Management Assessment of used Oil, Filters, and containers in the Canadian automotive sector using resource recovery metrics

Anica Tasnim; Anika Tahsin Abha; Farzin Naghibalsadati; Edwin Tam; Kelvin Tsun Wai Ng

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2024.11.020

Management Assessment of used Oil, Filters, and containers in the Canadian automotive sector using resource recovery metrics

Waste Manag. 2024 Nov 22:191:284-293. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2024.11.020. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Anica Tasnim¹, Anika Tahsin Abha¹, Farzin Naghibalsadati¹, Edwin Tam², Kelvin Tsun Wai Ng³

Affiliations

¹ Environmental Systems Engineering, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A2, Canada.
² Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Windsor, 2285 Wyandotte St. W. Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada.
³ Environmental Systems Engineering, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A2, Canada. Electronic address: kelvin.ng@uregina.ca.

PMID: 39579636
DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2024.11.020

Abstract

The efficiency of the resource recovery system in the automobile industry is not well understood. The effectiveness of resources recovery for used oil, filters and containers in four Canadian provinces were assessed from 2010 to 2022. The collection rates of resources, financial performance, and temporal changes of two original indicators: Resource Recovery Per Vehicle (RRPV), and Expenses Per Vehicle (EXPV) were examined. British Columbia and Quebec had the highest collection rates of used oil, filters, and containers (mean ranging 83.0 to 92.9 %). Despite having lowest mean collection rate of used oil (71.0 %) and filters (78.7 %), Saskatchewan has significant RRPV for used oil (20.4 L) and filters (2.12 units). Decreasing RRPV (-0.01 to -0.38) trends were identified in all jurisdictions, suggesting the need for targeted recovery strategies towards automotive sectors. A mild increasing trend of EXPV in all jurisdictions is observed (slope + 0.02 to + 0.08). Quebec exhibited the most cost-efficient resource recovery, with EXPV ranging from $2.4 to $3.3 per unit vehicle. Profit margin analysis revealed consistently high margins of 8.6 % in Quebec, contrasting with Manitoba's lower 1.3 %. The lower profit margin may partly be due to higher administrative costs (16.1 %). The findings highlight the potential benefits of the proposed RRPV and EXPV indicators in evaluating management systems for used oil, filters, and containers.

Keywords: Automotive recycling; Cost-effectiveness; Efficiency indicator; Oil container recycling; Provincial comparison; Used oil and filter.