Defining Used Oil

Used oil is defined as any petroleum based oil or any synthetic oil that has been used and is contaminated by physical or chemical impurities. Used lubricants and transmission fluid are considered used oil.

Through normal use, metal and dirt can contaminate vehicle oils. These potentially toxic contaminants could cause the used oil to be characterized as hazardous. Fortunately, used oils are exempt from federal and some state hazardous waste regulations as long as the oils are reused or recycled and are not mixed with other hazardous materials, such as chlorinated solvents.

Did You Know?

• Used engine oil contains toxic metals and/or additives that can contaminate both surface and ground water supplies?
• When disposed of improperly, used oil can spread to lakes, rivers and streams in sufficient concentration to poison fish and reduce oxygen levels essential to aquatic life.
• It only takes one pint of used oil to form a football sized slick on a lake.
• Improper disposal of used oil can also contaminate groundwater supplies.
• As little as one quart of waste oil can contaminate two million gallons of our valuable and scarce drinking water supply.

Recycle Used Oil

Once oil has been used, it can be collected, recycled, and used over and over again. An estimated 380 million gallons of used oil are recycled each year in the U.S. Used oil can be recycled in the following ways:

• Reconditioned on site, which involves removing the impurities from the used oil re-using it.
• Re-refined, which involves treating the oil to remove impurities so that it can be used as a base stock for new lubricating oil.

Re-refining prolongs the life of the oil resource indefinitely. There are a number of companies in the Washington Metropolitan Area that will collect used oil for recycling. See the Vendor List for Auto Repair Shop Recycling and Disposal Services [45k PDF] for area vendors. Another recycling method is to process and burn oil for energy recovery, which involves removing water and particulates so that used oil can be burned as fuel for space heaters. Be advised that this use of used oil for space heaters is regulated under the Maryland Department of the Environment, Air and Radiation Management Administration, which can be contacted at 410.631.3230.

Housekeeping Practices

If you generate or handle used oil, there are good housekeeping practices developed by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency that you must follow. These "management standards" are common sense, good business practices designed to ensure the safe handling of used oil, maximize recycling, and minimize disposal. The standards apply to all used oil handlers, regardless of the amount of oil they handle. These requirements relate to storage and cleaning of leaks and spills as follows:

• Keep storage tanks and containers in good condition with no signs of leaks or other deterioration.
• Used oil should be stored on a flat surface that does not allow used oil to seep through, such as cement or asphalt.
• Label storage tanks and containers as "Used Oil".
• Use a transporter with an EPA identification number when shipping used oil offsite.

Storage

Label all containers and tanks as "Used Oil," and store separately from other solvents and chemicals. Keep containers in good condition.

Never mix used oil with hazardous waste. Your business may be required to comply with federal and state hazardous waste regulations if your oil becomes contaminated from mixing it with hazardous waste. Used oil mixed with hazardous waste has to be managed as hazardous waste. Hazardous waste disposal is a lengthy, costly and strict regulatory process. See the factsheet Your Generator Status for further details.

Prevention

Prevention is always the preferred method of spill control!

Take a moment each day to inspect your waste oil containers, storage tanks, fittings and connections to ensure they are well maintained. Always take steps to prevent leaks and spills. Keep machinery, equipment containers, and tanks in good working condition and always use funnels when transferring used oils. Should a spill occur, follow the Four Step Cleanup method outlined below and have clearly marked spill kits readily accessible. (See the Spill Prevention and Cleanup factsheet for more information).

Spill Containment

If you have and oil leak or spill, contain it immediately! Stop the oil from flowing at the source. If a leak from a container or tank can’t be stopped, catch and/or transfer the oil to another container. If the spill is large, contain the spill by surrounding the spill with a berm and cover all storm and floor drains to prevent oil from entering.

Four Step Cleanup Method

1.  Always use a mop (hydrophobic) that absorbs oil only. Extraction devices (i.e. centrifuges, wringers and compactors) can be used to recover used oil from reusable mops and towels.

2. Use rags to dry surface

3. Clean up the oil and recycle it as you would before it was spilled. Maximize the recovery of the used oil. Remove as much of the free flowing oil as possible from rags or mops used to clean up the spill.

4. Once the freeflowing oil has been removed from these materials, launder the rags and extract the oil from the mops for reuse. If the mop is no longer useable make sure the mop is not a hazardous waste and dispose of it appropriately.

Remove, repair or replace the defective tank or container immediately!

Avoid Costly Cleanups

Meeting the following conditions relieves service station dealers from responsibility for costly emergency response cleanups and liabilities associated with the off-site handling of used oil. To meet these conditions, service stations must comply with the management standards for used oil by not mixing used oil with any hazardous substances, by accepting used oil from Do-It-Yourselfers (DIYs) and sending to a licensed recycler for recycling.

Call the RCRA hotline for details regarding this liability exemption: 703.412.9810 or 800.424.9346.

If this is not reason enough to convince you to do the right thing, consider the fines and other legal sanctions you can incur for improper storage and disposal of waste oil.

Clean Water Act violations may reach $25,000 per day, per offense and can include a significant jail sentence and this does not include the possible civil lawsuits and remediation requirements that may result from illegal waste oil disposal.

Do not risk your business, future and your hard earned money by illegally disposing of waste motor oil. Always save your receipts.

Underground Storage Tanks

For questions about Underground Storage Tanks (UST’s) or aboveground storage tanks, contact the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) at 800.633.6101 for information about removing tanks, or other remediation alternatives.

If you have a leaking underground storage tank, contact MDE immediately, at the same number.

You may also contact the Montgomery County Department of Fire and Rescue Services at 240.777.2457 for additional information.

If your above ground tank is leaking contact the fire department immediately and contain the leak by placing a berm around the spill and all storm drains to prevent the contaminate from entering the waters.