Vehicle Maintenance

Read below to find out how you can practice sustainable vehicle maintenance and prevent automotive waste from running off into local bodies of water.

Table of Contents

 Best Practices
   Regular Maintenance
   Car Washing
   Oil Changes
   Coolant/Antifreeze
   Batteries
   Tires

 Waste Management and Recycling Centers
 Alternative Transportation
 Vehicle Maintenance Video

Best Practices

Regular Maintenance

  • Regularly checking your car allows you to quickly spot and address any issues it might have. Regular maintenance can help you spot fluid leaks, which contribute to water pollution. They can also extend the life of your vehicle and its components.
  • Dashboard lights can alert you that your car needs maintenance. Difficulty starting your car, decreased fuel efficiency, and vibration during driving can all be signs of problems with your car as well. If you notice any of these signs, consider taking your vehicle to an auto repair shop for an inspection.
  • Fluid levels should be checked about once a month. Only check your engine when it’s cool. If fluid levels are low, top them off. Oil should be changed about every six months or 5,000 miles. Coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid, and transmission fluid need to be changed once every 2-5 years, depending on the fluid.
  • Tires should be checked for proper pressure and tread depth every month.

Car Washing

  • Go to a commercial car wash instead of washing at home. Commercial car washes have specialized equipment that can recycle water for further use. They save water and reduce the chances of runoff.
  • If you do decide to wash at home, use a hose-nozzle that turns off the water when you’re not using it.
  • Biodegradable soap still negatively impacts water quality. Even if you choose biodegradable soap, make sure only water goes down the drain.
  • Wash your car on a permeable surface like the lawn or gravel as opposed to on the street — this will allow the water to filter through the soil and plant roots.
  • If you wash on an impermeable surface like concrete, use a car wash mat or storm drain mat to prevent runoff from entering storm drains.
This car wash mat prevents soapy water from running off into storm drains.
A storm drain mat covers a storm drain to keep runoff from entering it.

Oil Changes

  • When changing your oil at home, use drip pans to capture any leaking fluids.
  • If any oil gets on the ground, clean it up with an absorbent material or an absorbent pad.
  • Used oil can be re-refined into new oil or reused in other products. Instead of discarding your used motor oil, take it to your local waste management and recycling center.
Rainbow sheen of oil in stormwater runoff.
Absorbent mats are placed near a drain to absorb oil in runoff.
This absorbent powder is being used to soak up an oil spill.

Coolant/Antifreeze

  • Coolant can contain ethylene glycol, which is toxic when ingested and can even cause death in animals and children.
  • If a spill or leak occurs, use absorbent materials to clean it just as you would clean an oil leak.
  • After doing a coolant change, bring your used anti-freeze to your local waste management and recycling center for recycling.
You can identify anti-freeze by its blue color — clean it as you would clean up oil!

Batteries

  • Throwing away car batteries can impact our drinking water. Batteries in landfills corrode and release lead and toxic materials into the soil and water.
  • If your car battery doesn’t work anymore, recycle it at your local recycling center.
A car battery is removed from the hood of a car.

Tires

  • Maintaining proper tire pressure and alignment can reduce wear on your tires and extend their life. You won’t have to change your tires as often, and you will produce less waste.
  • If the air pressure in your tire is too low, fill it to the appropriate pressure.
  • If the tread depth on your tire is less than 2/32 inches, it needs to be changed.
  • Rotate your tires about every 5,000-7,500 miles, and check the alignment every 6 months to ensure they wear down evenly.
  • Used tires can be reused — the rubber can be pulled apart and used as astroturf pellets and as the floor for children’s playgrounds. Take your used tires to your local waste management and recycling center.
Above is an example of a tire shredder used in the process of recycling tires.

Waste Management and Recycling Centers

Linked below are regional waste management and recycling center webpages. At these centers you may be able to recycle used oil, antifreeze, tires, and batteries. Check your county’s webpage to see what items your county accepts and where you can drop them off.

Alternative Transportation

Using alternative modes of transportation is an excellent way to reduce the necessary maintenance on your vehicle as well as to reduce the amount of automotive waste your vehicle creates. Visit CWEP’s alternative transportation landing page (coming soon) for more information and regional resources.

Vehicle Maintenance Video