Public Research Institute San Francisco State University

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Public Research InstituteSan Francisco State
University
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DIYers Used Oil Disposal
Summary of Findings Statewide Survey and Focus
Groups 2002 Annual Used Oil Forum Public Research
Institute, San Francisco State University Rufus
Browning, Ph.D., and Holley Shafer, M.A. January
29, 2002Available at http//pri.sfsu.edu
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Project Tasks

• Literature Review Research Design
• Latino Research Forum
• Focus Groups
• Pilot Survey in 3 Counties, N 1,251
• Monterey, San Diego, Imperial
• Statewide Survey, N 3,808
• Analysis

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Project Goals

• Estimate DIY oil changing
• Estimate improper disposal of used oil
• Find out who the DIYers and improper disposers
  are
• Find out how to reach them
• Address the problem of underreporting improper
  disposal
• Examine barriers to and incentives for proper
  disposal

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The Underreporting Problem

• Common in surveys on socially desirable and
  undesirable behavior
• Voting5-10 overreporting
• Drinkingbest recent national survey estimates
  cover only about 30 of alcohol consumption from
  sales data
• Estimates of improper disposal of used oil are a
  fraction of the oil missing from the recycling
  stream

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Underreporting 1. Selection BiasWho Gets
Interviewed?

• Ensure survey participation of Latinos
• Used bilingual interviewers at all times
• Conducted an extensive pilot survey in Latino
  areas
• Ensure survey participation of other groups
• Use native Chinese speakers
• If possible, use African-American interviewers
  to survey African-American populations.

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Underreporting 2. Response BiasHow Reduce
Underreporting?

• Adopt a conversational mode of interviewing with
  Latino respondents
• Prime the respondents to talk freely about
  improper disposal
• Ask about neighbors DIY disposal first
• Acknowledge matter-of-factly many ways people
  actually dispose of used oil

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Underreporting 3. Probing the Answers People Give
Us

• If they say they take used oil to a collection
  center, ask them
• Where is it?many dont know.
• Was there any time in the past year when you were
  NOT able to take your used oil to a collection
  center because you didnt know where it was?
  because it was inconvenient for you? for any
  other reason?many said yes.
• Have you been turned away from a collection
  center?

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Statewide Survey Methodology

• Telephone survey June 11-July 29, 2001
• Sample size 3,808 households
• Long interviews, N 1,206 786 DIYers, 420
  non-DIYers
• Short interviews to determine oil changing
  practices (DIY), N 2,602
• Margins of error (95 confidence intervals)
• or 1.8 for entire sample of 3,808
• or 2.8 for 1,206 long interviews
• or 3.5 for 786 DIYers

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How Many DIYers?Percents
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How Many DIYers?The Numbers

• Statewide, we estimate oil changing by
• DIYers for 2.3 million households
• Shade-tree mechanics for 491,000 households
• Garages shops for 9.5 million households
• Out of 12.3 million households (CA Dept of
  Finance estimate for April 2001)

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Shade-Tree Mechanics (STMs)

• About equal numbers of STM users and STMs are
  European American and Hispanic. Very few Asians
  or African-Americans.
• Hispanics are considerably more likely to be STMs
  than European Americans.
• STMs are mostly young men and small operators.

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Has the DIY rate declined?

• 1994 statewide survey 23
• 2001 statewide survey 19
• Conclusion DIY oil changing has probably
  declined since 1994.
• Both estimates are probably low.

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Who are the DIYers?

• 87 are men
• Rates of DIY are higher in rural areas, but
• Most DIYers live in urban areas.

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Who are the DIYers?Income
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Who are the DIYers?Education
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Who are the DIYers?Age
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Who are the DIYers?Language

• Note Chinesespeakers under-estimated

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How Much Used Oil Is Recycled?Evidence from
CIWMB Data

• In 2000, the DIY public purchased 33 million
  gallons of oil.
• 11 mill. gallons were lost during driving,
  leaving 22 mill. gallons to be accounted for.
• 8 million gallons were collected from the public
  36 of 22 million.
• 14 million gallons were not accounted for and
  presumably disposed improperly 64.

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Improper Disposal5 Estimates

• Admit it outright
  8
• cant name collection center 20
• did not recycle at least once 23
• turned away from collectioncenter in last
  year 35
• reported improper disposalby neighbors
  37

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Improper Disposal5 Estimates
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Has improper disposal declined?

• 1994 admitted improper disposal 18
• 2001 admitted improper disposal 8
• 2001 estimated improper disposal 20-37
• Answer perhaps.

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Improper Disposal by Group
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Improper Disposal by Years in U.S.
Population newcomers
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Improper Disposers by Rural/Urban
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Awareness Disposal

• 50 of DIYers do not have specific information
  about the environmental impact of used oil.
• However, awareness of specific impacts of used
  oil is NOT related to improper disposal.

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Incentive Disposal

• 80 of DIYers say they would recycle if paid for
  their oil, and payment was rated highest of 5
  incentives.
• BUT the farm workers focus group reported never
  being paid for used oil.
• AND The survey data suggest response to much
  higher payment levels1 per gallon and upthan
  under the current program16 cents per gallon.

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Convenience Disposal 1

• Convenience is important.
• Reported convenience is related to distance from
  home.
• Improper disposal rate is related to distance
  from home to a collection facility
• 15 if less than 3 miles
• 28 if 3 miles or more

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Convenience Disposal 2

• HOWEVER
• 56 of improper disposers said that taking used
  oil to a collection center was convenient for
  them.
• CONCLUSION
• Convenience is important, but many DIYers dispose
  improperly even if recycling is convenient.

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Curbside Recycling 1

• Curbside recycling programs account for about 10
  of used oil collected from the public, and
• 10 of California DIYers report disposing of
  their used oil through curbside recycling
  programs.

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Curbside Recycling 2

• DIYers in counties with curbside recycling
  programs report substantially higher rates of
  recycling than in counties with no curbside
  recycling.

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How to Reach DIYersTV
Public Research Institute DIYers
Used Oil Disposal, CIWMB, 8/15/2001
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When to Reach DIYers
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How to Reach DIYersRadio
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Where to Reach DIYersActivities
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How to Reach DIYers

• 47 of DIYers read a newspaper every day, 73 at
  least weekly.
• 90 of DIYers who read a newspaper at least once
  per week do so in English.
• Farm workers focus group personal contact with
  the community is best. Media have a credibility
  problem.

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Summary of Findings 1

• Who are the DIYers?
• Men
• Younger men especially
• Slightly less education income overall

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Summary of Findings 2

• Who are the improper disposers?
• Not much different than proper disposers.
• There is no evidence to support the conclusion
  that Hispanics dispose of used oil improperly
  more than any other group.
• Implicationthe Boards allocations and
  programming effort targeting Hispanics may have
  been effective in reducing improper disposal.

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Summary of Findings 3

• Do ethnoracial groups in general dispose of used
  oil improperly at different rates?
• There is no convincing evidence to support such a
  conclusion.

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Summary of Findings 4

• Newcomers are differentthey are more likely to
  dispose of used oil improperly.

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Summary of Findings 5

• UnderreportingIs the problem solved?
• PRI developed new survey methods and new
  questions.

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Summary of Findings 6

• New methods
• Ask about neighbors disposal first.
• Use a conversational mode of interviewing with
  Latinos

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Summary of Findings 7

• New indicators
• Cant name center
• Admits not being able to recycle sometimes for
  particular reasons
• Says was turned away at the center
• Says neighbors dispose improperly

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Summary of Findings 8

• Many barriers unimplemented incentives remain
  in the system of used oil collection.
• Many survey respondents were pleased with their
  collection centers, but
• Some are regularly turned away.
• Some report never being offered payment.
• Convenience is a problem for many.

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Outreach Recommendation 1

• Target newcomers to the U.S. and California and
  new drivers, especially young men.

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Outreach Recommendation 2

• There are no magic media channels to improper
  disposers. By and large, use methods that reach
  DIYers and newcomers.
• In newcomer and ethnic communities, personal
  approaches to members by respected community
  people and organizations might be more effective
  than media outreach.

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Outreach Recommendation 3

• Consider approaches to shade-tree mechanicshow
  they might be encouraged into the system of used
  oil collection.

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Outreach Recommendation 4

• Information about specific impacts of improper
  disposal is not as important as convenience and
  commitment.

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Program Recommendation

• Determine whether local collection centers make
  it difficult for DIYers to recycle.
• Determine whether local collection centers offer
  payment.
• Make sure collection centers are well publicized
  and signed.

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In closing