees had the opportunity to visit display booths by CarQuest,
76 Lubricants, Safety-Kleen, and Ross Campbell, where they could
learn about re-refined oil and products. The workshop provided
participants a unique opportunity to understand how to create
a re-refined oil program, create public private partnerships,
and see the product in action.
Sponsored by 76 Lubricants Company and
Safety-Kleen, this joint venture was a unique cooperative effort
to “close the loop' and build re-refined oil markets. Workshops
speakers emphasized the importance of local government oil programs
in successfully developing these markets. These programs can help
the public understand that re-refined oil is as effective as virgin
oil, promote the availability of re-refined oil, and encourage
its use.
At the workshops, CarQuest volunteered
to stock Firebird re-refined oil at any retail outlet where the
local government contact would promote its availability and encourage
its use. To participate in this effort, call Gary Airaz at (805)
322-5011.
At a future date, Kragen may be willing to stock America’s
Choice re-refined oil. To learn more about 76 Lubricants or Safety-Kleen’s
re-refined oil products visit their web pages at http://www.76Lubricants.com
or http://www.safetykleen.com.
Plans are currently underway to hold a second
workshop at the Mesa Marin Speedway in coordination with the October
Classic. Tentative dates are October 15-16th. All oil grantees
are encouraged to attend — look for more details in the September
newsletter.
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Toxic Turnaround
A useful new manual for local governments
on pollution prevention is now available. The manual, Toxic Turnaround,
is produced by the Environmental Health Coalition, in San Diego.
It was developed to:
- Motivate and assist cities
and public agencies to reduce their use of hazardous materials.
It provides practical techniques and methods for reducing hazardous
waste, and local government case studies.
- Assist community groups
and individuals to work for changes in the operation of local
agencies.
- Create a demand for safer
products, which in turn will stimulate the research and development
of less toxic products and materials, making them more readily
available and reasonable priced.
The manual can be obtained by contacting the Environmental Health
Coalition at (619) 235-0281, e-mail to ehcoalition@igc.apc.org
or through their web page at http://www.environmentalhealth.org.
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Cool Corner
Five cool things currently happening throughout
the state:
- Re-refined POP - Point of purchase (POP) display
ads present key re-refined oil marketing concepts in Thousand
Oaks. Two displays are complete and have been placed in three
businesses which sell re-refined oil.
- Oil Recycling Awareness Up - The Community Environmental
Council coordinated a follow-up phone survey for Santa Barbara
County that concluded that education efforts in Santa Barbara
and Ventura counties are working. Residents’ awareness
was up by approximately 25%.
- Laotian TV - Partnership for Environmental Progress
in San Diego worked with San Diego State University to produce
a low budget educational video. The team then placed the five
minute oil recycling segment on a local television station and
reached thousands of Laoation speakers.
- Divine Collection - South El Monte’s Epiphany
Catholic Church is advertising and hosting oil collection events.
Targeting parish families and the general public, each event
has been extremely successful with 100-200 participants at every
event.
- Hablas Espanol? - If so, the cities of Baldwin
Park, West Covina and La Puente may have outreach materials
for you. They used consultant J. Michael Huls to translate brochures
and promotional items that will be useful in conducting Spanish
outreach.
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