The short answer
At home: put the used oil in a sealed container and take it to your local household recycling centre. For a business: store it safely and have it collected by a registered waste carrier, who’ll give you the correct paperwork.
Engine oil and motor oil are the same thing for disposal purposes. Used oil is hazardous: never pour it down a drain, onto the ground or into the bin. This guide explains how to dispose of engine oil properly, step by step.
Why you can’t just pour it away
Used engine oil contains contaminants from the engine and doesn’t break down easily. Poured down a drain it can end up in rivers, and on the ground it can soak into soil and groundwater. A small amount of oil can pollute a large volume of water. Disposing of it properly is the law, and it lets the oil be recycled.
How to dispose of motor oil step by step
- Let the oil cool. Drain the oil once the engine is warm but not hot, into a drain pan big enough for the full amount.
- Pour it into a sealed container. Use a funnel to pour the old oil into a clean, sealable container. The empty bottle from your new oil works well. Label it ‘used engine oil’.
- Don’t mix it. Keep the oil on its own. Don’t add antifreeze, brake fluid, fuel, solvents or water.
- Drain and bag the old filter. Let the old oil filter drain into the pan for a few hours, then put it in a sealed bag.
- Take it to the right place. Householders: take the oil and filter to your local household recycling centre. Businesses: use a registered waste carrier, such as BL Oils.
- Clean up spills. Soak up drips with absorbent granules, sand or cat litter, and never wash oil into a drain.
We don’t collect cooking oil. For used cooking oil from kitchens and takeaways, please use a specialist cooking oil collector.
For DIYers: household recycling centres
Most council household recycling centres accept used engine oil from householders, and many take oil filters too. Check your council’s website before you go, as rules and limits vary. Take the oil in a sealed container and ask staff where it goes. Never leave containers outside a closed site.
For businesses: use a registered carrier
If the oil comes from a business, even a small one, it’s commercial hazardous waste. Household recycling centres are for household waste, so businesses need a registered waste carrier. You also have a duty of care to check the carrier is registered and keep your paperwork, normally a hazardous waste consignment note.
BL Oils collects waste oil and used oil filters from garages, workshops, fleets, plant hire firms, farms and industrial sites across all of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. We’re an Environment Agency upper-tier waste carrier and dealer (CBDU69834). See waste oil collection, waste oil disposal and garage waste oil collection.
What you’ll need
- A drain pan big enough for all the old oil
- A funnel
- A clean container with a tight-fitting lid, such as the empty bottle from your new oil
- A strong plastic bag for the old filter
- Gloves, rags and absorbent granules, sand or cat litter for spills
Running a garage or workshop?
If you change oil for customers, the oil is commercial waste even if you work from home or a small unit. You’ll need a registered carrier, the correct paperwork and safe storage, ideally a bunded waste oil tank or sealed drums on a drip tray. Our garage waste oil collection page explains how it works, and we can take your used oil filters on the same visit.
How much oil will you have?
Most family cars hold somewhere around 4 to 6 litres of engine oil, and vans, 4x4s and larger engines more. Check your handbook so you have a big enough drain pan and container ready before you start.
What about other car fluids?
Antifreeze, brake fluid and old fuel each need their own disposal, and shouldn’t be mixed with engine oil. Many household recycling centres take some of these separately, so check with your council. Keeping fluids apart also makes the oil easier to recycle.
Spilled oil on the driveway?
Act quickly. Cover the spill with absorbent granules, sand or cat litter, leave it to soak up the oil, then sweep it up and bag it. Take the used absorbent to your household recycling centre with the oil, and check with your council how they want it handed over. Don’t hose the spill into a drain: surface water drains often run straight to a stream or river.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Pouring oil down a drain, toilet or sink
- Putting oil or oily filters in the household bin
- Mixing oil with other fluids in the same container
- Using an open tray or bucket to store oil for weeks
- Handing business oil to someone who can’t show a waste carrier registration
Storing used oil safely
- Use a sealed, labelled container or a bunded waste oil tank
- Keep it away from drains, children and pets
- Store it under cover so rainwater can’t get in
- Keep oil separate from other liquids
Frequently asked questions
Can I put engine oil in the bin?
No. Used engine oil is hazardous and must not go in household or general waste. Take it to a household recycling centre, or, for a business, use a registered waste carrier.
Can I pour old engine oil down the drain?
No. Pouring oil down a drain or onto the ground is illegal and can pollute rivers and groundwater.
Is motor oil the same as engine oil?
Yes. Motor oil and engine oil mean the same thing, and the same disposal rules apply.
What do I do with the old oil filter?
Drain it, bag it and take it with the oil. Many household recycling centres accept them; businesses can have filters collected with their waste oil (oil filter disposal and our oil filter guide).
Does BL Oils collect from households?
We collect from businesses across Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. Householders should use their council’s household recycling centre.
BL Oils is based in Doncaster and collects across all of Yorkshire, plus Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire (areas we cover). Call or WhatsApp 07785 921493, or ask for a free quote.