Recycling used engine oil

Want to know how you can help recycle your used oil? Let us tell you.

To recycle your used oil properly you will need to take it to an oil change facility that accepts oil containers or a household waste facility. With over 1000 oil recycling facilities across the UK, you'll be sure to find one that can assist you.

Once your oil arrives at the processing plant it will be separated through distillation and chemical pre-treatment helps to break down the hydrocarbon chains in the oil meaning it will become less viscous. The oil is then dehydrated so different minerals can be extracted more easily using vacuum distillation to separate the minerals according to density and gasoline is recovered as refinery fuel. Further distillation separates the lube oil which can then be refined further enabling use as a motor or lubricating oil.

Currently, less than a third of all waste oil produced by motorists is recycled. That means that around 13 million liters of waste oil are lost into the environment every single year.

Interestingly, 1 gallon of used motor oil provides about 2.5 quarts of lubricating base oil. It's not just the used oil from your car or truck that can be reused or re-refined. Used motor oil from motorcycles, boats, farm equipment and lawnmowers can be reused or re-refined as well.

Here's the link for our local recycling center and yes they take used engine oil.