Used Motor Oil Recycling

The USEPA estimates that over 200 millions gallons of used motor oil is improperly disposed of in this country every year (facts).  That is more than 50 times the amount of oil released into the environment by accidental oil tanker spills around the world in 2000! Most of this waste oil is poured on the ground, down a drain, or tossed in the garbage by “Do-It-Yourselfers” that change their own oil at home.  When improperly disposed of, this oil can contaminate soil and water, causing environmental damage and human health hazards.

Used motor oil can contain such contaminants as arsenic, cadmium, benzene, lead, magnesium, zinc, and chlorinated compounds. These hazardous substances can negatively impact the environment by polluting our soil and water.  The heavy metals found in waste oil can bioaccumulate in plant and wildlife, posing serious health risks to humans by poisoning the food chain.  When motor oil is poured into the sewer system, it can damage wastewater treatment equipment and disrupt the sewage treatment process. 

 Facts on used motor oil in the environment:

•  It only takes one gallon of motor oil to contaminate one million gallons of drinking water

•  Oil contaminants in tissues make the organism unfit for human consumption

•  It may take up to twenty years for an aquatic system to recover from an oil spill

• Concentrations of 50 to 100 ppm can disrupt sewage treatment processes

• One pint of oil released in a body of water can cause a slick the size of a football field

Fortunately, with proper handling, used motor oil is very recyclable.  Motor oil never wears out; it just becomes dirty.  It can be re-refined into new lubricating oil or processed into fuel oil.  Recycling oil will extend our reserves of crude oil, which is a non-renewable resource.  This in turn can greatly decrease our dependence on foreign oil sources. 

Some tips for “Do-it-yourselfers”:

• Be careful to properly use a drip pan to collect all the used oil and avoid spills

• Remove oil filter, drain excess oil, and recycle filter

• Pour the used oil into a clean, empty, plastic container with a tight lid.  DO NOT MIX WITH ANY OTHER SUBSTANCES

• Take the old oil to the nearest used oil collection location for recycling

Recycling your used motor oil is the right thing to do because it keeps our environment clean and helps our economy.  The dozens of collection sites conveniently located throughout Hamilton County make recycling your old motor oil easy! 

Hamilton County Household Hazardous Waste Hotline 513-946-7700