R

emove.

Contain.

 m t o w

 e

Recycle.

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Oil Is Easy R

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ecycling Used Motor

(5305W) United States 

1EPA

You Can Make a Difference 

Recycle Your Used Motor Oil 

Recyclingyourusedmotor 

oilhelpstheenv

Driver’

License? Got Yironment, savesenergy,andpro

s 

our 

tects 

ourdrinkingwater. 

2Recycled/Recyclable—Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% (Minimum 50% Postconsumer) Recycled Paper. 

www.epa.gov/osw September 2003 EPA530-F-03-040 Penalty for Private Use $300 Official Business Washington, DC 20460 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. Ariel Rios Building Environmental Protection Agency 

It’s easy to recycle used motor oil and

protect human health and the environ-

ment. Just follow these three steps when

you (or your parents) change the oil in

your car. 1Remo

ve. Do not

spill any oil on the

ground.

2

Contain. 

Put your

used oil in a clean

plastic container with

a tight lid. Never use

a container that once

contained household

chemicals, food, or

beverages. And, 

do


not mix the oil with


anything else, such as

paint, gasoline, solvents,

cleaners, or antifreeze.

3

Recycle. 

Take used motor oil

to a service station, lube center, or automotive store that collects used motor oil

for recycling, during posted

business hours. To find used

oil collection centers in your

area, 

call 1 800 CLEANUP


or 

visit <www.cleanup.org>


or look for used oil recycling

signs, or the oil drop symbol, in store

windows.
Used oil is insoluble and can contain toxic

chemicals and heavy metals. It’s slow to

degrade and sticks to everything from beach

sand to bird feathers, polluting drinking

water sources and harming humans, wildlife,

and aquatic life.

Despite these problems, people who change

their own motor oil—called “do-it-yourselfers”—dispose of nearly 120 million gallons of recyclable motor oil each year by

dumping it on the ground, pouring it down

storm drains, or putting it in trash cans. The

improper disposal of used motor oil from a

single oil change can contaminate a million

gallons of fresh water. That’s a year’s supply

of water for 50 people!

Purchase re-refined oil. When it’s time for an oil

change, purchase re-refined oil or find a service

station that uses it. 

Join or start a community used oil recycling

program. If your community has a used oil recycling program, join it. If it doesn’t, start one.

Order a copy of EPA’s manual entitled “How To

Set Up a Local Program To Recycle Used Oil”

(Doc # EPA530-SW-89-039A) at

<www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/pub-h> or

contact the RCRA Call Center toll-free at 

1 800-424-9346 (703 412-9810 in the

Washington, DC area). 

For more information on managing used motor

oil, visit EPA on the Web at <www.epa.gov/

oswer/hazwaste/usedoil/index.htm>.

Why Should Y

Used Motor Oil?

ou Recycle

Now that you have your driver’s

license, you have a big responsibility—

not only for safely operating your car,

but also for protecting the environment. You probably know that you

should change your oil about every

3,000 miles. But did you ever wonder

what you should do with the used

motor oil after you remove it from your

car?

Why Is Recycling Used

Motor Oil Important?

Motor oil has a life after it

has been in your car. It can

be cleaned and processed

to be reused as motor oil

or as a different product,

such as fuel for your

house. Reprocessed

motor oil also can be

used in power plants

to generate electricity

for homes, schools,

and businesses. It can

also be mixed with

asphalt for paving

streets and highways. 

What Else Can 

You Do?