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How to Dispose of Used Motor Oil Properly
November 22, 2019
Working on their car or truck at home is a hobby for some people, and people do tasks like oil and filter changes in garages every day. But what do you do with the used motor oil and filter once you remove them from the car? The responsible thing to do is recycle the used oil properly, and that is not hard to do if you follow a few simple steps.
Prepare the Oil for Recycling
When you are ready to drain the oil from your car, it is important that you use a drain pan or container to catch the oil that is clean and is used only for oil changes. Anything in the pan could get into the oil, making it unusable in some situations.
Drain the oil while it is warm, and then remove the filter from the car and place it in a container with the open side down so it can drain as well. The oil filter can hold as much as a quart of oil for large engines, but most have a capacity of six to eight ounces of dirty oil in them.
Once the oil is out of the car, use a funnel and pour the oil into a clean container like a gallon milk jug with a screw-on cap. Make sure the top seals tightly or you could have some oil spill in your car when you transport the oil to the recycler.
The oil filter needs to drain for a couple of hours, then you can put it in a large resealable plastic bag or an empty can that has a plastic snap-on lid. Just make sure that the container seals well so oil doesn’t leak out.
How to Store Used Oil
If you are not going to take the oil to the recycler right away, mark the container so that you know it is used oil, and store it in a cool, dark spot in your garage. Put a piece of cardboard under the container in case it drips or leaks while you are storing it.
Make sure the used oil is not in a place that it can get knocked over or spilled while you are storing it. Sometimes storing it and taking several containers to the recycler at once is necessary but it is not a good idea to keep too many containers of used oil on hand if you don't have to.
Where to Recycle Old Oil
You might be surprised how easy it is to find a place to recycle used motor oil. Most automotive shops will take your used oil, but it must be free of any other contaminates. You can recycle transmission fluid and other petroleum products, but you can't mix them in with the motor oil. The shop will not take the oil because it will contaminate their entire tank of used oil and the recycler will not take it.
Most of these shops also take used oil filters for recycling, but you may want to check with them to make sure they do.
Find a Local Recycling Program
Some cities and towns that operate transfer stations or recycling operations have oil collection tanks on-site, so if you can't find a garage to take your oil, check with your local government and see if there is a program in place that you can use. You may want to ask if they take the oil filters as well.
If you still can not find a place to recycle your oil, there are several organizations that operate websites with databases of recyclers and search options to help you locate one near you.
At Denver Oil, we collect and recycle motor oil and other petroleum products and sell used, refined oil for heating fuel in the local area. We are happy to work with you to collect used oil and can set up a program that works best for you. Give us a call to discuss the options today.
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