I have been doing a little research online about oil disposal, and wanted some input. I have heard for awhile that used oil must be recycled because of how toxic it is. Well, after doing some online search I found out that 40% of the oil is dumped on the ground, 21% is thrown in the trash, and only 14% recycled. However, if dumping it is so toxic, then why aren't we seeing or hearing about this impact? Is it really going to make much difference if we recycle the oil as opposed to dumping it?

 

Well if you dump it it's gonna end up in your water supply.

That being said, recycle it, it's the right thing to do either way. I would guess that a lot of the "dumped" oil is from leaking vehicles as well.

RP
Zach

 

These figures are based on the false assumption that all oil purchased has to be disposed of. Oil consumption is normal in many engines, and that is completely ignored. Leakage is also a factor. I take issue with the basis that used motor oil is toxic in the first place. Back when gasoline contained lead, and lead got into the oil, yes, that is toxic. But new motor oil is not toxic and most contamination in used motor oil is just water and carbon particles. Now that MTBE has been banned as a gasoline additive and replaced with ethanol, a ground-water contaminant has been removed from the mix.

Jim

 

You don't hear about oil pollution because there are no exploding bodies etc. Also most dumping takes place on private property which isn't usually checked by the environmental hounds. Ever see a dirt patch that had a strange brown fuzzy appearance? That was probably where some oil was dumped. It stays a long time.

Recycling is fairly easy. Most community trash will pickup milk bottles of oil. Milk bottles so they can see what it is. If your trash company uses those orange boxes for recycling, they probably pickup oil. Also many states require places that sell oil to accept used oil. So just recycle what you take out to the same place you buy it. Doesn't have to even be the place you buy it. Many dumps and landfills also have a recycle center.

Unless you live 100 miles from anywhere, there is no good reason to dump oil. It is a valuable resource and can be used for many things including oil feedstocks. If a refiner does a quality refinement, the finished oil is often better quality than oil made from virgin crude. An article way back in the 70s from PM mag talked about how re-refined oil was the original "synthetic" since the molecules had gone thru a process that created uniform molecule sizes.

If I recall most cans of motor oil have a disclaimer that says used motoroil is carcinogenic so I would guess that is bad for ground water. Plus there is lead and other metals in oil. Also might be leaking antifreeze and combustion byproducts. Look at what an oil analysis checks and I bet there are lots off things that are toxic in sufficient quantity.

Good Luck, recycle it is easy and less messy most of the time.

Jim Henderson

 

Most large chain parts stores will take used oil. Many shops burn it in their furnaces in the winter, some gets used for processing asphalt, and many other uses. I worked for a shop that used waste oil for heat, my cousin also uses it in his shop. If you are in the right areas, you could get paid if you have enough. A friend of mine used to go around and pick up used oil from shops and local farmers and such. Initially, they didn't pay, but there became competition for the used oil, so they had to start paying for it. I don't see anything about those uses in those figures, so i would say they are either real old or total BS. I wouldn't go dumping it on the ground though, as it will eventually get noticed.