Define Waste Oil

Oils are a common product around the house and in business used for lubrication and cooking. Knowing the proper definition of waste oil is not only a responsible action, it can even save you money and mitigate the negative consequences from improperly disposing of it.

Identification

• Waste oil means any oil-based product that has been used or discarded, usually because dirt and chemicals contaminate the oil, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Types

• Waste oil can come from petroleum products like used motor oil or plant-based oils, often lumped into the category of "vegetable oil," usually from agricultural crops like nuts and soybeans, according to the EPA "Plant Oils Fact Sheet."

Significance

• Improperly disposing of waste oil contaminates the environment and ruins a natural resource. EPA statistics show that over 200 million gallons of waste petroleum oil alone are incorrectly discarded each year in the United States.

Misconceptions

• People often assume that materials that come into contact with oil are not a waste oil, reports the EPA. Fuel filters are commonly thrown out as municipal waste when they should also be refined for usable material like metal scraps.

Prevention/Solution

• You can prevent any confusion about the proper definition of waste oil by recycling. Most used oil can be refined, essentially just filtering the impurities, for reuse or used for other purposes such as fuel.