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A wide variety of businesses handle used oil, from service stations to vehicle rental companies to manufacturing facilities. Federal EPA’s used oil management standards are a set of “good housekeeping” requirements for used oil handlers. State regulations governing the management of used oil may be more stringent than federal EPA’s.
Scope
Under many circumstances, used oil is a hazardous waste and must be managed as such if it is to be disposed of. However, EPA’s used oil management program allows the handling of used oil under less stringent standards as long as it is managed according to the regulations and the oil is ultimately sent to a recycler, recycled, or burned for fuel.
Regulatory citations
Key definitions
- Used oil: Oil that has been refined from crude oil (in whole or in part), or any synthetic oil that, through use or handling, has become unsuitable for its original purpose due to the presence of physical or chemical impurities or loss of original properties. Used oil is a free-flowing liquid at standard temperature and pressure. Used oil shall include, but not be limited to, lubricating oils and greases, engine oils, metal working fluids, emulsive coolants, hydraulic fluids, refrigeration oils, electrical insulating oils, silicon oils and wire drawing oils. Used oil does not include materials derived from crude or synthetic oils that are used as fuels (e.g., gasoline, jet fuel and diesel fuel) or used as cleaning agents or solvents (e.g., mineral spirits), that are subject to the waste characterization requirements under the 1.7.3 (Hazardous Waste Determination) of this Part and may be subject to additional parts of these rules if the materials meet the definition of Hazardous Waste.
Summary of requirements
Rhode Island state requirements regarding used oil management include some regulatory information beyond the federal requirements. A summary of the additional requirements includes the following:
- The following uses or activities are prohibited:
- The mixing of hazardous wastes with used oil, except as provided for in 1.16.1(A)(3) of this Part;
- The use of any used oil for road oiling or dust suppression;
- Burning off-specification used oil as defined in 1.16.3 of this Part, unless the used oil is generated on-site or at a used oil aggregations point also under the control of the generator and burned in used oil burning equipment with a capacity of equal to or less than five hundred thousand (500,000) Btu per hour;
- Burning used oil for firefighter training;
- Management of used oil in anything other than containers or tanks;
- Any disposal of used oil to the land or waters of the State;
- The disposal of used oil into a subsurface discharge system or Underground Injection Control system (UIC); and
- Shipment of used oil to a facility that has not notified the Department of its used oil activity and/or obtained the appropriate Letter of Authorization or Permit, unless the used oil is being managed as a hazardous waste in accordance with the requirements of 1.7 and 1.8.
- Used oil transporters must obtain a permit following the requirements at 1.16.7.
- Used oil processors and re-refining facilities must obtain a permit following the requirements at 1.16.8.