Oil Filters

One of the most fundamentally vital components to a running your vehicle’s engine, and keeping it running, is its oil and the filter that cleans it. Motor oil is by far the most prominent multitasker in your engine, inhibiting metal-to-metal friction, cooling your engine, preventing “blow by” (exhaust fumes and unburnt gas that eventually make their way into the crankcase), impeding corrosion and cleaning your engine parts. There are, however, some downfalls to this magical liquid. The biggest being the havoc that it wreaks on our environment.

The fact that oil is so vital to our engines, and so detrimental to our environment means the filter used to keep this oil clean has to be important as well, right? Yup. It is extremely important. The most commonly suggested time frame to replace your oil and traditional filter is either 3 months or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first. Let’s consider the average driver covers about 12,000 miles per year, that means that he or she should change their oil and filter at least 4 times a year. If an average oil change costs $30, that means they could be spending $120 a year just on oil changes and filters. That’s some serious dough.

Second, virtually every time a traditional oil change is done on your vehicle, the filter is changed. This results in an annual filter consumption of roughly 485 million filters per year. Think of all the energy and raw materials that go into the production of new oil filters - from the rubber gaskets, paper filter material and steel body, to the energy used to produce and ship it. And then think of where these nasty oil-soaked old filters end up - in local landfills. According to microGreen, a producer of eco-friendly oil filters, the recycling of 1 ton of oil filters “Saves 10 cubic yards of landfill space, produces approximately 1,700 lbs. of high quality steel and produces approximately 300 lbs. of paper filter media that can be burned in industrial boilers to produce approximately 35.2 million BTU's.” Sadly though, many used oil filters are tossed in the trash instead of recycled.

Fortunately, there are companies like microGreen that specialize in the manufacturing of environmentally friendly oil filters. These oil filters function like traditional filters, making them convenient, and easy to install. They use a 2 filters in 1 system, which keeps oil cleaner longer. They also boast a 50% increase in the life of the filter, improved engine life and vehicle maintenance and most importantly, a 70% reduction in the use of oil.

There are also different technologies such as the K&P Engineering Permanent Oil Filter. The K&P Engineering Permanent Oil Filter is made from medical grade, type 304 stainless steel micronic filter cloth to provide unmatched protection against oil contamination and resultant engine damage. The body of the filter is permanent, which means no more oily paper filters and steel filter bodies going to the landfill.

So, the next time you head to your local mechanic to change your oil, or if your a DIYer, why not consider saving a few bucks while chipping in to save our environment. Check below for more ideas on green oil filters. And, as always, don’t forget to tell us about any new products out there, and how these products below have worked for you.