what to do with leftover motor oil change

More half of motorists change their own motor oil. It is important to recycle the used motor oil and filters that come from your car, truck, motorcycle, boat, recreational vehicle, or lawnmower. If you take your automobile to an automotive service outlet, yous can be fairly certain that they recycle the oil that they change. Simply if you lot're not sure, ask.

Used motor oil is a valuable resource. Oil doesn't wear out, information technology just gets muddied. The used oil you take to a collection site can be recycled into new products, burned for heat or the product of cobblestone, or used in power plants to generate electricity. Called-for just ii gallons of used oil in a power found can generate enough electricity to run an average household for 24 hours.

Used motor oil tin contain toxic substances such as benzene, atomic number 82, zinc, and cadmium. When used motor oil is improperly disposed of (thrown away in the garbage or dumped on the ground or downwards a sewer system) these pollutants may attain our lakes, rivers, or the groundwater and contaminate our water — that's no way to treat the "land of 10,000 lakes."

Doing it yourself? Practice it right!

If you change your own oil on your car, truck, motorcycle, boat, recreational vehicle, or lawnmower, be sure to piece of work advisedly and dispose of the used motor oil and filters properly. Follow these steps for a clean oil change that prevents pollution and conserves energy for a safer and healthier tomorrow.

Stride 1: Drain the oil

• Drain the oil into a pan that can concur twice the volume of oil in the engine's crankcase.
• Bleed the oil when the engine is warm to ensure that any sludge flows out smoothly. Caution: the oil will be hot! Keep draining until the oil has slowed to an intermittent drip.
• Replace the drain plug and carefully move the oil pan to a location where you tin can safely pour the oil into a container. Wipe upwardly whatsoever drips with a paper towel.

Step 2: Carefully transfer the dingy oil

• Using a funnel, cascade the oil into a clean, leak-proof container with a tight-plumbing fixtures chapeau — a rigid plastic container such as a plastic gallon milk jug works well. Exist careful not to overfill the container!
• Don't put used oil in containers that held chemicals similar bleach, pesticides, paint, or antifreeze — they can incorporate residues that contaminate the oil. Avoid paint cans and other metallic containers.
• Seal the bottle and characterization it as "Used Oil."
• Power steering, manual, and brake fluids tin also be brought to used oil drove sites in split up containers (not mixed with used oil).
• Never mix solvents, gasoline, or antifreeze with your used oil. Once contaminated with these products, it is difficult or impossible to recycle used motor oil. If your oil does become contaminated, label the container and take it to your local Household Hazardous Waste collection site for disposal. Don't take information technology to an oil recycling site where it could contaminate the tank, making the contents impossible to recycle and expensive to dispose of.

Step 3: Bleed the oil filter

• Put the used filter hole-side down to allow the oil to drain into a storage container for recycling. Allow the filter to drain overnight or at least 12 hours to remove all the oil.
• Place the quondam filter in a leak-proof container (coffee can with lid or resealable plastic handbag). The oil filter may retain 2 to 8 ounces of motor oil even when drained!
• Supersede the old oil filter with a new 1. To back up recycling programs, buy oil filters from those businesses that accept used oil filters for recycling.

Pace iv: Have your used oil and oil filters in for recycling

• Find a designated collection site in your area. All places that sell motor oil in Minnesota must mail a listing of used oil drove site locations or a cost-costless telephone number with that data.
• Many service stations with repair facilities and oil change shops will have your used oil, sometimes for a fee.
• In addition, communities and counties often provide drove tanks for used oil.
• Don't leave used oil and oil filters at a drove facility if it is not open for business organization unless there are specific instructions at the site that permit y'all to do so. This is considered illegal dumping.

Buy recycled: Re-refined oil

Used motor oil tin can be re-refined into lubricating oils that meet the same certifications and specifications every bit new or virgin motor oil. Recycling oil consumes less energy than pumping and refining oil from the ground, and ownership recycled means helping reduce the demand for strange oil.

The API Certification Mark "starburst" identifies engine oils that come across the most electric current requirements of the International Lubricant Standardization and Blessing Committee. Re-refined motor oils with this seal are the same quality every bit not-recycled.

• Cost. The price of re-refined oil is comparable to virgin oil. In some cases, information technology costs less.
• Operation. Exam after examination has shown that re-refined oil is just as good, if not ameliorate, than virgin oil. Wait for certifications from the American Petroleum Institute (API). API-licensed re-refined oils must laissez passer the aforementioned common cold-beginning, pump ability, rust-corrosion, engine-article of clothing, and high-temperature viscosity tests that virgin oils do.
• Warranty. Major auto and engine manufacturers such every bit Ford, GM, and Detroit Diesel hold that the use of API-certified re-refined oil will not void warranties, which are based on performance criteria. If the oil meets the warranty requirements, the warranty must be honored.
• Who'due south using information technology? For years, re-refined oil has been used throughout the United states of america with great success. The U.S. Post has been using re-refined oil for nearly a decade in its fleet of almost 73,000 vehicles, and Minnesota's state Motor Pool has been using it since 1998. Fifty-fifty Mercedes-Benz uses re-refined oil in its factory-new vehicles.

Ask for re-refined oil at your next oil change! If your service center doesn't comport information technology, allow them know you want them to.

For more than data

For more data on collection programs for used motor oil and oil filters, contact your county solid waste management department.

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Source: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/living-green/changing-your-oil-earth-friendly-guide-do-it-yourselfers

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