                          FS417

              RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION
        NEW JERSEY AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION


          Recycling Used Motor Oil In New Jersey

                Theodore B. Shelton, PhD.
    Extension Specialist in Water Resources Management
                           and
                    Michael T. Olohan
              Public Information Coordinator
             Navesink River Watershed Project



The Problem: A Wasted Resource

     According to the United States Department of Energy, nearly two-thirds of all used motor oil generated in the United States comes from "do-it-yourselfers" who change their own oil. If improperly disposed of, these 350 million gallons of oil can do substantial, immediate, and long-term harm to humans and animals, streams, lakes, estuaries, vegetation, and the quality of our air and drinking water.

     In New Jersey, the Association of Petroleum ReRefineries estimates that 19.5 million gallons of used oil are generated yearly. Of that, nine million gallons are generated by do-it-yourselfers. A study by the Service Stations of America found that do-it-yourselfers recycle only 14% of the waste oil they generate. Moreover, 62% of all petroleum-related pollution is estimated to be from used oil products.

     However, recycling of this valuable resource via rerefining into once-again reusable motor oil offers a significant means of reducing pollution, may eventually lower demand for foreign reserves, conserves finite natural resources, and protects the environment.

     Unfortunately, due to a lack of rerefiring capacity nationwide, nearly 80% of all used oil collected is reprocessed and burned as a fuel oil substitute and not rerefined. Nonetheless, the reuse of used motor oil is a vital component of any comprehensive recycling program.

     State law requires that all used motor oil be recycled. Used motor oil is the largest single source of oil pollution in our harbors and our waterways.


What Makes Used Motor Oi