Why You Should Always Recycle Your Motor Oil

Motor oil isn’t exactly an environmentally-friendly product. However, the vast majority of vehicles require it for safe engine operation, so you can’t exactly go without it.

The good news is that motor oil is recyclable. Rather than just dumping it, you can do your part to protect the environment and recycle it. Keep in mind that oil doesn’t wear out—it just gets dirty. That oil can be cleaned, re-refined and then put back into use over and over again, so long as it has been properly treated. It could be repurposed into a new lubricant, or used as a fuel for industrial burners.

Here’s a quick overview of why it’s very important for motor oil to be recycled in New Orleans, LA.

It extends the life of a limited resource

While it might feel like we have a limitless amount of motor oil, this simply isn’t the case. Petroleum is a limited resource, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. The best way to stretch the lifespan of this resource is to recycle and reuse it whenever possible. So long as motor oil is properly recycled, it will still be able to provide high-quality results in its second life.

It keeps groundwater, soil and landfills clean

Throwing away oil after one use simply isn’t sustainable, and is a waste of the resources given to us on this earth. Even worse, once the oil gets thrown away, it will contaminate soil and groundwater. This is why you should avoid sending these products to a landfill. If that oil gets into the groundwater, it could poison aquifers that are used for wells for drinking and irrigation. If it gets into the soil, it could kill off some of the necessary microbes and earthworms that create rich soil for gardening and agriculture. The best way to avoid contributing to this large-scale contamination is to recycle your used motor oils whenever possible.

It protects both plants and animals

Motor oil can be a very harmful substance for plant and animal life. It might have toxic substances like heavy metals that can kill them off. To prevent this toxicity from affecting the natural world, you should recycle your motor oil for reuse rather than throwing it out and risk it getting into the environment.

It helps you prevent oil slicks in marine environments

Oil spills in the ocean can have devastating effects on marine life. Typically, this happens due to leaks in oil rigs or due to capsized ships. However, there’s also a lot of freshwater oil pollution that occurs as a result of motor oil getting out into the waterways after being thrown away.

If motor oil pollution gets into a lake or river, the fish and other animals in those marine environments may have a difficult time surviving, as the oil will block out light and contaminate life.

These are just a few examples of why it’s very important for motor oil to be recycled in New Orleans, LA. For more information about local motor oil recycling options, contact Safeway Used Oil and Grease today.

Categorised in: Motor Oil Recycling