What happens to used motor oil?

Answer 1

If you turn it in, they re-refine it and sell it. Safety-Kleen does this. They sell it as "America's Choice." It's perfectly fine. People who use a LOT of oil--fleet operations, the Army, railroads--like it because it's just as good as virgin oil, but it's significantly less expensive. There's another use for it: heating oil for garages. When I lived in upstate New York, all the quick lube places had a furnace that burned the oil they drained out of people's cars. I can't imagine why this is allowed--there are a LOT of toxic heavy metals in used oil--but it is, and it makes heat real cheap for people who have these units...especially since people PAY them to take the used oil.