The Ultimate Guide to Safely and Properly Disposing of Motor Oil
Whether it’s any vehicle or industrial machinery, motor oil is required for the engines to work smoothly. Regular oil changes are essential for the longevity and proper functioning of engines. Hence, this means that a lot of waste motor oil has accumulated over time and needs to be disposed of. However, disposing of this oil properly and safely is imperative, otherwise, it could lead to severe health and environmental hazards.
In this article, we will shed light on the sources of motor oil, how to dispose it of safely, what equipment you will need to do so, and more.
Sources of Motor Oil
Before we understand how to safely dispose of motor oil, let’s understand from where most motor oil is collected.
Auto Repair Shops and Service Centers
Auto repair shops and service centers are where the maximum amount of motor oil is collected. These places constantly keep changing the motor oil of numerous heavy-duty vehicles, motorbikes, cars and trucks every day, hence, the oil accumulates in huge quantities. To ensure that the oil doesn’t contaminate the area or cause harm to the environment, these repair shops and service centers have to follow certain protocols for oil disposal.
Cars and Other Vehicle Owners
To ensure that your car is functioning well, as an individual car or any vehicle owner, you might opt to perform regular oil changes by yourself. Hence, you tend to contribute to a lot of waste motor oil as well. Therefore, it is essential to dispose of oil properly and safely without causing any harm to your surroundings.
Industrial Machinery
Huge machines have to use motor oil for specific industrial tasks, hence, regularly changing the oil for these machines is important for their functioning. Since industries generate tons of waste oil with additional machinery contamination, it’s extremely crucial that motor oil disposal is done properly.
Additional Sources
Besides cars, heavy-duty vehicles and industrial machines, additional sources that generate waste motor oil are agricultural machines, cruise ships, boats and recreational vehicles like RVs.
Laws and Regulations for Motor Oil Disposal
Considering how hazardous waste oil can be to our environment and health, detailed laws and regulations are laid down for motor oil disposal.
Federal Laws and Regulations:
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is the law laid down for proper disposal of hazardous wastes such as motor oil. This act gives the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to handle hazardous waste - from generation to transportation, treatment to storage and the disposal of unsafe waste such as motor oil. They enforce safe and ecologically responsible disposal procedures through regulations and guidelines.
State-Specific Laws and Regulations:
Every state has its specific rules and regulations laid down, hence, the laws can vary from one state to another, however, the ultimate goal is to dispose of oil safely without causing any harm to the environment. While California might have strict laws in place to ensure that motor oil is disposed of at Certified Used Oil Centres, New York on the other hand has stringent regulations in place to take used motor oil to service or retail establishments for recycling. There’s more to these rules, hence, for detailed laws and regulations for motor oil disposal check your local state laws.
Local Laws and Regulations:
Local municipalities have their said laws and regulations too. Whether it’s proper disposal sites, collection and recycling centers or even imposition of hefty fines. Therefore, it’s essential to contact local authorities to ensure that you are disposing of your oil correctly. Additionally, make sure you are also using the correct tools and equipment such as oil drain pan or oil drain tank to drain motor oil when performing oil changes.
How to Dispose of Motor Oil Properly and Safely
Here are ways in which you can dispose of motor oil safely to avoid environmental and health hazards.
Use the Right Tools and Equipment to Drain and Collect Motor Oil
The initial step to be taken when changing and disposing of motor oil is using the correct equipment to avoid any spills and leaks. It’s advisable to use an oil drain pan and a spout under your vehicle for properly draining and collecting used motor oil. You have numerous oil drain pan sizes available in the market today – from as huge as a 25 or 20 gallon oil drain pan to as small as a 5 or 3.5-gallon oil drain pan to choose from.
Also, make sure to use any absorbent pad underneath the oil pan as well to catch any spills and leaks when doing the oil change.
Store Used Motor Oil in a Leak-Proof Container Before Disposal
Let the oil cool down and then transfer it storage container before disposing it. Remember to not use any old or rusted container that’s lying around the house. It needs to be a sealed, leak-proof, transportation and oil-safe storage container. Polyethylene or stainless steel storage containers are the best ones. Additionally, ensure the oil is stored in a cool and dry place before disposal.
Also, at times you might end up changing the oil filter, ensure that whenever you do so, you seal it in a plastic bag to dispose of safely.
Avoid Mixing Different Liquids
It’s essential to not mix different liquids used for your vehicle. Motor oil shouldn’t be mixed with coolants or antifreeze, brake oil or water. Doing so makes the oil unrecyclable. Even the leak-proof container that you would use to store the oil shouldn’t have contained a mix of liquids.
Take Used Motor Oil to Professional Collection and Disposal Centers
If you have been performing regular oil changes at home or you own a repair shop without the means to properly dispose of oil, then you should go to professional collection and disposal centers. Hazardous waste disposal centers or even some auto repair shops can help with collecting and disposing of used motor oil. They are specialized in disposing of tons of oil regularly, following protocols for safe disposal. You can also check for some community collection programs as well. Just make sure that you are carrying used motor oil in a leak-proof container to these disposal centers.
Carry Used Motor Oil to Recycling Facilities
One of the ways to ensure that used motor oil is put to best use is by recycling. Hence, it’s best to take used oil to designated recycling facilities in safe leak-proof containers. Recycling is not only an environmentally-friendly practice, but a great way to reduce demand and conserve resources.
Donate Used Motor Oil to Organizations or Individuals
Instead of disposing of oil, you can also consider donating it to organizations or individuals who can repurpose it for their usage as they see fit. Refined and transformed motor oil can be used as lubricants for machines or can be used as industrial burners. This way you are reducing waste and supporting sustainable practices which is extremely essential for the environment. However, do ensure that whoever you donate the used motor oil to, they have the right procedures in place for safe repurposing.
Things to Consider Before, When and After Disposing Motor Oil
- Before you dispose of used motor oil, you have to ensure it is not mixed with other vehicle liquids such as coolants and transmission fluids. Additionally, you should store the oil in a cool and dry place in a leak-proof storage container.
- When disposing the used motor oil wearing safety gear such as glasses and gloves is always vital. Additionally, the most important thing to do is follow protocols for safe disposal. Failing to do so will result in you paying fines and of course, as you know the environmental damage it can cause.
- Once you are done with disposing of used motor oil, make sure to wipe up your surroundings if there are leaks or spills with an absorbent pad, and dispose of these waste pads safely as well. Also, clean, wipe and dry your oil drain pans and storage containers thoroughly so that they are safe to use again.
Mistakes to Avoid When Draining, Storing, Transferring and Disposing of Used Motor Oil
- Never drain oil in any random container. Always use specific equipment designed for the purpose such as an oil drain pan or an oil drain tank. Failure to do so can just lead to a lot of mess and contamination around your workspace.
- Never store used motor oil in non-approved containers. As important as it is to use the right equipment to drain oil, it is to store oil as well. You might not be disposing of oil every day, it could be once a week or a month, depending on how often you do the oil changes. Hence, you cannot let the used oil be left out in the open as this could cause potential mishaps. Therefore, it is important that you store used motor oil in leak-proof oil-safe containers only.
- Never transfer oil in leaky containers. It’s extremely important that you use the right container when transferring oil to collection and disposal centers or recycling facilities to avoid any leaks and spills. You can use a leak-proof polyethylene or stainless steel storage container to ensure safety.
- Never mix motor oil with other liquids. The biggest mistake you can make is mixing up all automotive liquids. If you do so, it becomes extremely difficult to dispose of and more so impossible to recycle, thereby, harming and polluting the environment further.
- Never dump motor oil illegally. The environment is ours to take care of. Imagine the serious harm that can happen if you dump used motor oil in drains, on the ground, in waterbodies or in trash cans. So, follow safety protocols, and dispose of oil where you should to avoid huge fines and legal repercussions.
Environmental, Health and Economic Impact of Disposing Oil Unsafely and Improperly
Let’s see how disposing of oil unsafely and improperly impacts us in various ways.
Environmental Impact:
If motor oil is disposed of improperly it can cause a great deal of environmental damage. There could be a significant impact on marine life if motor oil is disposed of in drains, rivers, or oceans. Besides, if these harmful materials are absorbed into the earth, the soil can get contaminated, leading to agricultural and ecosystem destruction.
Health Impact:
Your health can be impacted greatly if you are exposed to motor oil for an extended period. The harmful substances such as carcinogens and heavy metals present can cause serious health issues.
Economic Impact:
Disposing of motor oil in places that you aren’t supposed to impacts not only the environment, the ecosystem or your health but also economically. The government or communities might have to spend a large amount on cleaning up the contaminated area or surroundings. Additionally, if you are caught disposing of oil illegally, you will have to pay a hefty fine for not following proper safety disposal protocols.
How to Raise Awareness of Proper Motor Oil Disposal Methods in Your Community
- Educate people about how to dispose of motor oil and why it is important to dispose it of safely and properly. You could raise awareness through community meetups and even use social media and community WhatsApp groups.
- Share rules and regulations with the community about used motor oil disposal. Share links to where people can find the correct methods or get them to connect with the community’s waste management department.
- Educational institutions can contribute significantly to the cause and spread awareness. You could partner with schools and colleges to raise awareness among children and the communities at large. Have meetups or awareness programs to discuss on the issue in detail.
If you do not want to run into any major environmental and health issues and do not want to pay a hefty fine, you must adhere to the rules and regulations of proper and safe disposal. Be more responsible, practice the correct methods of disposing of used motor oil and raise awareness on the issue by educating your family and community.
