"Bring Your Own Bottle" Bulk Oil Purchase?

Joined
Oct 9, 2004
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Cincinnati, OH, USA
I use those Blitz black used oil containers, dump them in the waste oil container at Auto Zone, take them home & refill them again. Not 100% sure why a fully drained clean oil jug would not be recyclable? What would it be turned into, exactly?
 
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Mar 20, 2016
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Western S.C.
I use those Blitz black used oil containers, dump them in the waste oil container at Auto Zone, take them home & refill them again. Not 100% sure why a fully drained clean oil jug would not be recyclable? What would it be turned into, exactly?
You and I may thoroughly drain them, but many people don't. I suspect that's why recycling facilities typically won't take them. The county recycling center here will take them, but makes me stand them upside-down in their drain rack---which is ridiculous when I've already drained them longer they have time to leave them there. Whether they ever actually get recycled, I don't know. It's the same material (HDPE) as milk jugs and plastic grocery bags.
 
Joined
Mar 9, 2013
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Iowa
Let the oil drain out of the jugs and then recycle them. We must put think in our thoughts..
My local municipality specifically says no automotive fluid containers so even if I were to soap and water the oil out of the jugs, the sorting crews would probably send them to the landfill anyway
 

twouvakind

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Any dealer I've dealt with would gesture kindly to the parts department for some pre packaged quarts. Thank you, come again
 
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DELAWARE
Only 5% of plastic is recycled in the USA. 10% is incinerated and the remaining 85% hits the landfill anyway. I stopped worrying about if my oil jugs were going to be recycled if I cleaned them out or not. I have no problem throwing them in the regular trash bin.
 
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Vancouver, Canada
Most oil change places or auto shops have plenty of empty oil jugs that they'd be happy to get rid of, just ask and get a few.
Dump used oil in those jugs and take the jugs to local Bottle Depot (return-it.ca) that accepts used motor oil, just leave it there, there are areas for it.

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Jan 21, 2011
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California
Plastic is made from petroleum so I really don't understand "oil-contaminated bottles" if we are talking about new oil containers. Used oil is clearly contamination / borderline haz mat. But fresh oil? WTH?
 
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DELAWARE
Plastic is made from petroleum so I really don't understand "oil-contaminated bottles" if we are talking about new oil containers. Used oil is clearly contamination / borderline haz mat. But fresh oil? WTH?

Plastic is pennies on the pound when recycled. There is cost for them to check regardless and not worth a recycler's time or take your word it is "clean" oil in there and that is assuming the clean oil is even chemistry compatible for recycling.
 
Joined
Sep 23, 2006
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Bad Axe, MI
I would never buy from bulk, there's no way to properly agitate the oil, additives fall out of suspension with time.
 
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Dec 26, 2005
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Upper Midwest
Plastic is made from petroleum so I really don't understand "oil-contaminated bottles" if we are talking about new oil containers. Used oil is clearly contamination / borderline haz mat. But fresh oil? WTH?
Yes it’s made from petroleum but it’s not oil. Just like sodium chloride is made from sodium metal and chlorine but it’s neither one of those anymore. Most any plastic is going to be inert but motor oil is not.
 
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So Cal
Yes it’s made from petroleum but it’s not oil. Just like sodium chloride is made from sodium metal and chlorine but it’s neither one of those anymore. Most any plastic is going to be inert but motor oil is not.
When I worked at an electric company pure mineral oil for transformers new was not considered “hazardous waste” or “hazardous materials” The used transformer oil is “hazardous waste” What new motor oil containers is not is “hazardous waste”.

 
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AutoMechanic

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Roanoke Virginia
We don’t do that at my dealership. We rarely have individual quarts in stock either oil isn’t a big seller probably because of the high markup. I can see how it would save money buying the bulk but I just don’t trust any bulk oil. I actually don’t think I’ve seen anyone come in asking about bulk oil but that does seem something that may appeal to some if we did sell it.
 
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Mar 12, 2015
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In the shop
We don’t do that at my dealership. We rarely have individual quarts in stock either oil isn’t a big seller probably because of the high markup. I can see how it would save money buying the bulk but I just don’t trust any bulk oil. I actually don’t think I’ve seen anyone come in asking about bulk oil but that does seem something that may appeal to some if we did sell it.


So you’re saying I shouldn’t trust Safety Kleen re refined motor oil?🤔🤔🤔🤔


Our work has never had oil related issues at all also.
 
Joined
Jan 16, 2006
Messages
1,817
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Ruidoso, NM USA
Here in New Mexico we have plastic recycling bins that ONLY accept those clear plastic water drinking bottle. No color, no contaminants.

You know you tell youngsters today that you never carried water around with you in a bottle growing up….they don’t believe ya!
 
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Jul 15, 2003
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MN
Plastic with any oil at all left in it will contaminate the whole batch of recycled plastic and make it unusable. Used oil jugs are not acceptable in recycled plastic.
But rotten food is ok? I see that all the time but maybe they throw that away too?
 
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