Grease Monkey Celebrates "Green" Initiatives with Safety-Kleen

RICHMOND, Va., March 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Local Grease Monkey franchisees, F. Champe Granger and Roger L. Bouchard, are celebrating the one-year anniversary of their recycling initiatives and providing an environmentally friendly motor oil, EcoPower, as an option to customers.  In Richmond, EcoPower is only available at these two Grease Monkey locations, 3308 N Boulevard/804-353-0521 and 8509 Staples Mill Road/804-264-8789.

"Through our partners Safety-Kleen and Allied Waste, we recycle approximately 98% of the shop's waste products annually including used oil, used coolant, oil filters, air filters, cabin air filters, fuel filters, plastic bottles, paper, cardboard, brake rotors and other vehicle components," says Roger.  "We even recycle our used oil drums and wood pallets.  If we can find a means of keeping an item out of the landfill, we are doing it." 

The two Grease Monkey locations are environmentally conscious, locally-owned businesses that started the "green" initiatives as an effort to give back to the community and to provide customers with environmentally friendly options to maintain their vehicles.  Throughout the past year, these locations have recycled approximately 5,616 cubic feet of solid waste that traditionally would have been destined for our local landfill.   Additionally, during the same time period, approximately 17,304 gallons of used oil and coolant have been recycled.

"We're excited about offering EcoPower motor oil because it conserves non-renewable resources, removes potential pollutants from the environment and reduces our dependence on foreign crude," says Roger.  "It makes solid environmental and business sense.  EcoPower motor oil uses up to 85 percent less energy to produce than oil produced from virgin crude. Plus, the end product is equal to traditional motor oils and meets the same stringent specifications." 

EcoPower is an environmentally friendly motor oil produced by Safety-Kleen, based in Plano, Texas. Safety-Kleen collects more than 200 million gallons of used oil a year and recycled approximately 140 million gallons of it into base oil products for re-use in the marketplace.  Safety-Kleen's EcoPower is a top-quality motor oil that meets or exceeds all applicable specifications set by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Society of Automotive Engineers.  More information about EcoPower motor oil is available at www.EcoPowerOil.com.

For the past 20 years, Safety-Kleen has produced high-quality motor oils for large commercial fleets and the federal government by re-refining used oil the company collects at over 115,000 car dealerships, automotive retailers and quick-lube facilities across North America. By recycling and re-refining used oil, Safety-Kleen avoids the emissions of more than one million metric tons of greenhouse gases annually when compared to refining from crude and burning used oil for energy, the equivalent to taking 190,000 cars off the road every year  

About Grease Monkey International
The Grease Monkey franchise system has approximately 250 centers in the United States, Latin America and China.  Grease Monkey offers "no appointment needed" vehicle preventive maintenance services that meet or exceed vehicle manufacturer specifications and maintain warranty requirements.

A Grease Monkey Full Service Oil Change includes new oil and filter, check and/or fill of major fluids, light check, tire pressure check and set, interior vacuum and exterior window wash. Grease Monkey centers provide services that meet or exceed vehicle manufacturers' recommendations for preventive maintenance.  Grease Monkey provides radiator, transmission, and power steering fluid exchange services, wiper blades, tire rotation, engine and cabin air filters, and other preventive maintenance services. www.GreaseMonkeyIntl.com

About Safety-Kleen
Safety-Kleen is a leading North American used oil recycling and re-refining, parts cleaning and environmental solutions company, with approximately 4,200 employees serving approximately 270,000 customer locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.   Safety-Kleen provides a broad set of environmentally-responsible products and services that keep North American businesses in balance with the environment. For more information, please visit www.Safety-Kleen.com or call 800-669-5740.   

SOURCE Safety-Kleen