By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
DIVISION of Parks and Recreation staffers, including community volunteer Max Aguon, found used oil in a discarded container near the 13 Fishermen’s Memorial in Garapan on Thursday morning.
“We found used motor oil again — in a container, then placed in a bucket and left by the beach,” Aguon said. “There’s a proper way of disposing of used motor oil that’s not harmful to the environment.”
He said staff from the Division of Environmental Quality of the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality also came that morning, took photos of the used oil, and made arrangements for its proper disposal.
In the CNMI, used oil disposal is federally regulated, and its disposal at the municipal landfill is prohibited.
According to DEQ regulations, a person commits a violation if he or she “discharges used oil into a sewer, drainage system, septic tank, surface water or ground water, watercourse, or marine water; puts used oil in waste that is to be disposed of at any sanitary landfill; or directly disposes of used oil on land.”
Anyone caught disposing of used motor oil illegally may face criminal penalties.
Under the regulations, containers and tanks used to store used oil must be in good condition and show no signs of severe rusting, apparent structural defects, deterioration, or visible leaks.
Last week, Aguon discovered used motor oil and oil filters improperly disposed of in a trash bin at Smiling Cove Marina.
Aguon is widely recognized for his islandwide cleanup efforts. His work has earned numerous commendations and helped raise environmental awareness across the community.
Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
