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United States Environmental Protection AgencySolid Waste and Emergency Response (5305W)EPA530-F-96-004November 1996MANAGING USED OIL: ADVICE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES____________________________________________________________This fact sheet contains valuable information forbusinesses such as service stations, fleet maintenancefacilities, and "quick lube" shops that generate and handleused oil. It summarizes the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency's (EPA's) used oil management standards--a set of"good housekeeping" requirements for used oil handlers.These requirements are detailed in Title 40 of the Code ofFederal Regulations (CFR)Part 279. Small businesses should also refer to EPA'sEmergency Response Division's Information Line at 202260-2342 for information on how to manage spills.============================================================What is Used Oil?EPA's regulatory definition of used oil is as follows:Used oil is any oil that has been refined from crude oil orany synthetic oil that has been used and as a result of suchuse is contaminated by physical or chemical impurities.Simply put, used oil is exactly what its nameimplies--any petroleum-based or synthetic oil that has beenused. During normal use, impurities such as dirt, metalscrapings, water, or chemicals can get mixed in with theoil, so that in time the oil no longer performs well.Eventually, this used oil must be replaced with virgin orre-refined oil to do the job at hand.EPA's used oil management standards include athree-pronged approach to determine if a substance meets thedefinition of used oil. To meet EPA's definition of usedoil, a substance must meet each of the following threecriteria:* Origin--the first criterion for identifying used oilis based on the origin of the oil. Used oil must havebeen refined from crude oil or made from syntheticmaterials. Animal and vegetable oils are excluded fromEPA's definition of used oil.* Use--the second criterion is based on whether and howthe oil is used. Oils used as lubricants, hydraulicfluids, heat transfer fluids, buoyants, and for othersimilar purposes are considered used oil. Unused oilsuch as bottom clean-out waste from virgin fuel oilstorage tanks or virgin fuel oil recovered from aspill, do not meet EPA's definition of used oilbecause these oils have never been "used." EPA'sdefinition also excludes products used as cleaning

agents or solely for their solvent properties, as wellas certain petroleum-derived products like antifreezeand kerosene.* Contaminants--the third criterion is based on whetheror not the oil is contaminated with either physical orchemical impurities. In other words, to meet EPA'sdefinition, used oil must become contaminated as aresult of being used. This aspect of EPA's definitionincludes residues and contaminants generated fromhandling, storing, and processing used oil. Physicalcontaminants could include metal shavings, sawdust, ordirt. Chemical contaminants could include solvents,halogens, or saltwater.************************************************************Used Oil Is:* Synthetic oil--usually derived from coal, shale, orpolymer-based starting material.* Engine oil--typically includes gasoline and dieselengine crankcase oils and piston-engine oils forautomobiles, trucks, boats, airplanes, locomotives,and heavy equipment.* Transmission fluid.* Refrigeration oil.* Compressor oils.* Metalworking fluids and oils.* Laminating oils.* Industrial hydraulic fluid.* Copper and aluminum wire drawing solution.* Electrical insulating oil.* Industrial process oils.* Oils used as buoyants.This list does not include all types of used oil.************************************************************************************************************************Used Oil Is Not:* Waste oil that is bottom clean-out waste from virginfuel storage tanks, virgin fuel oil spill cleanups, orother oil wastes that have not actually been used.* Products such as antifreeze and kerosene.

* Vegetable and animal oil, even when used as alubricant.* Petroleum distillates used as solvents.Oils that do not meet EPA's definition of used oil can stillpose a threat to the environment when disposed of and couldbe subject to the RCRA regulations for hazardous wastemanagement.************************************************************============================================================How is Used Oil Recycled?Once oil has been used, it can be collected, recycled,and used over and over again. An estimated 380 milliongallons of used oil are recycled each year. Recycled usedoil can sometimes be used again for the same job or can takeon a completely different task. For example, used motor oilcan be re-refined and sold at the store as motor oil orprocessed for furnace fuel oil. Aluminum rolling oils alsocan be filtered on site and used over again.Used oil can be recycled in the following ways:* Reconditioned on site, which involves removingimpurities from the used oil and using it again. Whilethis form of recycling might not restore the oil toits original condition, it does prolong its life.* Inserted into a petroleum refinery, which involvesintroducing used oil as a feedstock into either thefront end of the process or the coker to producegasoline and coke.* Re-refined, which involves treating used oil to removeimpurities so that it can be used as a base stock fornew lubricating oil. Re-refining prolongs the life ofthe oil resource indefinitely. This form of recyclingis the preferred option because it closes therecycling loop by reusing the oil to make the sameproduct that it was when it started out, and thereforeuses less energy and less virgin oil.* Processed and burned for energy recovery, whichinvolves removing water and particulates so that usedoil can be burned as fuel to generate heat or to powerindustrial operations. This form of recycling is notas preferable as methods that reuse the materialbecause it only enables the oil to be reused once.Nonetheless, valuable energy is provided (about thesame as provided by normal heating oil).************************************************************Recycling Used Oil Is Good for the Environment and theEconomy--Here's Proof:* Re-refining used oil takes only about one-third the

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