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Used oil may be managed as a hazardous waste or under the less stringent management and disposal requirements of Part 279.
Scope
The used oil management program applies to used oil generators, collection centers, processors, burners, transporters, and marketers.
Regulatory Citation
Key Definitions
Container means any portable device in which a material is stored, transported, treated, disposed of, or otherwise handled.
Gravity hot-drained means the oil filter has been drained near engine operating temperature and above room temperature.
Do-it-yourselfer used oil collection center means any site or facility that accepts/aggregates and stores used oil collected only from household do-it-yourselfers.
Existing tank means a tank that is used for the storage or processing of used oil and that is in operation, or for which installation has commenced on or prior to the effective date of the authorized used oil program for the state in which the tank is located.
Household do-it-yourselfer used oil means oil that is derived from households, such as used oil generated by individuals who generate used oil through the maintenance of their personal vehicles.
New tank means a tank that will be used to store or process used oil and for which installation has commenced after the effective date of the authorized used oil program for the State in which the tank is located.
Petroleum refining facility means an establishment primarily engaged in producing gasoline, kerosene, distillate fuel oils, residual fuel oils, and lubricants, through fractionation, straight distillation of crude oil, redistillation of unfinished petroleum derivatives, cracking or other processes.
Processing means chemical or physical operations designed to produce from used oil, or to make used oil more amenable for production of, fuel oils, lubricants, or other used oil-derived product. Processing includes, but is not limited to: blending used oil with virgin petroleum products, blending used oils to meet the fuel specification, filtration, simple distillation, chemical or physical separation and re-refining.
Tank means any stationary device, designed to contain an accumulation of used oil which is constructed primarily of non-earthen materials, (e.g., wood, concrete, steel, plastic) which provides structural support.
Used oil means any oil that has been refined from crude oil, or any synthetic oil, that has been used and as a result of such use is contaminated by physical or chemical impurities.
Used oil aggregation point means any site or facility that accepts, aggregates, and/or stores used oil collected only from other used oil generation sites owned or operated by the owner or operator of the aggregation point, from which used oil is transported to the aggregation point in shipments of no more than 55 gallons. Used oil aggregation points may also accept used oil from household do-it-yourselfers.
Used oil burner means a facility where used oil not meeting the specification requirements in §279.11 is burned for energy recovery in devices identified in §279.61(a).
Used oil collection center means any site or facility that is registered, licensed, permitted, recognized by a state/county/municipal government to manage used oil and accepts/aggregates and stores used oil collected from used oil generators who bring used oil to the collection center in shipments of no more than 55 gallons under the provisions of §279.24. Used oil collection centers may also accept used oil from household do-it-yourselfers.
Used oil fuel marketer means any person who conducts either of the following activities:
- Directs a shipment of off-specification used oil from their facility to a used oil burner; or
- First claims that used oil that is to be burned for energy recovery meets the used oil fuel specifications set forth in §279.11 of this part.
Used oil generator means any person, by site, whose act or process produces used oil or whose act first causes used oil to become subject to regulation.
Used oil processor/re-refiner means a facility that processes used oil.
Used oil transfer facility means any transportation related facility including loading docks, parking areas, storage areas and other areas where shipments of used oil are held for more than 24 hours and not longer than 35 days during the normal course of transportation or prior to an activity performed pursuant to §279.20(b)(2). Transfer facilities that store used oil for more than 35 days are subject to regulation under subpart F of this part.
Used oil transporter means any person who transports used oil, any person who collects used oil from more than one generator and transports the collected oil, and owners and operators of used oil transfer facilities. Used oil transporters may consolidate or aggregate loads of used oil for purposes of transportation but, with the following exception, may not process used oil. Transporters may conduct incidental processing operations that occur in the normal course of used oil transportation (e.g., settling and water separation), but that are not designed to produce (or make more amenable for production of) used oil derived products or used oil fuel.
Summary of Requirements
Used oil generators must
- Avoid mixing used oil with hazardous wastes.
- Store used oil in tanks or containers that are in good condition.
- Label all containers, tanks, and pipes as “Used Oil.”
- Take steps to prevent leaks and releases.
- Clean up leaks and spills immediately.
- Handle spilled used oil and cleanup materials as used oil.
- If you contract with a transporter to ship used oil off-site, only use transporters with an EPA Identification
- Number or abide by the regulations for tolling arrangements.
- If you self-transport used oil off-site, transport less than 55 gallons of used oil at one time to an authorized facility and use your own vehicle.
- Only burn oil that you generate yourself or receive from household do-it-yourselfers and burn it in appropriate heaters.