King County Metro Transit switches to re-refined motor oil

King County Executive Ron Sims today announced that the County’s Metro Transit fleet, among the largest in the nation, recently became one of the first major municipal bus fleets in the country to use re-refined motor oil.

King County has earned an international reputation for innovative environmental programs and is a recognized leader in resource conservation through the reuse of materials. Sims said other King County agencies have been using re-refined oil in their cars, trucks, and large equipment since 1992, and in 1998 the Medic One emergency vehicles adopted its use. Following the successful conclusion of evaluations that showed re-refined oil to be equal in price and performance to virgin oil, Metro is now also using re-refined oil. The local supplier, Lilyblad Petroleum, furnishes them with SAE 15W40, 10W30, and 40W oils.

Metro Transit’s fleet includes about 1,140 diesel buses and 90 diesel-powered transit vans operating more than 35 million miles per year. Metro estimates it will use roughly 80,000 gallons of re-refined oil a year.

"The switch to re-refined oil in King County's Metro Fleet is a win-win for the environment, residents and the future of our children," said Eric Nelson, Environmental Purchasing Coordinator. "The best part is that motor oil can be re-refined over and over again. In fact, it's entirely possible that your grandchildren will be using the same oil to make their car run smoothly that you're using now in your automobile!"

Capturing and re-refining used oil keeps improperly discarded used motor oil from entering rivers, streams, lakes and ground water supplies. According to the American Petroleum Institute, recovering the motor oil from one oil change of a typical automobile protects a million gallons of drinking water - a year's supply for 50 people. Re-refining also saves energy. Less energy is required to produce a gallon of re-refined oil than to produce a gallon from crude oil.

So how does it work? According to API, used oil is first cleaned of contaminants such as dirt, water, fuel, and additives, through vacuum distillation. Then it’s treated to make it suitable for the final product. Finally, the re-refined oil is combined with fresh additives to make a finished lubricant. Because re-refined oil must meet the same API requirements as virgin oil, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Postal Service are able to use re-refined oil in their fleets.

"With our buses we have a responsibility to deliver thousands of people to their destinations every day. In addition, we have a responsibility to protect our resources," said Metro vehicle maintenance manager Jim Boon. "We hope Metro can set an example for other transit systems, as well as individuals, to use re-refined oil in their vehicles."

More information about the King County Environmental Purchasing Program is available online at http://www.metrokc.gov/procure/green . For more detailed information about re-refined oil, call Lilyblad Petroleum at 1-800-562-8424.

Updated: Feb. 14, 2000