I ran across numbers like that too, but one article surmised that it doesn't take into account the drain oil used for heating, and the fact that there is no good record keeping being done. Its just a swag!! I buy my oil at more than one place and dump the old in a city owned recycle site.
180,000,000 gallons of waste oil SPILLED per year by DIYers???
- Thread starter Bob Woods
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Let's see. US population is about 300M (all these numbers are WAG's by the way, anyone with real numbers please chime in), about 2/3rds between 18 and 60, about 1/2 male/female and I'll propose 25% DIY oil changers (predominately male). That equates to about 25-30 million oil DIY changers out there.
So each of us would have to spill about 6 GALLONS of oil per year. I don't know about everyone else but I get P/O'd if I spill 6 drops on my driveway.
Seems suspect
So each of us would have to spill about 6 GALLONS of oil per year. I don't know about everyone else but I get P/O'd if I spill 6 drops on my driveway.
Seems suspect
If there's no source, you certainly can't trust the number. Even if there is a source, you can't always trust numbers like that, as they're usually grossly over- or under-estimated to match the agenda of the organization supplying the number.
What about all those people who dump oil on the ground or in their backyard.....cause they are too lazy to bottle it up and take it to the recycling center ??
There's 205 million registered vehicles in the USA as of 2000.
That would mean that about .87 gallons per year are spilled for every registered vehicle.
That would mean that about .87 gallons per year are spilled for every registered vehicle.
I spilled about 2 gallons total last week.
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That's got to be a bogus number. Since virtually no one I know just dumps oil. It would mean that those that do are REALLY dumping oil far in excess of what they could use themselves. No one, except a BITOG'r is using more than 3 or 4 gallons a year per vehicle. Even if they had two cars or three cars it would mean that about 1/2 of the DUI crowd is not disposing of oil properly.
I wonder how much consumption alters that figure? I mean oil that just disappears into the engine via burning or leaks.
Remember, figures don't lie ..but liars sure do figure.
I wonder how much consumption alters that figure? I mean oil that just disappears into the engine via burning or leaks.
Remember, figures don't lie ..but liars sure do figure.
That's pretty much my thoughts....if we have that much oil leaking, it's one (bad) thing - IF we have that many DIY's pouring out that much oil illegally. unethically, etc....we have somebody making numbers up.
WA State does NOT have a good record with numbers - just the other day the whole monorail project $ numbers were deemed bogus...then there was our Gov election....
oil is biodegrades fairy quick in the whole scheme of things, where does oil come from? anyone know about oil bubbling up through the ocean floor? What about the oil from leaky vehicles . I have never dumped oil in the drains or disposed of oil improperly. Pablo you are a thinker .
Per a pamphlet I got at the dump, this is a "fact". No source supplied.
Is this true? Seems high. Define spilled....
Is this true? Seems high. Define spilled....
How about an estimate of oil spilled from Iffy Lube leaving filters loose or not using new crush washers? Perhaps it was the EPA's estimate. At one time their estimate of radon caused lung cancer cases was higher than the number of lung cancer cases.
Well said Matt.
sure got that right! heard today that the feds don't like the Alaskan way numbers, stinks too much of the Boston dig, glad someones thinking.
on topic: read an interesting study that tried to show twostrokes engine were better on the enviroment than fourstokes. The arguement was based the stats of how much oil gets dumped on the ground or disposed of improperly. Guess the author figured it was better to breathe than drink or eat it, LOL! I'll see if I can dig it up.
i imagine the number is a guesstimate based on the amount of oil sold to diy'ers via various chains versus the amount of oil that it making it to recycling centers.
i imagine the problem is that diy'ers make up such a small number in the oil change industry they would be noise compared to the shops that are disposing of the oil the wrong way. only about 1 out of 10 change our own oil where i work.
i imagine the problem is that diy'ers make up such a small number in the oil change industry they would be noise compared to the shops that are disposing of the oil the wrong way. only about 1 out of 10 change our own oil where i work.
Beware the bogus number. There's an agenda here.
Several years ago the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed licensing R-134 refrigerant and restricting sales much as had been done with R-12, which would prevent do-it-yourselfers from servicing their own auto air conditioning systems. The rumor then was that this was to be the first step, with EPA restrictions on sales of antifreeze and motor oil to follow on the grounds that too many DIYers were dumping used coolant and oil into the ground and storm drains. Luckily, the proposed R-134 regulations didn't happen. The pamphlet Pablo received from the dump sounds like more of the same "reasoning". Maybe it's intended to have the same result.
It is much along the lines of the claims of 1 million American children disappearing every year, 3 million homeless Americans, and hundreds of thousands of teenage American girls dying annually from starving themselves with eating disorders. Those with an ax to grind succeeded in getting publicity for their causes, and it took too long for cooler heads to crunch the numbers and realize that 1 out of every 300 Americans disappearing and 1% of all Americans homeless not only made no sense but would have necessitated martial law.
Ditto for that 180 million gallon figure. That much spillage would have made an incredible mess everywhere.
Several years ago the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed licensing R-134 refrigerant and restricting sales much as had been done with R-12, which would prevent do-it-yourselfers from servicing their own auto air conditioning systems. The rumor then was that this was to be the first step, with EPA restrictions on sales of antifreeze and motor oil to follow on the grounds that too many DIYers were dumping used coolant and oil into the ground and storm drains. Luckily, the proposed R-134 regulations didn't happen. The pamphlet Pablo received from the dump sounds like more of the same "reasoning". Maybe it's intended to have the same result.
It is much along the lines of the claims of 1 million American children disappearing every year, 3 million homeless Americans, and hundreds of thousands of teenage American girls dying annually from starving themselves with eating disorders. Those with an ax to grind succeeded in getting publicity for their causes, and it took too long for cooler heads to crunch the numbers and realize that 1 out of every 300 Americans disappearing and 1% of all Americans homeless not only made no sense but would have necessitated martial law.
Ditto for that 180 million gallon figure. That much spillage would have made an incredible mess everywhere.
The numbers being quoted on this waste oil recycling issue are interesting - but some obviously are being pulled out of a hat.
This is from a Pinellas County, Florida Site :
Oil Facts
- 1 gallon of used oil produces 2½ quarts of re-refined lubricating oil.
- All the oil generated by do-it-yourself oil changers in America, if collected and re-refined, would provide enough motor oil for over 50 million cars annually.
Assuming the average car has a 5 quart sump, 2 gal used oil equals 5 quarts re-refined, so 50 million x 2 gallons equals 100 million gallons generated annually by DIY'ers.
Can anyone find additional info to verify that the DIY oil change market is about 100 million gallons annually?
This is from a Pinellas County, Florida Site :
Oil Facts
- 1 gallon of used oil produces 2½ quarts of re-refined lubricating oil.
- All the oil generated by do-it-yourself oil changers in America, if collected and re-refined, would provide enough motor oil for over 50 million cars annually.
Assuming the average car has a 5 quart sump, 2 gal used oil equals 5 quarts re-refined, so 50 million x 2 gallons equals 100 million gallons generated annually by DIY'ers.
Can anyone find additional info to verify that the DIY oil change market is about 100 million gallons annually?
I spill about half a qt each time I change the oil on either Taurus, thanks to the engineers at Ford who were too lazy to design a vertical attachment for the oil filter, and/or to the bean counters who didn't want to pay for it. It's soooooo stupid, considering how often one needs to change oil. It spills all over the starter, collects in the support frame, and then dribbles out while driving, unless one degreases and rinses. Oh gee, degreasing and rinsing effectively dumps the oil too. The oil filter on the Cummins is attached vertically, which is good as I need to remove and install it from underneath the truck.
I guess I dump it anyway, as altough our recycling takes oil, coolant and such, they don't have a dedicated program for oil laden trash such as oil filters. I end up using paint cans filled with a bit of saop and water for such things, including any solvent/paint/oil soaked rags for fire control. When it's full I put the lid on and put it in the trash. I guess it should go into a separate hazardous material waste disposal stream, which I guess I should look into.
I guess I dump it anyway, as altough our recycling takes oil, coolant and such, they don't have a dedicated program for oil laden trash such as oil filters. I end up using paint cans filled with a bit of saop and water for such things, including any solvent/paint/oil soaked rags for fire control. When it's full I put the lid on and put it in the trash. I guess it should go into a separate hazardous material waste disposal stream, which I guess I should look into.
More data from A Bristol, CT municiple website.
Americans use an average of 1 billion gallons of motor oil each year
An estimated 2.1 million tons of oil each year enters rivers, lakes and streams from improper disposal
The 1 billion gallons annual usage seems to be a good number, as Minnesota reports 11.7 million and North Carolina is 20 million, so 50 states x 20 million equals 1 billion.
How about 2.1 million tons from "spilling"?
2.1 million tons = 4,200,000,000 lbs
Motor oil is 7.25 lbs per gallon.
This is 579,310,345 gallons into rivers, lakes streams, etc. (Check my math, please.)
This is even a higher number than the 180,000,000 gallons from Pablo's post!
Americans use an average of 1 billion gallons of motor oil each year
An estimated 2.1 million tons of oil each year enters rivers, lakes and streams from improper disposal
The 1 billion gallons annual usage seems to be a good number, as Minnesota reports 11.7 million and North Carolina is 20 million, so 50 states x 20 million equals 1 billion.
How about 2.1 million tons from "spilling"?
2.1 million tons = 4,200,000,000 lbs
Motor oil is 7.25 lbs per gallon.
This is 579,310,345 gallons into rivers, lakes streams, etc. (Check my math, please.)
This is even a higher number than the 180,000,000 gallons from Pablo's post!
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Then it can't possibly come from consumers. The numbers just don't flush on a per vehicle basis ..or even a per capita basis. That's almost two gallons for every man, woman, and child ..not even per family. There aren't that many DYI owners out there. This has to include illegal dumping of waste stocks ..which doesn't make a whole lot of sense given the uses that used oil can be put to.
I'd have to be changing oil on the 5-6 cars that I do ..and so would every other DIY type to make this figure work ..and all of them would have to be illegally dumping it.
This has to be an estimate based on oil sales vs. oil reclamation numbers. It can't have any true basis in fact. This sounds like a prelude to stricter oil sales ...like (hint, hint) disposal fees being inclueded in the sales price ..or a "deposit" when you buy your oil that is recovered when you return it.
Again, figures don't lie ...but the low life liars do figure how to make them allow the raiding of your wallet.
I'd have to be changing oil on the 5-6 cars that I do ..and so would every other DIY type to make this figure work ..and all of them would have to be illegally dumping it.
This has to be an estimate based on oil sales vs. oil reclamation numbers. It can't have any true basis in fact. This sounds like a prelude to stricter oil sales ...like (hint, hint) disposal fees being inclueded in the sales price ..or a "deposit" when you buy your oil that is recovered when you return it.
Again, figures don't lie ...but the low life liars do figure how to make them allow the raiding of your wallet.
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