Can You Recycle Used Engine Oil? How To Dispose Of It Safely

If you work on cars or have driven one for long enough, you're probably aware that our vehicles depend on a range of different automotive fluids to help them run, regardless of whether the vehicle is powered by an internal combustion engine or runs on electricity. These fluids do everything from providing a fuel source for our engines, lubricating internal parts, providing hydraulic pressure, and more. However, automotive fluids are also subject to degradation over time, which means you must service them at regular intervals.

Engine oil is one of the most recognizable and well-known fluids that your car uses. It provides lubrication to the engine's internal parts, including the crankshaft and camshaft, and helps prevent friction and excess heat buildup. Depending on your vehicle's make and model, you should generally replace your engine oil every 3,000 to 7,500 miles. It's a vital service that you cannot skip, and it's relatively easy to change the oil in your car yourself to save a few bucks. However, if you do replace your oil at home, you may find yourself wondering what exactly to do with the dirty fluid that you drain out of your engine. First of all, you can and should recycle used engine oil. If you're not an automotive pro, though, you may not know how to dispose of it properly or why it's important to do so.

It may surprise you to learn that you have quite a few options when it comes to recycling used engine oil. While automotive repair shops typically contract a company to come by and remove used engine oil once a month or so, home mechanics and DIYers generally aren't able to hire a company to stop by their house for this service — even if they can, it's probably not worth it. Instead, you need to transport your used oil to an appropriate location for recycling yourself.

Don't get discouraged, though: You don't have to look for a fancy or dedicated recycling center. In reality, you're probably surrounded by places that accept used engine oil for proper disposal and recycling. That's because virtually all auto parts stores, including AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts, and O'Reilly Auto Parts, accept used engine oil. These types of stores do not charge for this service; all you have to do is put the oil into a container (like the bottle that your fresh replacement fluid came in) and drop it off at one of these locations. Besides auto parts stores, you can frequently recycle used engine oil at retail locations and supermarkets, including some Walmarts.

One of the primary reasons you should recycle your used engine oil is to protect the environment. Engine oil is a fossil fuel product. As most of us know at this point in history, these chemicals, while useful, are incredibly harmful to our Earth and its atmosphere. Disposing used oil improperly, whether by pouring it out into your lawn or down a drain, allows those harmful chemicals to seep into our groundwater and can destroy plant and animal life. Furthermore, used oil is not useless. In reality, it's an extremely valuable resource that can be cleaned and refined back into fresh oil and various other products. Simply pouring used oil out eliminates the possibility of recycling it, meaning that more crude oil must be refined to replace it, raising energy costs and further harming the environment.

Preventing unnecessary waste and helping to protect our Earth are strong reasons for why you should recycle your oil; however, they aren't the only reasons. In the United States, it's actually illegal to discard used oil incorrectly. The Environmental Protection Agency sets standards for how to recycle and dispose of used engine oil. If you don't follow these guidelines and get caught, you can face various penalties and fines. Considering how easy it is to recycle your oil properly (and the numerous benefits of doing so), there's really no reason you should ever dispose of your used engine oil incorrectly.

Besides used engine oil, you can also recycle fluids such as power steering fluid, brake fluid, differential fluid or gear oil, and coolant. Like engine oil, these chemicals are incredibly toxic to the environment, wildlife, and humans. Pouring them out onto the ground is a major no-no and there are penalties for disposing of these fluids improperly, just like engine oil. Similar to the process you use to recycle engine oil, you can simply pour these fluids into any container and drop them off at your local auto parts store for proper disposal.

Besides fluids, you can also recycle various automotive parts. You can drop off used 12-volt car batteries and oil filters at most auto parts stores just like you can with engine oil and other fluids. Other parts, including alternators, starters, and water pumps, are also recyclable, but you may not want to just drop them off at a store. If you buy a replacement part, you can often get a discount for bringing in the old, worn-out component, which is sometimes referred to as a "core." Those cores then get sent to the manufacturer for recycling and reuse. If you're not performing a replacement and simply want to recycle some old parts, look into recycling centers in your area or reach out to an auto parts store to inquire about your options.