How easy/hard is it to return used motor oil?

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When I lived in NYS, through 1999, it was simple, because it was the law.

But here in Phila. metro?

I work in NJ so one day I decided I'll just return it after work. Place after place rejected me.

Maybe this is a loophole: "My tank is full, I can't take it." Meanwhile people are pulling in for oil changes.

That day I went to a random garage in PA--the guy wasn't all that happy but took it. Other places in PA say the same thing, "Tank is full."

It's really a shame imho--2 of our cars take 5 quarts, one 6.8. That's not a lot of oil to refuse. Recycling is as basic as being responsible imho. A homeowner DIY has no other means and I think people who sell it should take it back for disposal.

:D
 
My local Waste Management trash collection will pickup 2 gallons of waste oil every week on trash day. So I put it at the curb on trash day. Easy.

Back in the day I used to return it to Advance Auto. They gave me that “tank is full” line twice. Never again. Drive around back and leave it at the back receiving door. It’s magically taken care of. Imagine that.
 
I've seen the Oil tank full a couple of times at Advance auto parts. Both times i went back and looked. The tank was full. I wonder if aap and others are getting fewer pick ups on waste oil?
 
Try the wintertime, most shops now have waste oil heaters so they will gladly take it off your hands then. Most shops have room in the tanks but their customers come first and with random people showing up to dispose of their oil they would run out of capacity sooner rather than later.
 
I go to the three stooges (manny moe jack lol). One time a guy said you can't drop off 2, and I said why not, my car takes about 7 quarts? Admittedly, I think that guy was full of it and that was the only time this particular location gave me a hard time. But all the others seem to act like they don't want it. that is so interesting to leave it at the curb, wish I had that. And I wonder, do all Walmarts take it, or do they have service?
 
They have Mr Lube places all over that will accept it.
In Canada we pay an oil disposal fee when we buy the new oil, so there's no reason why they should reject it.
In the last 12 years, I've had a few places reject it, but most are fine with it.
They also don't separate the oil from trans fluid/coolant/brake fluid, as it all goes into the same tanks.
 
O'Reilly location 3 minutes away - no problems. They do have a 5-gallon "limit" but when I brought in my 25-liter (6.6 gallon) jerrycan, they said "just put '5 gallons' as the amount". One time they did tell me they couldn't take any because their tank was full. Dozen other times they took oil so I believe them it may really have been full.

I think people here have indicated that oil-change places, repair shops, etc are required to accept used oil - not sure what states this applies to (not here, to my knowledge). If I had a shop and a random, non-customer wanted to dispose of oil, I might tell them it's full too. Shops pay to have it disposed, do they not or do the companies that do this charge a collection fee minus some amount based on the volume of fluid they collect ?
 
I usually have zero problems at the local Orielly. at one point they would just wave me to the back "you know where the tank is?" yeah, "Go ahead"
they also have a barrel for filters.
Local autozone, it's like pulling teeth to get them to take the oil, if you ask about the filter, they just point to the nearest garbage can.

last time I changed my buddies oil at his place in Columbus, he has an orielly literately around the corner, they gave me the classic tank's full argument,("it's been full for a couple weeks, boss won't call for a pickup") and pretended that they didn't have the filter barrel. so I had to haul his used oil and filter the 100 mi home, and a couple days until i made it to my orielly.
 
I usually have zero problems at the local Orielly. at one point they would just wave me to the back "you know where the tank is?" yeah, "Go ahead"
Autozone used to do that until people abused it - surprise, surprise. People were dumping brake fluid, coolant, etc into the same tank and as I understand it, instead of the recycler taking the waste oil and recycling it, it all had to be disposed of as hazardous waste and they back-charge the store/company where it came from.
 
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The reason many shops will not take waste oil (mine included) is that to be frank we have no clue what is in it. If there is chlorine in it (which waste oil companies test for before they pump the tank out) that turns it into hazardous waste. If there is too much water or antifreeze in it or gas or diesel that turns it into hazardous waste. Couple that with the fact that I have to pay to have waste oil disposed of and no I will not take waste oil off the street. Most municipalities will accept waste oil from consumers in PA.
 
usually go to walmart to drop it off. have to sign the book, but its not so bad.
I did more than one 'phantom drop' at the walmart oil collection bin outside during covid lockdowns.
Even wedged a few jugs through the gap in the chained closed access gate : )
Now it's locked down tight, no room to pass a jug through anymore. : l
 
Curbside recycling here. They don't always pick it up; I just put it out next week.
I THINK there is a law that sez if auto parts sells oil they have to take it. Dunno for sure.
 
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