Nassau County Legislator Diane Yatauro (D-Glen Cove) is urging Nassau County’s Administration to purchase recycled oil for use in County vehicles. The re-refined motor oil would be purchased off the New York State contract list.

“Buying recycled products results in many environmental benefits,” said Legislator Yatauro. “Specifically, buying re-refined oil helps to decrease the need for oil drilling while reducing improper disposal and spills resulting in a cleaner, less polluted environment. I strongly urge our administration to adopt a policy of purchasing recycled oil for our many County vehicles.”

Buying recycled goods supports recycling programs by creating markets for the collected materials that are processed and used to manufacture new products. If the County bought recycled oil, it would aid the market for recycled oil and send an important message to encourage the proper recycling of oil in the County. Buying re-refined oil products helps to “close the loop” for these products. It creates increased demand for used oil and encourages consumers and businesses to properly store and recycle their waste oil, rather than dumping it down the drain to contaminate waterways and harbors and destroy wildlife.

In addition, under the American Petroleum Institute (API) certification, re-refined oil meets the same standards as virgin oil. Field studies conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded that re-refined oil is equivalent to virgin oil, passes all prescribed tests, and can even outperform virgin oil.

All three major U.S. automobile manufacturers--Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler--now recognize that re-refined oil meets the performance criteria specified in their warranties. Each has issued a written statement explaining that the use of re-refined motor oil will not void warranties.

The cost of re-refined motor oil varies by market and us usually similar to the price of virgin motor oil. In many instances, organizations have achieved significant savings by purchasing re-refined motor oil.