MADISON -- Starting January 1, 2011 it will be illegal in Wisconsin
for anyone to dispose of automotive engine oil filters or oil
absorbent materials, including granular absorbents, cloth absorbents,
and paper towels in landfills.

A new media kit describing what materials are banned, and how to
recycle these materials, is now available on the Department of Natural
Resources website.

Wisconsin Act 86 is intended to keep used oil filters and absorbents
out of Wisconsin landfills. Each year, Wisconsinites throw away an
estimated 187,000 gallons of oil in used oil filters and 1.6 million
gallons of oil in oil absorbents. Oil is a valuable, reusable
material. By recycling filters and absorbent materials, used oil can
be extracted and reused. Filters also contain steel components that
can be recycled. Approximately nine million filters currently enter
the landfill and recycling these will save over 4.5 million pounds of
steel for reuse.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Kate Cooper at (608) 267-3133 with
additional questions