Used Oil Recycling Program

Certified Collection Centers

When you become a State-certified Used Oil Collection Center and accept used motor oil from the public you increase your customer traffic, provide a valuable service to your community, and receive a 16¢ per gallon recycling incentive from the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

• Become a Certified Collection Center
• Operating Procedures & Guidelines
• Claiming the Incentive
• Forms
• Additional Resources (signage, publications, etc.)

How to Become a Certified Center

To be eligible for certification by the Board, your center must accept used lubricating oil from the public at no charge during the hours that the center is open and offer the $0.16 per gallon to them. A certified center must also provide notice to the public, through on-site signs and periodic advertising in local media, of the center’s acceptance of used lubricating oil.

If you own or operate an automotive parts retail shop, service or repair shop, gas station, or auto dealership and are interested in becoming certified, complete a certification application (see below) and mail it to:

California Integrated Waste Management Board
PO Box 4025
Sacramento, CA 95812-4025
Attn: Used Oil Recycling Program

• Certification Application, form CIWMB 29 (MS Word, 164 KB | Adobe PDF, 47 KB)

Once the Board has processed your application and notified you that your program has been certified, you must submit a recycling incentive reimbursement claim to receive payment of the recycling incentive. 

Operating Procedures and Guidelines

Operator Guide (also in Spanish/Espanol)
Summarizes requirements for certified centers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Certified Used Oil Hauler List

Contaminated Used Oil Procedures (also in Spanish/Espanol) 
Includes a list of county environmental health/public works department phone numbers that center operators to call for help in obtaining the address of a business or public agency that will accept used oil suspected of being contaminated.

New Laws That May Affect Your Business

Senate Bill 470 (Sher) was sponsored by the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). This bill addresses hazardous waste control. A pertinent change effective January 1, 2002: Sections 25250.11. (a) (1) (2) (3) of the Health and Safety Code are amended to allow generators of used oil to transport up to 55 gallons per shipment when certain conditions are met. A DTSC manifest transportation variance is no longer needed when those conditions are met. The bill allows the oil collection facility to set lower volume limits or container size limits.

The change to the higher shipment amount does not affect a used oil collection center’s  exemption from the hazardous waste facilities permit requirement.

If you need additional information, contact your DTSC Duty Officer (1-800-72TOXIC).

Assembly Bill 1187 (Simitian) was sponsored by the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB). It affects tires recycling and used oil collection. It is effective January 1, 2002. This bill amends Public Resources Code Section 48660 repealing the prohibition of a used oil collection center from accepting more than 20 gallons of used oil from a person each day.

Used Oil collection centers may still establish lower minimum acceptance levels.

Due to the 55 gallon limitation established by SB 470, collection center operators must not accept more than 55 gallons of used oil per shipment.

If you need additional information, contact your local used oil recycling coordinator or the CIWMB at (916) 341-6457.

Full text may be viewed at: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/index.html

Last updated: December 27, 2007