How To Dispose Of Used Engine Oil? The Best Ways Here!

Dispose of used engine oil: If you want to save on workshop costs, you can change your car’s oil yourself. But several liters of used oil are waiting in the garage for disposal.

We must do it professionally because used oil is far from wasteful. Now let us examine below how to dispose of waste oil or recycle used oil properly.

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What is waste engine oil?

The term waste oil includes oil, a waste product, and can contain mineral oil, synthetic, or biogenic oil. 

Because these substances are hazardous to health, we must observe various instructions during disposal. 

It includes products such as:

  • Engine and gear oils
  • Spent lubricating oils
  • Hydraulic oils
  • Oil emulsions
  • Diesel oil

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Disposal of engine oil without any fees

As a rule, you can dispose of used engine oil free of charge. However, you must note the following: 

Smaller quantities up to 20 liters

  1. Collect more modest amounts of waste oil in sealable containers such as bottles, cans, or canisters. Caution: Different types of oil must be stored separately and never mixed.
  2. You can return the waste oil to the dealer free of charge on the presentation of the receipt. If you have received a voucher with your purchase, you must show it at the time of sale. It also applies to oil filters.
  3. If the dealer cannot or does not want to take back the oil, he must, by law, inform you of a collection point nearby.
  4. You can also dispose of used oil at pollutant collection points such as recycling reusable materials depot (or the Schadstoffmobil). However, these may charge fees. It is best to find out beforehand on the Internet about your nearest recycling center’s acceptance conditions.
How to get rid of oil without any fees
How To Dispose Of Used Oil? – How to get rid of oil without any fees? / Image by nastogadka from Pixabay

Larger quantities from 20 liters upwards:

  1. If you wish to dispose of more significant amounts of waste oil, you can also return them to the seller, provided you still have the receipt.
  2. Collection points or recycling yards may accept several liters but rarely free of charge.
  3. You can also hire a waste oil disposal company to collect the oil. However, this company also charges fees.
  4. You can also sell vast quantities of waste oil (from around 1,000 liters). You can find similar companies online.
Tip

If you have problems returning the oil, your city’s environmental authority can help you.

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Places to dispose of waste engine oil

In principle, dealers and repairers who sell oil are also obliged to accept the same quantity of waste oil. So if you buy new oil, you can dispose of the old oil directly. The same rule also applies to dealers on the Internet.

However, the return transport of the used oil is often the customers’ responsibility. The postal service usually classifies the oil as hazardous, making shipping cumbersome and expensive.

Independently of the dealers, we can bring waste oil to local recycling centers.

Where can waste oil be disposed of
How To Dispose Of Used Oil? – Where can waste oil be disposed of? / Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay

City recycling yards often have a maximum quantity of five or seven liters per delivery.

The same applies to oil filters and other oil-containing waste produced during oil changes.

If a shop cannot take care of the oil disposal itself, such as supermarkets or DIY stores, it must usually agree with nearby collection points at its own expense.

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Costs to dispose of used engine oil

You can dispose of your waste oil-free of charge at the dealer or a cooperating collection point if you buy new oil. If the waste oil returns later, the sales receipt must be kept in any case.

What are the costs for the disposal of used oil
How To Dispose Of Used Oil? – What are the costs for the disposal of used oil? / Image by Pixabay from Pexels

If you return old oil without buying new, you will be getting charged a fee – this also applies to the recycling centers. On average, you get charged $1 to $3 per liter.

However, large workshops accept the used oil without buying new oil.

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Selling waste engine oil

Some companies specialize in the processing and regenerating waste oil and therefore pay for the used oil.

Sell waste oil instead of disposing of it
How To Dispose Of Used Oil? – Sell waste oil instead of disposing of it? / Image by Willi Heidelbach from Pixabay

You can find buyers on the Internet, but most of them only accept more substantial quantities of waste oil – from several hundred liters upwards.

For private individuals, the sale of waste oil as an alternative to disposal is rarely, if ever, considered.

Waste engine oil collection categories

According to the “Waste Oil Ordinance,” the different oil types classifies into so-called collection categories. 

These simplify transport and storage and provide information on how they can be further processed later.

Waste oil collection categories
How To Dispose Of Used Oil? – Waste oil collection categories / Image by bpcraddock from Pixabay

The following collection categories of oil exist:

  • One: including non-chlorinated machine, motor, gear, hydraulic and lubricating oils based on mineral oil
  • Two: synthetic machining and hydraulic oils, halogen-free machining oils based on mineral oil
  • Three: halogenated and chlorinated oils; mineral oils containing PCBs
  • Four: diesel, fuel oils, readily biodegradable hydraulic oils, oils from oil/water separators

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Waste engine oil after disposal

What happens to the waste oil after disposal
How To Dispose Of Used Oil? – What happens to the waste oil after disposal? / Image by Nicola Giordano from Pixabay

There are two possibilities for further processing waste oil, depending on its composition: Thermal recovery (combustion) and recycling.

Reprocessing oils in the collection category is without restriction. For the other types, this depends on whether pollutants accumulate in the following products or not.

Waste oil combustion releases harmful substances, so waste oil recycling is preferable.

Contaminated oil and dark waste oil resulting from the lubrication of vehicles are not suitable for recycling.

It is spoiled with metal fuel residues or oxides, making it difficult to process.

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Last Updated on 29/03/2022 by Buzz This Viral