Welcome to the Utah DEQ's Used Oil Program home page.
Our Mission: Protect the public and the environment from exposure to contamination caused by the improper treatment, storage and disposal of used oil.
Our Goals: The Division's goals are to eliminate, or reduce, the obstacles to proper collection and disposal of do-it-yourselfer (DIYer) used oil, (i.e., used oil generated through household activities, including maintenance of personal vehicles) through a broad and extensive public education program, and by making used oil collection centers more accessible, and to maintain pertinent standards and regulations that apply to oil handlers including generators, transporters, processors, re-refiners, burners, and marketers.
Because used oil recycling makes a contribution to present energy demands and offers a safe outlet for a material often dumped haphazardly into the environment, The U.S. Congress, the EPA, the Utah Legislature, and the Department of Environmental Quality have given special attention to its regulation.
The 1993 Legislature made significant changes to Utah's used oil program when it enacted Senate Bill 12, the Used Oil Management Act 
. Responsibility for the used oil program in Utah was transferred from the Department of Natural Resources to the Department of Environmental Quality's Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste. New standards for collecting, processing, recycling, and reusing used oil were established by the Legislature, which also provided financial incentives to encourage businesses to become used oil collection centers and therefore making collection centers more readily available. The statute prohibits the disposal of used oil in landfills and other areas, such as road oiling and dust suppression, which could result in contamination of groundwater and drinking water supplies, as well as cause air pollution problems with emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The Act also established severe penalties for violations.
The Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste was given the responsibility of formulating rules to administer the new Act. The Division developed standards for registration of various used oil facilities, established permit and record keeping requirements, set permit fees, determined amounts of liability insurance needed by facilities, and implemented a broad- based educational program to promote used oil recycling. On February 19, 1994, the Solid and Hazardous Waste Control Board approved the final Standards for the Management of Used Oil . These new rules based on Federal rules, are modified to reflect Utah's special concerns.
The used oil program hopes to eliminate, or reduce, the obstacles to proper collection and disposal of do-it-yourselfer (DIYer) used oil, (i.e., used oil generated through household activities, including maintenance of personal vehicles) by making used oil collection centers more convenient and providing the public with educational programs and readily available information. Even though a large part of the program's efforts are focused on the proper disposal of DIYer generated oil, the used oil regulations contained in Standards for the Management of Used Oil and Used Oil Financial Assurance Forms cover all used oil handlers including generators, transporters, processors/re-refiners, burners and marketers.
Used oil is defined in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 279 , and Utah's Standards for the Management of Used Oil as "any oil that has been refined from crude oil, or any synthetic oil, that has been used and as a result of such use is contaminated by physical or chemical impurities." The following are examples of used oil:
Used oil is typically contaminated or mixed with dirt, fine particles, water or chemicals, all of which affect the performance of the oil and eventually render it unusable. See Used Oil Specifications for more information. Used oil does not include products derived from vegetable or animal fats or petroleum distillates used as solvents. Antifreeze, cleaning agents, gasoline, jet and diesel fuels are not used oil. Used oil is not waste oil. Waste oil comes from oil wastes that have not been used, such as virgin fuel storage tank bottoms or virgin fuel spill clean up residue.
Used oil is generated from many different sources. The most common sources are listed below:
*When you have an automotive maintenance facility change your oil for you, you probably are charged a small fee by the facility to get rid of your oil. The description of this fee on the invoice is variously referred to as a used oil disposal fee, an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fee, an environmental fee, etc. There is currently no state law requiring or authorizing this fee. A company may charge whatever fee it deems is appropriate. The company charges this fee to offset the costs it incurs from the transporter who comes to pick up this used oil.
Used oil, by itself, is not managed as a hazardous waste, even though it may exhibit hazardous waste characteristics. However, if used oil is mixed with any quantity or any combination of a hazardous waste that is listed in Subpart D of Title 40 CFR 261 (a "listed" waste), the mixture is subject to regulation and management as hazardous waste. Also, if used oil is mixed with a "characteristic" hazardous waste and the mixture exhibits the hazardous waste characteristics, the mixture is managed as a hazardous waste.
Standards for the Management of Used Oil assumes that used oil containing more than 1,000 parts per million (ppm) of total halogens has been mixed with chlorinated hazardous waste. Companies may rebut this presumption for oil in the 1000 - 4000 ppm range by providing documentation of the origin of the halogens. Suffice it to say, when used oil comes into contact with a substance which may be hazardous the regulatory provisions become extremely complex. To avoid any possible liabilities, it is strongly recommended that the used oil not be mixed with hazardous substances and it should be stored in a container or tank which is labeled and dedicated solely to used oil. Standards for the Management of Used Oil also provides strong safeguards against potential mishandling by addressing and prohibiting unsafe practices associated with improper storage, road oiling, and weed suppression.
Most used oil in Utah is burned as a substitute fuel for energy recovery, which means it is burned to produce a product, such as asphalt road material. Because it has been used, used oil may contain many more contaminants than virgin oil. EPA has looked at this issue closely, and has determined that only certain contaminants pose any significant threat to public health or the environment. As a result, EPA has established limits for the maximum contaminant concentrations for the contaminants of concern. These limits were set such that the emissions resulting from the burning of used oil containing these contaminants, at or below these limits, will pose no more threat to public health or the environment than the emissions resulting from the burning of a cleaner- burning fuel, such as virgin oil or diesel. These maximum contaminant concentrations, including a limit on the minimum flashpoint (a safety consideration) that a used oil fuel may have, are referred to as the used oil specifications.
| Used Oil Specifications | |
| Constituent/Property | Allowable Level |
| Arsenic | 5 parts per million |
| Cadmium | 2 parts per million |
| Chromium | 10 parts per million |
| Lead | 100 parts per million |
| Flashpoint | 100° Fahrenheit |
| PCBs | <2 parts per million* |
| Total Halogens | 1000 parts per million** |
NOTE: Specification is for Total Metals, not Toxic Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP)
Used oil that meets all the parameter values in the specifications is referred to as on-specification used oil. Used oil that does not meet all the parameter values in the specifications is referred to as off-specification used oil, except when either of the following two conditions apply:
| * PCBs 50 parts per million | Used oil is regulated as a toxic waste under the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA), or 40 CFR 761. For more information about used oil as a regulated TSCA waste, refer to the EPA TSCA regulations. |
| **Total Halogens > 1000 ppm: | Used oil may be regulated as a hazardous waste under 40 CFR, Parts 260 through 266, 268, 270, and 124. For more information about when used oil is regulated as a hazardous waste, refer to When is Used Oil Regulated as a Hazardous Waste. |
Used oil is a valuable resource:
Improperly Disposed of It's Harmful:
Funding of the Used Oil Program is provided from collection of a fee of four-cents on all oil sold at the retail level. The Legislature established proirities for the expenditure of the appropriations received by the Division for the management of used oil in the the following order:
An important aspect of the Used Oil Management Act provides for grants, as funds are available to promote used oil recycling. Grants are available for the establishment of used oil collection centers, for implementation of new used oil programs, or for enhancement of existing used oil programs, with an emphasis on rural areas. To apply, a Used Oil Recycling Block Grant Package, published by the Division, should be completed and submitted to the Executive Secretary for consideration.
| Permitted Used Oil Facilities | Used Oil Collection Centers | Used Oil Statistics |
| Used Oil Generators | Frequently Asked Questions | Used Oil Inspections/ Violations/Enforcement |
View a copy of the Winter 2006 Used Oil Drip !
For additional information on Used Oil please check out these sites!
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