More than 3.5 million gallons of waste motor oil are thrown away each year in Minnesota. Waste oil is a reusable resource and discarding it is not a good use of this resource and poses an environmental hazard. Disposing it improperly on the ground, in the storm sewer, or in the trash threatens the quality of our water supplies because waste motor oil contains a variety of contaminants, including organic chemicals and metals. For instance, one gallon of motor oil can pollute one million gallons of water. Motor oil has been banned from the trash since January 1, 1988.