Motor oil picks up a variety of hazardous contaminants when used in engines and transmissions. These contaminants include lead, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, dioxins, benzene and polycyclic aromatics. If used motor oil and the contaminants it contains are disposed of inappropriately and released into the environment, they can harm humans, plants, animals, fish and shellfish. In water, oil is a visible pollutant, floating as a scum on the surface. This oil scum can stop sunlight and oxygen from getting into the water, affecting fish and water plants. It can kill fish, frogs and other animals that breathe from the water’s surface. Low-temperature burning of used oil can create airborne pollutants that can get into people’s lungs and have adverse health effects. Used motor oil can be recycled Oil doesn’t wear out; it just gets dirty. Used oil can be cleaned, re-refined by engine oil recycling machine and used again and again. Used motor oil can undergo various treatments and then be used as an industrial burner fuel, or re-refined back into new lubricating and hydraulic oil. More information about the processing of used oil is available at: https://www.oilrecyclingplant.com/ How can I recycle my used oil? If you only produce a small amount of used oil from vehicles or farm machinery, you can take it to a used oil collection facility run by your local council. The facility will usually be located at a landfill, waste transfer station, or works depot. Appropriate disposal Used motor oil is a valuable resource. If it is disposed of at a used oil collection facility, it can be recovered and re-used, without posing a threat to humans or the environment. No other substances should ever be allowed to mix with used oil. Contamination by water or other chemicals may mean the used oil can’t be recycled.