Changing your own oil is a great way to save yourself a little bit of money. Plus, by changing your oil on a regular basis you will help to maintain the validity of your factory warranty and extended auto warranty, if applicable. But one of the hardest parts of changing your own oil is knowing how to recycle used oil. Thankfully, this chore has gotten a lot easier in recent years. There are motor oil recycling programs that are sponsored by cities, auto parts stores and designated collection sites. Some cities even offer curbside pickup for used motor oil and old filters.
While there have been efforts made to recycle old oil, getting the used oil from here to there can still be a messy affair. Here are some tips to make recycling your oil quick and easy:
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Before you begin to change your oil, check your communities website to see if they offer curbside pickup of oil. If they don’t, call you local auto parts store or go to 1.800.recycling.com to find recycling centers.
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Purchase an oil pan the can be sealed for easy transportation of the used oil. Usually, the center will dump the oil and return the drain pan so you have it for further use.
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If you use a container that you have on hand for storing the used oil, make sure it is free of other liquids. If the oil becomes contaminated, it will be unfit for recycling.
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Use a drop cloth or newspaper to place under the drain pan while you are changing your oil. You can also use these to transfer the oil to the container.
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Make sure you wear latex or plastic gloves while changing your oil and transferring the used oil into containers. Also, make sure you have plenty of rags on hand incase of spills.
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Before you load the oil container into your car, cover the floor mats or trunk with plastic bags and old newspapers. The newspaper will help to absorb small spills and the plastic bag will help prevent the oil from soaking into your floor mats or trunk carpet.
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If you happen to spill any oil during recycling, you can use cat litter or oil absorbent to soak up the spills. If the spill is small, saw dust will work as well.
