As of January 1, 2011, a new law went into effect banning the disposal of used automotive oil filters and oil absorbent materials in landfills. The ban covers everyone in the state, including homeowners, farmers, businesses, industrial operations, and others. While the ban on oil filters does not specifically include aircraft filters, all owners and operators are encouraged to recycle their filters to comply with the spirit of the law.
The oil filter and absorbents ban is intended to keep these materials out of Wisconsin landfills. Each year, Wisconsinites throw away an estimated 187,000 gallons of used oil in oil filters and 1.6 million gallons of oil in oil absorbents. Oil is a valuable, reusable material. By recycling filters and absorbent material, used oil can be extracted and reused. Filters also contain steel components that can be recycled. Recycling the approximately nine million filters that currently enter the landfill will save over 4.5 million pounds of steel for reuse.
Recycling options for oil filters and oil absorbent materials are available throughout the state. Many businesses that perform oil changes will accept used oil filters. Some communities allow used oil and oil filters to be collected at their waste transfer stations or at specific collection sites. Contact your local recycling program for more information. To find other recycling options in your community, see the Wisconsin Recycling Markets Directory. Used filters may also be used as a fuel supplement in an approved municipal solid waste combustor.
Oil absorbent materials may be taken to an approved biopile at a landfill, used as a fuel supplement in an approved municipal solid waste combustor, or recycled. To find recycling options in your area, see the Wisconsin Recycling Markets Directory, select the “Other Materials” category, and select oil absorbents.
For more information on the ban, including a list of covered materials and links to recycling options, see the DNR website. The DNR has also developed a media kit to explain the ban to the media. Contact Kate Cooper at (608) 267-3133 with additional questions.
