Burned by the red-hot price of heating oil, a few more cities and towns may turn to burning used motor oil collected from "do-it-youselfers" to keep the town garage warm.
Jim Martin, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Services, said approximately 88 New Hampshire communities collect recycled motor oil to heat public buildings. Although the number of cities and towns applying for up to $2,500 in state grant dollars to run the oil recycling program has "levelled off" in recent years, the picture may be changing.
With heating oil now at $3.97 a gallon, Martin anticipates "renewed interest" in the program as communities scramble for alternative energy to save money.
Locally, Londonderry and Hampstead heat their town garages, at least partially, with used motor oil provided by the residents. (The towns do not accept the oil from non-residents.)
Jon Worthen, Hampstead's road agent, said Hampstead uses 1,500 to 2,000 gallons of used motor oil annually to heat the town garage through the winter. Although the going rate for heating oil fluctuates, estimated savings, based on the cost of buying 1,500 gallons of heating oil at today's prices, would amount to about $6,000.
"It works very well, but it is a high-maintenance system because it's dirty oil," he said. "It takes a lot of cleaning of the heater system itself, and it's not like burning clean oil."
Londonderry collected 2,100 gallons of used motor oil from residents last year, according to Doris Beatty, spokeswoman at the Department of Public Works. Beatty said the Highway Department also recycles used motor oil from town-owned vehicles, but does not track the amount. She estimated the annual savings, based on 2,000 gallons, would approach $8,000.
Duane Himes, a member of Londonderry's Solid Waste Committee, said the collections started as a way to protect the environment by encouraging people to dispose of the used oil safely — and not throw it down a catch basin or dump it on the ground.
But as fuel and heating costs soared and communities started to look at alternative energy, some towns started recycling the oil and using it to reduce heating costs.
For the past nine years, Himes and other Solid Waste Committee members have taken turns collecting used motor oil at the Central Fire Station.
"I think it's working pretty well," Himes said. "It's busy, but not as busy as it could be."
When the collections first started, the town only had one tank. Typically, it filled up before everyone could drop off their used oil. Now the town has three holding tanks.
Himes said residents pour the oil into the tanks themselves, while he takes their name, writes down the number of gallons, and makes sure they have only oil and no antifreeze or transmission fluid. Most of the oil comes from cars, snowblowers or lawnmowers.
"We do a pretty good job, making sure there's no contamination," he said.
Other than contamination, the main worry for Hampstead and Londonderry is keeping the supply in the pipeline through the winter. Most people donate oil during the summer. In the winter, when the garage really needs the fuel, the collections tend to be fewer, possibly because people don't want to change their oil in the cold weather, Himes said.
The state will pay communities up to $2,500 to support heating public buildings with used motor oil, provided the oil comes only from residents and not commercial establishments.
The money can be applied to purchasing tanks, pumps, drums, and "pretty much anything you can think of connected to oil collections," said Tim Noury, waste management specialist with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. He estimated residents in 208 of New Hampshire's 234 towns recycle used oil. About 135 receive state grants to support the collections.
Statewide, Atkinson and Plaistow are among only 26 cities and towns without a collection center or an arrangement with another community to dispose of used motor oil.
Windham and Derry sell used motor oil to businesses that recycle it and resell it to other companies. According to Mike Fowler, director of Derry's Department of Public Works, residents bring 7,000 to 10,000 gallons of used motor oil annually to the transfer station. Town officials sell the oil for 31 cents a gallon to Safety-Kleen in Salisbury, Mass.
Derry stopped heating its town garage with used motor oil after encountering contamination problems, Fowler said some of the oil came mixed with water, transmission fluid or some other lubricants.
"I wouldn't trust it," he said.
But Derry still heats the vehicle maintenance facility with recycled oil from the town fleet. Fowler estimated the amount at 500 to 1,000 gallons a year, for a potential savings of about $2,000 to $4,000. Ten years ago, Derry used to collect used motor oil from commercial garages, which wanted to get rid of it, but the garages are now using it themselves or selling it.
"Obviously, things are changing as far as the world and energy markets," he said, and there's now a market for used oil. "This is just another way to be responsible."
Salem residents can bring used motor oil to the landfill to be recycled, according to Dave Wholley, operations manager at the DPW. He estimated most people come in with only a few quarts. Salem does not burn recycled oil or sell it, he said.
Windham sells residents' recycled motor oil to Wentworth Oil of Rollinsford. Mark Wentworth, owner of the company, said he filters the used oil and sells it for industrial burners. The savings would depend on the size of the building and the furnace.
Wentworth said the technology has been used since the 1960s.
