In this guide 3 min read
This guide is for businesses that produce used oil, such as auto shops, fleets, dealerships and industrial plants. It follows the oil from your tank to our re-refinery in Peachtree City, Georgia, and explains what the oil becomes. If you change the oil in your own car at home, EPA's consumer page explains where to take it.
Key takeaways
- The base oil in used oil does not wear out, so it can be re-refined into base oil for new lubricants.
- EPA says one gallon of used motor oil provides the same 2.5 quarts of lubricating oil as 42 gallons of crude oil.
- Much of the oil UES collects goes to our re-refinery in Peachtree City, Georgia.
- Oil that cannot be re-refined may be used as industrial fuel.
- Keeping solvents and antifreeze out of your tank keeps the oil under the used oil rules.
Why used oil is worth recycling
The base oilThe main ingredient of a lubricant. Motor oil is base oil blended with additives. in motor oil does not wear out. In use, it picks up water, fuel and other contaminants. Re-refining removes those, along with the old additives, and leaves base oil that can go into new lubricants.
EPA puts the value plainly. One gallon of used motor oil provides the same 2.5 quarts of lubricating oil as 42 gallons of crude oil. Dumped instead, the used oil from one oil change can contaminate one million gallons of fresh water. Recycled used oil can be re-refined into new oil or processed into fuel oils.
- Pickup at your businessA UES driver pumps the oil and documents the pickup.
- The trip to Peachtree CityMuch of the oil we collect goes to our re-refinery in Georgia.
- Re-refiningWater, fuel, additives and other contaminants come out.
- Base oil for new lubricantsOil that cannot be re-refined may be used as industrial fuel.
Step 1: the pickup at your business
A UES driver comes to your business, pumps the oil from your tank or drums and documents the pickup. You get a service receipt by email, with a paper copy on request, and your service history is in the Customer Portal.
What goes into your tank matters. Keep solvents, degreasers and antifreeze out of it. If used oil is mixed with a listed hazardous waste, the whole mixture is regulated as hazardous waste (40 CFR 279.10(b)). Our guide on used oil and hazardous waste explains the rule.
Not sure what goes in the tank? Try the quick sort in our guide on used oil and hazardous waste.
What goes in the used oil tank: shop sign
A one-page sign for the wall by your tank. Goes in, keep out, and why it matters.
Download the signStep 2: the trip to Peachtree City
We collect used oil from businesses in 28 states, with more than 400 collection and transport trucks. Much of the oil we collect goes to our re-refinery in Peachtree City, Georgia.
Step 3: re-refining the oil
We finished the Peachtree City plant in 2013 after a $60 million investment. It processes 90 million gallons of used oil a year with re-refiningProcessing used oil to remove water, fuel, additives and other contaminants so the base oil can be used again. technology developed by Avista Oil. UES is part of Avista Oil, which also runs re-refineries in Germany and Denmark.
At the plant, oil that is suitable for re-refining goes through treatment and separation steps. They remove water, fuel, additives and other contaminants. What is left is recovered base oil.
Step 4: what your used oil becomes
- Recovered base oil, which is used to make new lubricants.
- Industrial fuel, for oil that cannot be re-refined.
- Asphalt products, which take some of the contaminants captured during the process.
Because base oil does not wear out, the same oil can be re-refined more than once.
Re-refining uses less energy than refining crude oil
EPA estimates that re-refining used oil takes about one-third of the energy needed to refine crude oil to lubricant quality. A 2020 U.S. Department of Energy report to Congress cites life-cycle studies that found lower energy use and lower environmental impact for re-refined base oil than for base oil made from crude. Our re-refinery page has more on the plant, including how to book a tour.
Energy to make lubricant-grade base oil
About one-third the energy, per the U.S. EPA estimate.
Request a used oil pickup
Tell us where you are and what you need collected on our used oil pickup page, or find your state on our locations page. You can also call 800.988.7977. We reply the same business day, and no account is needed to ask.
UES locations serve Georgia, Texas, New Jersey, Arizona and 24 more states.
Questions businesses ask
What happens to used oil after it is collected?
Much of the oil UES collects goes to our re-refinery in Peachtree City, Georgia, where it is processed into recovered base oil for new lubricants. Oil that cannot be re-refined may be used as industrial fuel.
Can used oil be re-refined more than once?
Yes. Base oil does not wear out, so used oil can be re-refined more than once.
How much used oil does the Peachtree City plant process?
About 90 million gallons a year.
Can I tour the re-refinery?
Yes. Call 770-486-8816 to check tour availability.
Written by Universal Environmental Services. Checked against 40 CFR Part 279 on October 15, 2026.
Sources
- EPA, Managing, Reusing, and Recycling Used Oil, epa.gov, updated Jun 25, 2026
- EPA, Managing Used Oil: Answers to Frequent Questions for Businesses, epa.gov
- 40 CFR Part 279, ecfr.gov
- EPA, How To Set Up A Local Program To Recycle Used Oil, archive.epa.gov
- U.S. Department of Energy, Used Oil Management and Beneficial Reuse Report to Congress, energy.gov
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