Recycling Motor Oil Helps Save Petroleum
Q. Now that summer is here, I’d like to change the oil in my car myself. But where can I recycle motor oil?
A. Used oil is a valuable resource. By recycling it, you can help protect the environment and conserve petroleum, a non-renewable resource.
In Spokane County, the Waste to Energy recycling facility and two recycling/transfer stations accept used motor oil for recycling at no charge. The Spokane Regional Recycling Hotline, 747-0242, maintains a list of businesses accepting oil from the public. Outside Spokane County, call 800-RECYCLE to locate a collection center near you.
The oil you drain out of your car could become a liability. Containers of used oil are not items you want stored around your house. They could tip over or be punctured. Spilled oil poses a serious hazard to the environment because it can contaminate ground water. Oil that gets into sewer or storm drains and ditches goes directly into waterways where it contaminates aquatic life.
Even a small spill on your garage floor leaves an unpleasant smell and is messy to clean up. If you can’t locate a convenient collection center, consider having a service station or garage change the oil. Either will recycle the oil.
Before changing the oil yourself, make sure you have the needed tools and replacement oil. Use a large pan to catch the draining oil and the filter, if you change it at the same time. In Spokane County, a well-drained oil filter can be placed in the trash. Transfer the oil from the pan to a clean one-gallon plastic jug with a tight lid. Wipe the pan out with a rag or paper towels.
You’ll need at least one jug for each oil change. Milk jugs work well. Don’t use any absorbent material, like cat litter, in the container. This will make recycling the oil impossible.
Never mix any other liquid such as antifreeze, engine degreasers, or gasoline with used oil. These substances interfere with reprocessing and refining. One contaminated jug of oil can ruin a whole collection tank.
About 42 gallons of high-quality crude oil are needed to make 2.5 quarts of newly refined oil. But just one gallon of used oil can yield the same amount of re-refined oil! Ask your favorite auto parts store to stock re-refined oil. Re-refined oil meets the same standard as “virgin” oil. Buying re-refined oil helps complete the recycling loop.
For more information on how to reduce, recycle and dispose of automobile wastes, contact the Spokane Regional Recycling Hotline at 747-0242 or the Washington State Dept. of Ecology at 800-RECYCLE.
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The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN, QUESTION & ANSWER - Homewise BYLINE = Amy Mickelson Washington State Energy Office John Watson assisted with the writing of this column.