Before you change motor oil, check your vehicle owners manual for the recommended oil change interval instead of defaulting to the old standard of 3,000 miles. Cars today are built more advanced. CheckYourNumber.org is an easy tool to find the recommended time to change the oil on most vehicles made after 2000 (factsheet PDF, 159 KB).

Once you confirm the change interval, then recycling used oil is easy. Just follow these simple steps:

✔ Store your used motor oil and filter in a leak-proof container.
✔ Do not mix oil with gasoline, automotive fluids, other liquids or debris. Contamination makes it hazardous and unrecyclable.
✔ Take it to a certified collection center for recycling at no charge during business hours (5 gallons per trip).
✔ Contaminated oil and other automotive fluids can be brought to a free Household Hazardous Waste event by residents.

Here are important facts and info on why you should recycle used motor oil from the EPA and CalRecycle.