The Importance of Recycling Used Motor Oil

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), used motor oil is any petroleum-based or synthetic oil that has been used for vehicle lubrication. During normal use, motor oil becomes contaminated with impurities such as dirt, metal scrapings, water or chemicals. In time, the oil no longer performs well and will need to be replaced.

Motor oil never wears out it just gets dirty. Motor oil can be recycled repeatedly which reduces our dependence on foreign oil. Motor oil poured onto the ground or into storm drains can contaminate and pollute the soil, groundwater, streams, and rivers. Recycling your used motor oil reduces this pollution threat.

There are numerous oil recycling locations located nationwide. According to the American Petroleum Institute (API), over 600 million gallons of motor oil is purchased each year. Over half of this amount (345 million gallons) is purchased by those that change their own oil. If you change your own motor oil, put the oil in a clean container with a lid and transport it to the nearest recycling center. If all the oil from those that change their own oil was recycled, it would be enough motor oil for more than 50 million cars a year. Imagine how much that would reduce our dependence on foreign oil. If you choose to change your own oil, you can have a positive impact on the environment by recycling your used motor oil.

If you pour your used oil on the ground, into a storm drain you are improperly disposing of your used motor oil. This used motor oil can pollute lakes, streams and water ways, and can also pollute our drinking water supply. A single quart of motor oil can contaminate up to 2,000,000 gallons of fresh water if it is not disposed of properly. According to the EPA, over 40% of our nation's oil pollution comes from the improper disposal of used motor oil.

The next time that you change your own oil, remember, you can make a difference by recycling the oil from your car, truck, motorcycle, boat, recreational vehicle or lawnmower. By dropping off your used motor oil at a recycling center, you can help protect the environment. Recycling your used motor oil keeps it out of our rivers, lakes, streams and even the ground water. In many cases, that means keeping it out of our drinking water, off our beaches, and away from wildlife. Recycling used oil can help to protect one of our most precious natural resources, clean drinking water.