Dear Tom and Ray:

Here's an oil recycling idea. My work car burns one quart of oil per week. When I change the oil in my new, family car, I save the oil and pour it into the old, oil burner. Am I "eco-friendly" or what?! Ken

Ray: You're being "eco-friendly," Ken. Eco-NOMICALLY friendly. But not ecologically friendly.

Tom: You're saving yourself 79 cents by using a quart of old oil instead of buying a quart of new oil. But you're not doing the environment any favors.

Ray: If you disposed of that old oil properly, it would have been reused in some manner--as a fuel, or to make trash bags... or breakfast cereal. But instead, you burned it in your old car and spewed it all over the county.

Tom: Now, you can argue that you're being environmentally friendly because you're NOT using a new quart of oil. It takes energy and creates pollution to MAKE a new quart of refined oil. And instead, you're using an old quart that's already in circulation. And I suppose there's some benefit to that.

Ray: But you're still spewing oil all over the place. And if you really wanted to be eco-friendly, you'd fix that old sled of yours and stop burning any oil...new or old.

Tom: Right. And just to remind you, we're mailing you one of our brand new bumper stickers, Ken. It says "Be Eco-Friendly: Get a Ring Job." 1066

Tom and Ray share secrets mechanics don't want you to know in their pamphlet Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It! To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1995 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Back to the August 1995 index