Motor Oil

Motor Oil Can Damage or Kill Underwater Vegetation and Aquatic Life

Each year in the United States, do-it-yourself motor oil changers improperly dispose of 192 million gallons of used motor oil into our environment.

This is more than 17 times the oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez. One gallon of used motor oil can contaminate 1 million gallons of water. When used motor oil is applied to roads, more than 90 percent of it leaves the road surface on dust particles or in surface runoff.

The use of motor oil as a dust suppressant on a road, a parking lot, a driveway or other similar surface is prohibited in New Jersey.

Solutions

• Repair any leaks in your vehicle.
• Put used motor oil into a sealed container (a plastic milk jug with a screw-on cap works well) and take it to a used motor oil collection site. Do not mix used motor oil with any other substance.
• If recycling is not available, used motor oil must be saved for a household hazardous waste collection. Do not mix used motor oil with any other substance.