How to dispose of contaminated oil?

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Man I need help here. For many years my dad would put his used oil in a container and just leave it in the shed or out behind the house.

So I have began to clean the place up.

Somehow many of the plastic bottles have gotten water in them. They were sealed so all I can figure is that the moisture somehow went through the plastic and into the oil. The metal containers do not have any water in them.

If anybody else has an idea how water got into them let me know. They only had oil in them when they were filled up.

I had 1,5 gallon plastic gas can that I had oil I drained from my Jeep. It was sealed and in the garage for a few years and it's got clear water in it too.

We took 60 gallons to the city today since it's amnesty day. After sitting in line 2 hrs , in the sun , no AC and it's 113* they tell they don't take oil. Only household stuff like computers.

Kragen and AZ wont take the oil with water in it and they check. They Won't let me pour my own oil so I can't sneek it into the used oil drum.

The dump won't take it, city wont take it, auto parts stores wont take it.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Car dealers in my area take all used oil I could bring in.


Or Iffy Lube type places might just let you pour it in without checking. Advance Auto lets me pour it in myself without looking but you don't have those in CA.

John
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Car dealers in my area take all used oil I could bring in.
Do they let you pour it in? If they pour it or watch they are going to boot me out when they see the water.
 
Or isn't the water separated? Could you suck if off with a turkey baster or something? PITA but might be a solution.

At least he didn't bury it. My Dad dug holes in the back yard and poured it in. It was the 1970s and I knew better then. I shudder to think of all the gallons of dirty oil we poured in that back yard.

John
 
The water is on the bottom and has turned into a grey mud. When I tip the container up to pour the oil the water and grey mud comes out with the oil.

Screw it! It's too hot to do anything about it right now anyway. I'm still sticky with sweat from waiting in line 2 hrs in the heat.
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Last edited:
Originally Posted By: John_K


At least he didn't bury it. My Dad dug holes in the back yard and poured it in. It was the 1970s and I knew better then. I shudder to think of all the gallons of dirty oil we poured in that back yard.

John
he used to pour it on the dirt road and it made em like asphalt. Did that untill the county made him stop that.
 
Chris I have a desert home at Spring Valley Lake. The Kragen on Main Street in Hesperia often lets you drain your own.

Just have a proper oil drain container. Worth the short drive to try it out.


IMO water in the oil is their least worries LOL
 
I've always taken the oil to AAP and leave it near the back door, or the dumpster. When I've returned the oil is gone. Several people do the same thing. HTH
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Car dealers in my area take all used oil I could bring in.
Do they let you pour it in? If they pour it or watch they are going to boot me out when they see the water.


They just took the grocery bags with milk jugs containing old oil in it.
 
or just leave it by the garage door (after hours) at a quick oil change place or auto parts store. nobody will steal it, and it will make it to the recycle drum in the morning :)

i take mine to the auto parts store and they always take mine during store hours.

all i can say is keep tryin!!!!
 
Go to a public payphone and call up the environmental waste people. Tell them your situation - you have oil contaminated with water and nobody wants to take it.

You want to do the right thing but you don't have hundreds/thousands of dollars to pay for disposal (since Safety Kleen doesn't like contaminated oil, you'd probably end up having to pay someone to take it).

Tell them if they cannot offer up a solution for you that it will very likely end up going down the storm drain or somewhere else that it shouldn't. They might be able to offer up a solution since I'm sure they'd rather it be disposed of instead of contaminating the water table.
 
Maybe pour all the oil into a big container and set it over a heat source to boil away the water? Don't make it too hot or you'll caramelize the oil!
 
Find an autoparts store that is a used oil collection location (should be a sign), and go in when they are super busy (look for long lines at the checkout and the parts counter). If they are super busy, they might just let you dump the used oil yourself.

Otherwise, go back when they are closed and leave it by the back gate. This may be illegal depending on your local, but this way the oil gets recycled, and imo its better than dumping it in the trash.

Final alternative is to put the oil in old laundry detergent bottles and dump it in the garbage. Is this cool? Not really, but when they make it next to impossible to properly dispose of mildy contaminated oil (its just water!), then what are you going to do?
 
I like vilan's idea. Or you can have your own Burning Man festival in the desert and keep pouring it on the campfire!
 
I still don't see the problem leaving it at a Jiffy Lube after hours in front of one of the bays, or at the back door of your favorite auto parts store. I always do that, as opposed to bringing it inside, I see others doing it as well around here.
 
Make sure if you're leaving it someplace after hours they don't have outside security cameras.

I do know of one such case in our area where a guy left something outside, the cops got him on tape etc. This can be tricky.
 
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