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Show Mismanagement of used motor oil is environmental problem By STEPHEN POE USU Extension Energy Specialist What do you do with your motor oil? If your answer is to recycle it. congratulations, you are among 10 percent of the most earth-friendly people this side of Highway 101. Mismanagement of used motor oil is a serious, but little-recognized, little-recognized, environmental prob- lem. In 1988 about 450 million gallons of used oil were dumped, usually in landfills and backyards, and 784 million gallons were burned. burn-ed. Only 52 million gallons were reused industrially and 31 million gallons re-refined. Not only is the mismanagement of used motor oil an environmental problem, but it also is a waste of a non-renewable resource. Re-refining Re-refining is a great untapped energy source. Re-refining takes only about one-third one-third of the energy input that refining refin-ing crude oil takes. One gallon of waste oil can be re-refined into two and one-half quarts of fresh lubrication lubrica-tion oil. It takes 42 gallons of crude to get two and one-half quarts of lubrication oil. Okay, so you understand you should recycle but you're not sure about the time, the mess and the hassle. Remember when you were outraged at the effect that the Exxon Valdez accident had on the Alaskan environment and wildlife? We Americans dump 22 Valdez tankers into our nation's lakes, rivers and streams each year. So before you dump, think about your contribution to this national problem and these following facts: If all used oil improperly disposed of by us do-it-yourselfers were recycled, it could produce enough energy to power 360,000 homes each year. One gallon of used oil contains about 140,000 Btu of energy. A gallon of used oil from a single oil change can ruin a million gallons of fresh water, that's a one-year one-year water supply for 50 people. One oil change disposed of improperly im-properly can create an oil slick that would cover ten acres. What you do does make a difference. differ-ence. If you don't know how to recycle your oil, contact your local County Cooperative Extension office of-fice for alternatives or a list of used oil collection stations. |