We love doing things ourselves here at the RSTGarage. We do a lot of installs and one of those things is changing oil in our Jeep Wrangler JK using our oil kits. But when we do that we have extra oil left over that we have to dispose of. I know a lot of people who would just throw it away in the dumpster out back or leave it somewhere but we are a firm believer in recycling that stuff and take it to a local auto parts store where they take care of it.

We know of some great people who make machines to blend oil into diesel fuel but that is more for large fleets and the Army but is is nice to know that there are people out there that do this. If you purchase one of our quick EZ oil change kits and change your oil yourself, or have any used oil left over PLEASE DISPOSE OF IT PROPERLY.

MYTH # 1 ABOUT MOTOR OIL

Oil wears out! NO NO NO! Oil does not wear out it just gets dirty and that is why you have to change it.

A lot of people think that once oil is dirty that it is no good. But oil does not wear out, it gets dirty from all the particles that get into it from your engine. So recycling that oil makes sense in the fact that it is still useable. By recycling your oil you will help the environment, protect our drinking water supply, and save energy.

Did you know that USED MOTOR OIL FROM A SINGLE OIL CHANGE CAN RUIN A MILLION GALLONS OF FRESH WATER— A YEAR’S SUPPLY FOR 50 PEOPLE. Used motor oil is insoluble, persistent and can contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals. It’s slow to degrade. It sticks to everything from beach sand to bird feathers. Used motor oil is a major source of oil contamination of waterways and can result in pollution of drinking water sources.

Did you know that ON AVERAGE, ABOUT FOUR MILLION PEOPLE REUSE MOTOR OIL AS A LUBRICANT FOR OTHER EQUIPMENT OR TAKE IT TO A RECYCLING FACILITY. Recycled used motor oil can be re-refined into new oil, processed into fuel oils and used as raw materials for the petroleum industry. One gallon of used motor oil provides the same 2.5 quarts of lubricating oil as 42 gallons of crude oil.

SO BECOME a superstar and BECOME USED MOTOR OIL RECYCLER NUMBER FOUR MILLION AND ONE. Begin recycling your used motor oil today. If all the oil from American do-it-yourself oil changers were recycled, it would be enough motor oil for more than 50 million cars a year. Imagine how much foreign oil that would eliminate.

MYTH # 2 ABOUT MOTOR OIL

Used motor oil from cars, trucks,boats, motorcycles, farm equipment and lawnmowers can be recycled and re-refined. This is Oh So True!

So dont be crazy or lazy, recycle that motor oil today. Its as easy as 1,2,3,4 just 1 – remove the oil from the vehicle and dont spill any, then 2 – put it into a container (usually the one you just bought of new oil), then 3 – never mix with anything period, and finally 4 – take it to a recycle center (most auto parts stores do this for free).

MYTH # 3 ABOUT MOTOR OIL

All oil filters are the same and you can just throw them away when done. Oh boy, this is FALSE.

Firs the great myth about paper oil filters is that they filter the oil. While this is somewhat true what they really do is absorb the oil. It is this absorption that supposedly cleans it. Dont believe me then do this somewhat inexpensive test. Take apart a “NEW” oil filter and try and blow through the paper in the filter. It is very hard and so goes with the filtering. The best type of filter is a stainless steel lifetime filter that truly filters oil down to the micron level. But these are quite expensive and only used by the true auto afficianado or racer who changes oil all the time. The second false fact here is that you can throw away your filter when done. This will just leak oil into the environment. The best thing you can do is turn the filter so it can drain into a pan for a week or two. Then you can recycle the oil and dispose of the filter.

So remember if you simply dump your oil then we all may end up drinking it. So do us all a favor and dispose of your oil safely and responsibly. We will thank you , Mother Nature will thank you, and you will thank yourself.