The importance of recycling used motor oil

Provided by Earth911

In today's world, automobiles are an important and necessary part of everyday life. Most automobiles require motor oil and other fluids like transmission and brake fluid to run properly. To keep a vehicle running well, an owner should change the vehicle's motor oil and fluids regularly as defined by the manufacturer. With regular maintenance comes a responsibility to know how and where to properly recycle used motor oil and associated vehicle fluids within your local community.

Nationally there are more than 12,000 community-based oil recycling locations provided by either your local government or private businesses such as auto parts stores or service stations. 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 the "do-it-yourself" vehicle owner (DIYers) - those that change their own oil.

As a DIY oil changer, you can have a positive impact on your local environment by properly handling and recycling your used motor oil and vehicle fluids.

What is used motor oil?

According to the U.S. EPA, used motor oil is any petroleum-based or synthetic oil that has been used for vehicle lubrication. As a result of normal use, motor oil becomes contaminated with various impurities such as dirt, water, chemicals or metals from your engine.

Some governmental jurisdictions classify used motor oil as hazardous. It may contain additives (e.g. rust inhibitors), contaminants (e.g. heavy metals generated through engine wear, or externally introduced materials such as PCBs from old transformer oils), potentially carcinogenic, polycyclic, aromatic compounds (from the fuel combustion process), or glycol leaked from the cooling system. Because of these "impurities," used motor oil should be handled with care and disposed of correctly to ensure the safety of the local community, environment and waterways.

Is oil a valuable resource?

Oil originates from fossil fuels and is a valuable resource both in its original form and as a recyclable substance. Oil can be reused and recycled through reconditioning, reprocessing and re-refining. These recycling efforts help to:

Source: http://www.wdam.com/Global/story.asp?S=10662006