What do you do with your old oil?

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ok, guys, that's great what you all do here stateside, but the OP is "Down Under" (Australia)

so, now that you know what folks in North America do with waste oil, might i suggest bringing the subject up with some of your more local parts stores/ repair shops/ auto dealers, to see what their policies are.
can't hurt..

according to this Australian govt. website,
"Where can you recycle your used oil?

Contact your local council or check the council's website for information about your nearest used oil facility."
 
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I take my old oil to Autozone, Pep Boys or Advance. Autozone and Advance take it no questions asked, Pep Boys makes me sign a paper stating I dropped off old oil.
 
wow, am I the only one who gets his oil picked up during regular curbside recycling? That's a bit of a shocker. I put it out right next to my recycle bin in a gallon jug marked "used oil". 2 gallon limit per pick-up. They take recycled coolant as well.
 
What, I didn't know in this day and age that someone would even ask this question. You need a tax credit to motivate people to recycle used oil? I'm a Republican and even I know used oil is a major environmental contaminate.

I store mine in a5 gallon metal kerosene can. When it is full I take it to Tommy Carr's gas station and dump it into his used oil tank. It looks like a 30 gallon drum with a drain in the bottom it that goes into the basement and fills his 2 275 gallon used oil tanks. Then one of the recyclers comes once per month and empties the tanks.

One of the gas station/shops near by has a clean burn used oil boiler. He mixes some heating oil with the used oil and heats his entire shop and offices.
 
^This has nothing to do with politics. It's completely related to 'what does it take to get people to care', and quite frankly only when people see how it affects them negatively. Otherwise, not 'my' problem mentality overtakes. We're all selfish, every last one of us here.

You'd figure with more recycling of used oil, that the consumption rate would drop outside of fuels.
 
My father in law has an oil burner so he loves to get my old ATF and Oil. I bring him used oil from work, My rig takes 7 gallons. So I bottle all my used oil for him.
 
Just a hypothetical question, but, how would anyone know if there is antifreeze, brake fluid, etc., mixed in with the oil that is dropped off?
 
Originally Posted By: CharlieJ
Just a hypothetical question, but, how would anyone know if there is antifreeze, brake fluid, etc., mixed in with the oil that is dropped off?


I'd imagine when it's in for re-refining that they can probably find the trace contaminants, BUT what do you do if your used oil was from a car that had a coolant leak into the engine?
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I leave it by the loading dock at AZ when they aren't open. I'm doing them a favor by giving them my used oil but the front line employees don't seem to see it that way.
 
I normally bring it to the local gas station who has storage tank for recycling. The best thing was this past fall when I had my oil burner serviced, one of the fellows was looking at my oil containers to be recycled and asked if he can have them, because his relative burns the oil in a furnace for his shop. Sweet!!! Wished he would come around more often!!
 
you do know they pay to have it taken away?

Originally Posted By: calvin1
I leave it by the loading dock at AZ when they aren't open. I'm doing them a favor by giving them my used oil but the front line employees don't seem to see it that way.
 
I have a 5 or 6 gallon red plastic fuel can that I store my used oil in. When it is full I take it to Advance Auto for disposal. They have a large storage tank and encourage customers to use it.
 
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Originally Posted By: ted s
you do know they pay to have it taken away?

I once asked this at the local gas station that used to accept oil. They said either they paid or they got paid, depending on the market price of oil.
 
I do know that the safety kleen man that takes our old oil away, puts something into our used oil tank to test for a few chemicals in the oil. If any of them show up, he doesnt take it. Brake fluid, and anti freeze in oil isnt good either.
 
Have you guys ever wondered what happens to the used oil after your turn it in to the collection tank?

I've heard that some of it gets used for oiling the streets, but I can't imagine all of it being used for that.

Some of it must go somewhere else.
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Originally Posted By: JOD
wow, am I the only one who gets his oil picked up during regular curbside recycling? That's a bit of a shocker. I put it out right next to my recycle bin in a gallon jug marked "used oil". 2 gallon limit per pick-up. They take recycled coolant as well.


You are luckier than you think.....Our town facility specifically states empty motor oil CONTAINERS are not to be recycled. I include them anyway, if they see enough of them, maybe they'll remove the restriction
 
In California we have to pay a monthly fee for recycling service. They take aluminum cans and plastic bottles, and anything else that they can make money on, but won't pay us for the aluminum or plastic. They won't take used motor oil, so we have to drive out of our way to a special recycle center and pay more to dispose of used oil.

I give mine to a friend who works at an auto shop, and he dumps it down the drain in his recycle drum.
 
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