Australia has a national recycling scheme (or product stewardship scheme) for used oil. When changing the oil in your car or other motors such as lawnmowers, boats or chainsaws, be sure to dispose of it correctly so it doesn’t pollute waterways and soil. Pour the used motor oil into an empty oil container and take it to your local used oil facility for recycling.
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Many council facilities such as transfer stations, waste management centres or landfill sites accept used motor oil. If you cannot find a location in the directory on this page, contact your council directly.
Always call the facility before dropping it off to make sure they will accept used motor oil. You can also ask if they will accept your oil filters and oily rags.
Why recycle?
Oil is a valuable and finite resource, but it can also be hazardous when disposed of incorrectly. Lubricating oil picks up a variety of hazardous contaminants when used in engines and transmissions including lead, dioxins, benzene and polycyclic aromatics. Leaving used oil sitting in your garage or shed is also a potential fire hazard.
Used oil can be cleaned of contaminants and be recycled again and again which reduces the demand on natural resources and can also reduce costs as recycled oil is generally cheaper to buy than new.
A single automotive oil change produces 4 to 5 litres of used oil. If it is not handled properly, the oil can pollute waterways and it only takes one litre of oil to contaminate one million litres of water.
What happens to it?
Recycled used oil can be used as an industrial burner fuel, hydraulic oil, incorporated into other products, or re-refined back into new lubricating oil.
Several steps are involved in the recycling process. The first step is to remove excess water, which is called de-watering. Then, depending on the desired final product, additional steps may include (among others): filtering to remove solid materials, demineralisation to remove inorganic materials and distillation to separate oil components.
In 2001, Australia introduced a national recycling scheme for used oil. Since then, the amount of oil collected and recycled has risen from none to more than 320 million litres of base lubricating oil every year. That’s equivalent to 160 Olympic size swimming pools!
Recycling other car-related items
Car batteries
Tyres should never be put in your household recycling bin. They can be recycled, but only when dropped off at designated collection points or through an accredited Tyre Stewardship Australia mechanic, retailer, or dealership when you’re having your old tyres replaced with new ones.
Find out more
Frequently Asked Questions
How to filter used motor oil for reuse
If you have used motor oil, the best idea is to take it to a local collection point or household hazardous waste drop-off event so it can be treated and reused – do not filter or add anything to the oil beforehand.
Used motor oil contains a number of hazardous contaminants, including lead, arsenic and benzene. Therefore, if not handled or disposed of correctly, these harmful substances may end up in the environment and cause harm to both humans and natural ecosystems.
Used oil can be recycled again and again, therefore, by taking your used oil to a local collection point or drop-off event, you can be sure it won’t end up polluting the environment and that the valuable resources it contains can be reused, rather than wasted.
You can use the search bar on this page to find locations to take your used motor oil. Alternatively, most local councils accept used motor oil at their waste transfer stations or community recycling centres.
What happens to used motor oil?
As used motor oil contains several harmful substances, it is important to take it to a local collection point (most likely one of your council’s waste transfer stations or recycling facilities) so it can be appropriately treated and recycled by specialist recyclers.
Several steps are involved in the recycling process. The first step is to remove excess water, which is called de-watering. Then, depending on the desired final product, additional steps may include (among others): filtering to remove solid materials, demineralisation to remove inorganic materials and distillation to separate oil components.
There are many uses for recycled motor oil including industrial burners, bitumen-based products and re-refined lubricants and hydraulic oils.
