Used Oil and the Do-It-Yourselfer

Used Oil Considered Threat to Environment

Used engine oil contains elements that are unhealthy for you. Copper, tin and lead are just a few that come to mind. But one metal, lead, is known to cause birth defects. Studies haven't proved conclusively that used oil is a carcinogen, but when burned it emits high levels of airborne lead! A 20-year old article.

If you're a DIY’r; you change your own oil. Be a wise DIY’r; drain the oil from the filter before disposing of it. Simply punch a small hole into the metal dome-like end and let it drip-drip-drain for 12 hours.

You may find as much as a shot glass full of used oil has drained from your old filter.

Here at John's Lake Joy ToY, we use bottled oil. But the empty bottles are not recyclable, even if cleaned. We decided to use a capture device allowing new oil film from inside the bottle to drain into a common container. My wife Gail designed and assembled this one in ten minutes.

Empty bottles from every 8 cases collectively provide enough new oil to service a small four cylinder engine.

Recycled Oil Skimmer

- Oh so GREEN -

WHERE DO YOU DISPOSE OF THE WASTE

If you’re going to change your own oil, recycle it. Return used oil the parts retailer that sold it and is responsible for its collection. If you have a problem properly disposing of your used oil, ask your retailer, a service station or a local recycling center for help. If you live in Washington State you can also visit this website. Another website informs you about what, where and how of recycling.