Oregon Energy Coordinators Association | WarmandSafeNow.com

A collaboration by Oregon HEAT with an award winning oil recycler is preserving Oregon’s environmental quality while helping families in need. Oregon HEAT and Oil Re-Refining Company (ORCCO) are working to recycle oil from decommissioned oil tanks and from contaminated oil products produced by Oregon businesses and industries.

With the price of oil at a record high and the strain those prices put on low income households, this innovative program is catching a lot of attention in neighboring states, as well as nation-wide, according to Roger Rees, Oregon HEAT Executive Director. “The recent record-breaking costs of heating oil can leave families with a terrible choice – heat their home or pay for food or health care,” Rees says. "ORCCO’s commitment to the community will make a huge difference for local families in crisis – not to mention the difference it will make to our ecosystem."

The program works at two levels. Homeowners who are decommissioning their oil tanks and need to recycle the home heating oil left in the tank, can call Oregon HEAT. ORCCO will be dispatched to pick up and recycle the oil. The difference between this service and existing services that recycle oil from decommissioned oil tanks is that ORCCO is also able to remove all the sludge from tanks, thus completely removing all contaminants for the homeowner. Businesses that generate contaminated petroleum products can also benefit Oregon HEAT and needy Oregonians, by recycling these products with ORCCO. In addition, Oregon HEAT and ORCCO can set up regular scheduled pickups at these sites.

Bill Briggs, President of ORCCO, sees this partnership as timely. “We are proud to partner with Oregon HEAT in recycling oil products to help people stay warm,” he says. “What could be better for Oregon? This is neighbor helping neighbor and it demonstrates how local businesses are committed to making a difference for people and the environment.” ORCCO is a 20-year old Oregon-based, family-owned company that leads the industry with new technology and award winning environmental processes.

All donations go to assist families with a home heating crisis in the geographic area from which the original donation came, but recipients don’t directly receive recycled oil. Instead, ORRCOsells the recycled oil. The proceeds from the market value of recycled products are converted into cash to support Oregon HEAT’s energy assistance programs. The program received pledges in the first 50 days that total nearly 5,000 gallons of oil products, valued at up to $10,000.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, Rees says. The program’s success already has resulted in phone calls from across the country who want to model Oregon HEAT’s program. Call Oregon HEAT at 503-612-3790 to donate.