USED OIL RECYCLING

Used oil generated by another business may not be burned at the facility unless it has been tested and found to meet regulatory standards. Space heater requirements for burning used oil: the space heater must be rated at less than 500,000 BTU's per hour; and the space heater must be vented outside.

It is illegal to dispose of used oil improperly:

• Do not discharge used oil to sewers
• Do not dispose of used oil in landfills or mix used oil with wastes that will be disposed of in landfills
• Do not mix used oil with gasoline or cleaning solvents. The resulting mixture may be a hazardous waste
• Do not use used oil for road oiling, dust control, weed control or for similar purposes

Storage of Used Oil

• Used oil must be stored in tanks or containers (including DOT approved drums) that are in good condition.
  • No severe rusting
  • No bulging or major dents
  • No visible leaks
• Label all storage containers or tanks with the words "Used Oil"
  

Recycle used oil on a regular basis to avoid accumulating more used oil than your spill containment area can handle.

Used Oil Spill Prevention
If you handle oil or oil products at your facility, you are required to be prepared and prevent spills from occurring to protect land, waters or air of the state and to protect the public's safety and health. If a spill occurs, you must perform the following cleanup steps:

• Stop the release
• Contain the released used oil
• If there is a leak of used oil, stop the leak, contain it, clean it up and properly manage the cleanup materials
• Use a transporter with an EPA identification number to ship used oil off-site
• If necessary, repair or replace any leaking used oil storage containers or tanks prior to returning them to service
• In Minnesota - Notify the State Duty Officer at 651-649-5451 or 1-800-422-0798
  

Self Audit Checklist
It makes good sense for you to think ahead and perform a "self-audit" and catch and correct problems before they result in penalties. Use the following list to audit your used oil storage areas and management procedures:

• Is used oil stored in drums, tanks or other containers that are in good condition?
• Are used oil storage containers and tanks properly labeled?
• Is the area around the used oil storage containers free of releases?
• Do you have a spill prevention plan?
• Is used oil transported to a recovery facility by certified transporter?
• Is solvent or other materials mixed with used oil?

Best Management Practices (BMP)
Most regulations tell you what you have to do to be in compliance, but they don't explain how to do it. The following BMPs are recommended for used oil storage areas and management procedures:

• Train your employees on the proper methods for handling used oil
• Do not contaminate used oil with even small amounts of gasoline, brake cleaner, carburetor cleaner or other solvents
• Keep storage containers closed when not actively adding or removing material
• When storing drums, keep an aisle space between drums to allow for inspection for leaks and damage
• Install secondary containment to prevent the release of used oil to the environment
• Inspect containers and secondary containment structures on a weekly basis to be certain that they are in good condition
• Keep written records of these inspections for at least three years
• Try to prevent spills when dismantling vehicles. If spills do occur, clean up with rags. After wringing out the saturated rag into the used oil drum, you can have the rags laundered
• Avoid using absorbents for oil spills unless there is a threat of the spill spreading to soil or water. Oily absorbents must be evaluated prior to disposal to determine whether they are hazardous or non-hazardous
• Before contracting a transporter for your used oil, make sure to check for the transporter's state certification
• Get receipts for used oil shipments and store them in your records for at lease three years
• Do not store near water, floor drains or storm drains

State laws require that used oils be recycled or collected, stored and disposed of properly. Used oil from vehicle use usually contains contaminants such as lead, other heavy metals, and benzene. It can contaminate drinking water and is harmful to the environment. For these reasons, it is important to make sure used oil does not reach the ground or surface water.

Used oil is not inherently hazardous, but if it contains certain additives, or if it has become contaminated with solvents or antifreeze, it can fall under the hazardous waste rules.

Avoid the burden of treating used oil as a hazardous waste by not contaminating it with other fluids and handling and storing it properly, and sending it to an approved used oil processor by a certified transporter.

Regulations
Used oil is not regulated as a hazardous waste if it is recycled or burned as a fuel. This means that your used oil, if not mixed or contaminated with hazardous waste, can be managed under the used oil regulations. If hazardous wastes have been mixed with used oils the entire mixture is considered a hazardous waste. Hazardous wastes' cannot be offered to used oil collectors for recycling.

Uses of Used Oil

Used oil may be recycled by:

• Filtering and reusing it on site;
• Recovering and eventual re-refining by an oil hauler or fuel marketer; or
• Burning in an approved on-site heating unit.