When motor oil (also known as engine oil) is not disposed of properly, the environmental implications can be serious— from contaminating waterways and polluting local drinking sources to toxifying soil in your nearby community. The Environmental Protection Agency has numerous laws regarding the safe disposal of motor oil, and your state’s regulations may be even stricter. To protect the environment and stay above the law, it’s essential to learn how to properly dispose of motor oil.
Jak správně zlikvidovat motorový olej
Firestone Complete Auto Care’s oil services include replacing and recycling your used motor oil and oil filter. You should think twice before changing your own oil, but if you prefer to do it yourself, here’s the process you’ll want to follow.
Contain the Motor Oil
When changing your oil at home and disposing of it properly, your first step should be finding a way to collect it. Start by laying down a tarp (or similar material) beneath your vehicle. Once the tarp has been placed appropriately, position a drip pan under the oil pan drain plug to catch any draining oil.
Clear Out the Oil Filter
Properly emptying your oil filter is an essential part of disposing your used motor oil the right way. After removing the used oil filter from the vehicle, place it threaded side down at a slight angle in the catch pan to allow some of the used oil to drain. The oil filter will still have used oil trapped in it, so seal it in a plastic bag and take it with you when recycling your used motor oil.
Safely Store the Motor Oil
Safely storing your used motor oil is crucial. Using a funnel if needed, drain the oil from the drip pan you used into another storage container that’s safe to transport. You can use the original container that the oil came in or a clean polyethylene container.
You’ll also want to keep your used motor oil away from other automotive fluids, including water, since mixing oil can make proper disposal difficult. Store the container in a cool, dry place until you’re able to recycle it.
Where to Dispose of Old Motor Oil
When recycling used motor oil and learning how to dispose of empty motor oil bottles, there are many options to consider. Check them out below:
Where to Bring Old Motor Oil
- Waste Collection Sites: Your city or county likely has oil recycling collection centers. Research online to find the nearest one to you.
- Recyklace u chodníku: Check your local county or municipal website to find a curbside recycling program near you. Ensure that motor oil is an acceptable waste for collection, and follow your service’s protocol and packaging requirements.
- Earth 911: If you aren’t able to pinpoint a waste collection site or curbside recycling program near you, Earth 911 may be able to assist in your search.
- Local Auto Parts Suppliers: Many local auto parts suppliers will recycle used oil and oil filters for free. Ask about recycling when purchasing the supplies.
Where Not to Dispose of Old Motor Oil
- Storm drains: Dumping your old motor oil into nearby storm drains is not only illegal in many states, but it can also contaminate local drinking sources.
- Na zemi: Dumping motor oil on the ground can have negative environmental and legal implications. Avoid doing this at all costs.
- Garbage cans: Motor oil is a major toxic pollutant so avoid throwing it into any sort of garbage collector. Otherwise, it will end up in a landfill, contaminating the ground and other water sources.
Proper Disposal of Used Motor Oil at Firestone
Disposing of your motor oil properly is crucial for both legal and environmental reasons. Make doing your part easy, by getting motor oil services at your nearest Firestone Complete Auto Care. Prefer we bring the oil change to you? Check to see if Firestone Direct is available in your area, and schedule a visit. Not only will we change your oil properly, but we’ll dispose of your old oil the right way.
Used engine oil is a type of hazardous waste, which can harm human health and the environment if it’s not disposed of properly. As oil flows through an engine, it picks up dirt, chemicals, and other contaminants, becoming less effective until it eventually needs changing. What you do with used engine oil next is important.
If you run a garage, farm, factory, or any other business that deals with vehicles and machinery, you can quickly accumulate lots of old engine oil. Even at home you might change your car’s oil and want to know what to do with old engine oil. The good news is that engine oil can and should be recycled.
Learn how to dispose of engine oil from your business or home responsibly in this guide.
Obsah
- Why is recycling engine oil important?
- How to dispose of old engine oil
- How to recycle used engine oil
- How is used engine oil recycled?
- What can old engine oil be used for?
- Arrange waste engine oil collection
Why is recycling
engine oil important?
Engine oil doesn’t wear out or go off – it simply gets dirty by picking up dirt, metal scrapings, water, chemicals, and other contaminants. Over time these build up and reduce its effectiveness. But it can be cleaned (re-refined) and recycled to use again, which saves on energy and resources otherwise used to source new oil.
Used engine oil can be re-refined into new oil, processed into fuel oils, or the petroleum industry can use it as raw materials. This saves a valuable resource and reduces the amount of new crude oil that needs extracting to create fresh motor oil.
Recycling engine oil is also important as it’s a type of hazardous waste. Improper disposal – such as pouring engine oil down a drain – will pollute waterways as it contains toxic chemicals and heavy metals. Engine oil is insoluble, slow to degrade, and sticky, causing sand and bird feathers to stick together if it pollutes the environment.
Any engine oil in landfill will release toxic elements – such as benzene, lead, chromium, arsenic, and dioxins – leaching into and contaminating the ground. Engine oil recycling avoids it ending up in landfill, polluting the ground, drinking water sources for both humans and wildlife, and causing negative health effects.
Jak zlikvidovat
of old engine oil
Commercial engine oil disposal
Garages and other businesses dealing with vehicles should have experts who know how to drain engine oil safely and effectively from any cars, tractors, or machinery. When drained, you should safely store it in an engine oil container or barrel with a secure lid to avoid contamination from rainwater or other elements.
Businesses must then arrange waste engine oil collection by a licensed waste carrier. They will come and remove any containers or barrels, then safely and legally transport them to an appropriate nearby facility for re-refining and recycling. This ensures any engine oil waste you produce is disposed of safely and in line with relevant laws and regulations.
Domestic engine oil disposal
At home, most people take their car to a garage for a specialist to drain used engine oil. If you try it yourself, have an engine oil spill kit ready and a drip tray. Put any waste engine oil in the engine oil container that it first came in and store in a safe, sheltered place.
If you can’t find the original bottle or barrel that the engine oil came in, use a clean and dry plastic or metal container. Avoid any containers that held household chemicals or other automotive fluids, as this could cause contamination (even when thoroughly cleaned). Ensure it has a secure lid and is leak free to prevent spillages when taking it for recycling.
Jak recyklovat
použitý motorový olej
The easiest way for businesses to recycle used engine oil is to arrange collection by licensed waste carriers. Store it in an appropriate container and they can collect at an agreed time and transport it to a nearby recycling facility. Companies such as Business Waste even deliver free containers for you to fill with old engine oil – just pay for collection.
You should receive a free consignment note at the point of collection, as engine oil is a type of hazardous waste. This proves it’s disposed of safely and appropriately, creating an audit trail of what happens to your waste engine oil. Another option is for any registered waste carriers in you organisation to directly transport waste oil to a nearby recycling facility.
When you’re recycling used engine oil at home, take it to your local oil bank. The Oil Care Campaign has a free online tool to find your nearest location. Otherwise, check whether your local council recycling centre accepts engine oil. Both these methods ensure your old oil goes to an appropriate facility for re-refining rather than landfill.
How is used
engine oil recycled?
Used engine oil is essentially cleaned of any dirt and contaminants at a specialist licensed facility, then reused. It’s recycled and refined into new motor oil, lubricants, fuel oil, or used as a raw material. While the dirt in old oil is disposed of, any metals and certain other contaminants may also be recycled.
The process to refine and recycle used engine oil is:
- Odvodňování – the dirty engine oil is placed in a large settling tank that separates the water and oil, so the water can be extracted.
- Filtrování – inorganic material, solids, and some additives are filtered out and demineralised to give a cleaner burner fuel for more refining.
- Propan z–asfaltování – heavier bituminous fractions are extracted to create a clean re-refined base oil.
- Destilace – the oil is boiled to separate different components in the oil to create re-refined oil that’s fit to use as the likes of a lubricant or fuel oil.
What can old engine oil
být použit pro?
Once cleaned and re-refined, recycled engine oil can be used as:
- Re-refined base oil for a lubricant, transformer, or hydraulic oil
- Industrial burner oil
- Bitumen-based products
- An additive in manufactured products
- Mould oil (to release products from their moulds)
Arrange waste engine oil collection
Recycle any engine oil waste you produce with Business Waste. We provide free containers to store your used oil in – just pay for collection. Get the right size and number of barrels, drums, or other engine oil containers delivered to your business anywhere in the UK to fill and store safely on site.
Then arrange collection either as a one-off or on a daily, weekly, or fortnightly schedule if your company generates lots of waste motor oil. Our licensed waste carriers will collect your old oil and transport it to a nearby specialist facility for re-refining and recycling. Enjoy peace of mind that your old engine oil is recycled safely, legally, and in an eco-friendly way.
Pro nabídka zdarma for engine oil disposal wherever your business is in the UK and whatever industry you work in, kontaktujte nás online nebo volejte 0800 211 8390 dnes.
