Earning Money Through Recycling

Used oil is either refined from crude oil, or it's artificially made but has chemical or physical impurities. It can come from your kitchen in the form of vegetable oil or from machines such as lawnmowers and cars. Examples of impurities found in used oil include chemicals, metal scrapings, and dirt.

If you have a used oil collection in your home, you may wonder what to do with it. It would help if you found sustainable ways to use the oil without posing health and safety risks to you or your household. Here are suggestions on what to do with the used oil.

Learn How to Manage It Properly

If changing motor oil is a routine for you, it is vital to figure out how to manage the waste oil. You would not want it to end up in your fresh water supply or vegetable garden.

As you handle the waste oil, understand that it can contain heavy metals and toxic chemicals despite being insoluble. It will also take quite a long time to degrade and contaminate waterways when disposed of in the environment.

Store It Safely

Be sure to safely store your used oil collection as it awaits collection and processing by licensed oil collectors. As you do this, drain the waste liquid into a clean container. Secure the container with a tight lid to prevent the liquid from spilling.

Avoid using containers that stored chemicals such as bleach, paint, fuels, solvents, or cleaners. Also, label the container based on the oil it carries and place it in an accessible place. Ensure the storage location is free from ignition sources or heat.

Mixing waste oils when storing them can make them explode or release toxic gases. Only use waterproof lids on the storage containers to prevent rainwater from contaminating the oil.

Repurpose the Waste Oil

You can repurpose waste cooking oil as a household or key lock lubricant. If you use it in such a way, you do not have to worry about troublesome locks, squeaking hinges, or sticking keys. 

Used cooking oil can also serve as a furniture conditioner and polish, leather preservative, and paint remover. When repurposed, its other uses include composting and car cleaner (to remove tough debris or dirt from the brakes).

Drop It off at a Relevant Recycling Facility

Recycling your used oil collection is a sure way to prevent it from contaminating water and soil. It also helps conserve the resources required to extract more crude oil. Either way, check with your local waste collectors, government waste agencies, and automobile maintenance facilities for help with recycling waste oil.