To automobiles, motor oil is essential for proper engine performance, as is replacing it on a regular basis. To the plants and animals with which we share our natural environment, motor oil can be damaging and even deadly. Oil that is improperly discarded in trash cans, storm drains and on the ground does not readily break down and can cause irreversible harm to the environment. Even relatively small amounts of used motor oil can contaminate millions of gallons of fresh water on which humans, plants and animals rely for daily life and survival. Additionally, contamination caused by the disposal of used motor oil on the ground can render soil unable to support plant life for decades. Fortunately, many local governments as well as private entities such as auto repair businesses, car dealerships and automobile parts stores accept used motor oil from consumers for recycling. Still, consumers who are unaware of or unwilling to comply with safe motor oil disposal methods are releasing millions of gallons of contaminants into the environment, creating pollution that could easily have been prevented.

Companies which accumulate large quantities of used motor oil as a byproduct of doing business, such as oil change service stations, must comply with laws regulating their methods of handling motor oil. If you are like many people and change your vehicle's motor oil yourself, utilize online resources, consult the local phone book and obtain personal referrals to determine the most convenient means of recycling used motor oil in your area. Often, oil change stations and automotive stores will accept your used motor oil for recycling. Some communities even provide convenient road side collection of motor oil for recycling. Regardless of the method you choose in recycling used oil, ensure that you are collecting used oil in an appropriate container with a secure lid which has not been used to store other household chemicals. Also, inquire about the proper means of collecting the oil that has accumulated in your oil filter, which may also be recycled.

Besides carrying significant environmental benefits, recycling used motor oil conserves the world's precious natural resources and saves energy and money. Used motor oil can be recycled and reprocessed into a valuable, usable substance with the ability to provide electricity and heat energy for places such as power plants and other manufacturing facilities. The utilization of reconditioned motor oil for energy reduces the demand for petroleum from the world's limited reserves and affords an economical, renewable source of energy.