Whether you find yourself regularly doing automotive work at home or just have a used bottle gathering dust from a while ago, dealing with used motor oil and filters can be difficult. If you’re ready to get it out of your home, garage, or basement, it’s time to learn your motor oil disposal options. With disposal at home not possible, learn about your options in Massachusetts, from a quick trip to the store to using municipal programs. Information on automotive fluids and automotive batteries can be found via the links below:
Hazards
- Oil products are toxic to fish and other animals and plants.
- One quart of motor oil can contaminate a million gallons of drinking water.
- Undrained oil filters can contain up to 12 ounces of motor oil.
Handling
- Collect oil in a clean container with a screw cap, such as the original container or a clean, labeled plastic jug. Do not mix oil with any other liquids. Cap the container to keep out dirt and water.
- Do not dispose of used oil in the trash, on the ground, down the drain, down a sewer drain, or by burning it (except in permitted oil burners).
- Clean up spills with kitty litter, vermiculite, or rags, place in a bag, and dispose of it the trash.
- Oil filters: Puncture the domed part of the oil filter with a sharp tool. Drain filters on a rack while they are hot for 12 hours, and capture the oil for recycling as described above.
Management Options
Used oil:
- Return used oil for recycling to the store where you purchased it. Retailers are required to accept used oil for recycling (up to 2 gallons per person per day) if you have the purchase receipt.
- Your local municipality might also have options for oil recycling—visit their website and look for recycling options. Take your used oil to a municipal collection center, if available.
- Used Oil Hotline: 617-556-1022. Use this number also to report retailers who are unwilling to accept used oil from customers who have a receipt.
- Note that if your used oil is contaminated with other fluids, it may be harder to dispose of due to the presence of halogens. See our blog, Automotive Waste: Dealing with Contamination and Disposal, for more details.
Used oil filters:
- Do not dispose of an undrained oil filter in the trash. Follow the above handling instructions for draining used oil filters.
- Take used oil filters in a sealed bag or container to a municipal collection program in your community, if available. Many communities that collect used oil also collect used oil filters.
- If no recycling program is available in your community, wrap the drained used oil filter in a plastic bag with absorbents such as a rag or kitty litter and take it to a Household Hazardous Products Collection Center.
This information was brought to you by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and NEDT. For more information, including links to their guides, visit our Fact Sheets & Links page, and make sure to check out our NEDT Blog and Household Hazardous Products Resources for more in-depth information.
