Motor Oils & Cooking Oils
Taos County Solid Waste Department now makes it possible for you to recycle your used motor oils (any type) and vegetable oils. Just bring it to the Arroyo Hondo, Cerro, Chamisal, or Costilla transfer stations, and we will take it from there.
Did you know …?
- 1 gallon of motor oil can contaminate 1 million gallons of water, including drinking water, lakes and streams.
- Used motor oil is the largest single source of oil pollution in our lakes, rivers, and streams. Affected habitats can take years to recover.
- More than 40% of oil pollution in the U.S. is a direct result of individuals' improper disposal of used motor oil. The EPA estimates that more than 200 million gallons of used oil end up in landfills, are poured on the ground, or dumped into storm sewers each year by individuals. Edward, Feather, and Lorenzo with the oil-buring heater
- Waste motor oil can contain many toxins, including volatile organic compounds such as benzene and heavy metals such as lead and cadmium.
- Because of these facts, throwing away used oil is against New Mexico state law.
- According to the EPA, cooking oils "share common physical properties and produce similar environmental effects" as petroleum oils when used once. If disposed of as garbage, they can leach into the soil around landfills, and the toxins they contain can pollute groundwater and harm plants and animals.
- Most cooking oils will soon harden if poured down the drain, causing costly plumbing blockages for the individual, the town, or both.
We have a better way in Taos County!
Bring us your used oils (all motor oils, including synthetic, transmission fluid, lubricating oil, hydraulic oil, and vegetable oils of all types). NOTE: Please make sure your oil is not mixed with water, sludge, antifreeze, or gasoline.
- We will recycle these oils in high-efficiency, environmentally certified* waste oil burners that provide heat for the large Taos County facilities on US 64 during the cold months;
- This will save taxpayers thousands of dollars over the years in County facility heating costs and at the same time help protect our natural environment. The heaters will pay for themselves in three years.
Please bring your waste oil to these locations:
- Arroyo Hondo
- Cerro
- Chamisal
- Costilla
Please bring your motor oil in its original container or in plastic jugs. Plastic containers are also acceptable for cooking oils. If possible, label each container, then ask the Transfer Station Attendant where to leave it. It is OK to mix these in the same container.
NOTE: We cannot accept animal fats.
* Our two waste oil burning heaters are manufactured in America by EnergyLogic, and are EPA-approved and UL listed.