Oil Changes & Recycling

SVreX wrote: There's no recycling in my town. None whatsoever. I don't think there is any within 100 miles of here.

http://www.albany.ga.us/content/1800/2889/3009/3496/default.aspx

huge-O-chavez wrote: But would you use it in your car? Jury is still out with me. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/with-nextgen-oil-valvoline-hopes-drivers-heed-the-green-call/

Canadian Walmarts used to sell recycled oil as their house brand. I ran the 20W50 for a full season in my stock car. To prove a point, of course.

After I fill my car with oil, I put the 4 L container upside down on another oil jug, and let it drain for a week. There is no oil left in it, and I use the oil I've collected (it adds up fast when you're doing 4 cars, and numerous bikes) for my quad, mini bike, or lawn mower. As far as I know, if you sell oil in Ontario, you have to take the dirty stuff back, just like tires.

benzbaron wrote: It only take 1oz of oil to contaminate 1 million gallons of fresh water.

Then why does EPA only consider an oil spill at anything over 5 gallons . Go to any lake and look at the oil sheen around the marina.

iceracer wrote:

benzbaron wrote: It only take 1oz of oil to contaminate 1 million gallons of fresh water.

Then why does EPA only consider an oil spill at anything over 5 gallons . Go to any lake and look at the oil sheen around the marina.

How much poo does it take to contaminate drinking water? I don't see the ducks wearing diapers.....

benzbaron wrote: It only take 1oz of oil to contaminate 1 million gallons of fresh water.

The drinkable standard is one part per million so it's one gallon of oil. Still not that much oil.

Many hard core recyclers hang their bottles upside down on a wire to drain all the oil out into a bucket or some other catch can arrangement. Once the oil is out of the bottle, it can be recycled.

A small amount of mine goes on the tops of my fenceposts.

The rest goes in our recycling at work. The bottles get the cap screwed on and the side cut out to make a nifty parts tray. Some get the bottom cut out to make a funnel.

A couple ounces of oil once a year vs cut down a couple trees every five years.

Seems like I'm spilling oil for the good of the planet.

Shawn

iceracer wrote:

benzbaron wrote: It only take 1oz of oil to contaminate 1 million gallons of fresh water.

Then why does EPA only consider an oil spill at anything over 5 gallons . Go to any lake and look at the oil sheen around the marina.

Because they don't have the money to respond for every piddley little oil spill. You want top call them everytime you spill a little gas at the conenience store?

Our county "convenience center:" will let us bring in used oil, filters and oil containers. If you throw the empty containers into the plastic bin, they have to have been drained for at least 4 hours. They even gave out nifty little drains that you could use at home to put them in while they drain. It's amazing how much oil will drain out of an "empty" container. I put the leftover in my oil can. They also have a PVC rack with numorus holes drilled in it where you can stick your container to drain if you haven't already. They finally starting taking used antifreeze, which has been a PITA to get rid of around here unitl now.

I have always thrown mine in the recycling can.. last time they were on top.. and the recycling guys took them as always.

stuart in mn wrote:

SVreX wrote: There's no recycling in my town. None whatsoever. I don't think there is any within 100 miles of here.

http://www.albany.ga.us/content/1800/2889/3009/3496/default.aspx

Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

No curbside, and the collection drop point ships everything off to the transfer station en mass. In other words, sort it if you want to, but it will all end up in the same place anyway (except for metals).

They used to claim they had people sorting curbside trash after dropping it at the transfer station- it was a lie.

I throw the empty quarts that had the new oil in them in the recycling, whatever vessel I put the old oil in goes to Pep Boys (who knows what they do with the old oil and containers), and the oil filter and oil-soaked newspaper/paper towels I use to clean up with go in the trash. I drain as much oil as I can out of the filter before throwing it away.

Cars are just bad for the environment period. There's only so much you can do to minimize it. I guess what I'm doing is better than the guy dumping antifreeze into a stream.

My recycling bin for curbside pickup specifically states "No Motor Oil Containers" on the label on the lid.

former520 wrote: I toss the bottles in with the regular plastic recycling. My rational is that plastic is made from petroleum, what's a little more going to hurt?

My thoughts exactly. They've never been refused (hey, refused...get it?) from my recycle bin.

There are tons of garages around here that use waste oil heaters so I give them the used oil.