Ontario looks to ban waste oil heaters by 2009, North to be exempt

Ontario Environment Minister Laurel Broten announced the McGuinty government is seeking public input on a draft regulation that would ban the burning of used oil in space heaters.

The announcement was made at Safety-Kleen Canada Inc., in Breslau, Ont., the provinces’s only re-refinery and the second largest re-refinery in North America.

“Our government is committed to taking real action to protect and improve the quality of our air, water and land and that’s why we’re moving to ban the burning of used oil in space heaters,” said Minister Broten. “Used oil is not meant to be burned at low temperatures in space heaters, so we’re taking action to protect Ontarians and our environment.”

About 700 facilities throughout Ontario, such as auto repair centres and dealerships, burn the equivalent of 2.5 million oil changes for heat. Those in southern Ontario that now have approval to burn used oil will have until June 1, 2009 to divert their used oil rather than discharging it into the environment. No new approvals will be issued. The ban will add about seven million litres of used oil to the 150 million litres that is currently re-refined at Safety-Kleen.

“Banning the burning of used oil supports re-refining, reduces demand for new oil and encourages economic development in the environmental sector,” said Minister Broten.

“It’s clearly the right move for the environment.”

The ban will remove the economic advantage gained by the few companies burning used oil, making it fairer for competing companies that have chosen to use environmentally superior heating methods, said the Ministry.

In response to the announcement, industry associations and other stakeholders are already meeting with government officials to voice their dismay.

Ron Lugowski, of De-on Supply Inc., a supplier of furnace systems, was candid in his objections. Lugowski mainly took issue with the government’s environmental impact claims.

“They told us it was about reducing localization of pollution, but now they want to bring it all to one place,” he said. “The legislation will have no positive impact on the environment. It really has nothing to do with pollution, and everything to do with looking greener than the other party ahead of an October election,” he added.

The practice will be allowed to continue in Northern Ontario since the north has limited options for disposing of waste oil.

Northern Ontario is defined in the draft regulation as lying north and west of the Mattawa River, Lake Nipissing and the French River, or in the Territorial District of Manitoulin.