Statistics and Data - Effects of Our Policy

Potentially Positive Effects:

1) Properly disposing of motor oil will reduce the amount of motor oil found in landfills and drainage systems, resulting in less pollution from land run-off of oil.

Over two hundred million gallons of used oil are improperly disposed of each year. Most of this oil is poured down drains, thrown out as garbage, or ends up on our roadways which leads to land run-off. It takes only one gallon of motor oil to contaminate one million gallons of drinking water, and the most common reason is because of the lack of awareness of proper oil recycling facilities etc. Households that change their own oil, dubbed do-it-yourselfers (DIYers), account for 19% of all used oil generation. A 1981 EPA survey revealed that 14% of DIYers returned their used oil for reuse or recycling, usually to service stations, and 21% disposed of it with other household wastes. The remaining 65% released it directly into the environment. The Department of Environment estimates an even higher rate of improper disposal by DIYers — 80%. DOE estimates that 348 million gallons of used oil were improperly disposed of in the U. S. in 2004. Aside from DIYers, other generators include automotive sources, transportation facilities and industrial sources, with the latter responsible for nearly 50% of used oil generation. Recycling used oil contributes significantly to conserving coveted oil resources, since the production of only one ton of synthetic oil requires between 150 and 190 tons of crude oil. The U. S. EPA estimates that if improperly disposed used motor oil was properly managed, the U. S. could save thousands of barrels of oil each day.

2)With an increase in oil recycling will come a decrease in the pollution of our aquatic ecosystems, and the endangering of wildlife due to the contamination of the waters, as well as protecting our freshwater resources.

Our world's freshwater supply is limited as it is, as many countries (particularly third-world countries)have little to no access to freshwater, and our contamination of our water resources, continues to diminish the availability of freshwater to many people.

3) Burning the recycled, refined oil will create energy, providing a more sustainable resource, that will reuse our fossil fuels.

Recycling just 2 gallons of used oil can generate enough electricity to run the average household for almost 24 hours and it takes approximately 40% less energy to produce base oils from used oil in a state-of-the-art process plant than it does to produce base oils from crude oil. Also that 52% of the North America's electricity is still generated by burning coal. The rest of our electricity is produced by nuclear plants (20%), burning natural gas (15%), burning oil (3%), hydropower (7%), and other such as burning wood, geothermal, solar, wind, and miscellaneous (2%).

In terms of total North American energy usage, the breakdown by source is given in the following table (taken from a 2001 survey on )

Energy Source Percentage of total
Petroleum 42%
Coal 24%
Natural Gas 20%
Nuclear 8%
Hydro Power 2%
Solar, Wind etc. 2%

4)Proper care and maintenance of vehicles will result in less motor oil leaks onto roads that get into drains and water systems.

5) Expenses reduced for collecting virgin-oil.