Will used oil have greater value?

[GROUCHO MARX]

I seem to remember in the not so distant past, that used motor oil had a higher residual value for recycling before crude prices fell in the late '90s.

It is now picked up as a convenience by the recyclers here (rather large quantities). Will these recyclers begin to pay for pick up?

Just your opinion.

 

[k1xv]

I guess its a matter of supply and demand. If demand picks up, say, due to increased use of used motor oil in space heater units, demand may outstrip the present available "free" supply, and someone may decide they are willing to pay.

A gallon of used motor oil probably has a BTU content greater than that of a gallon of #2 heating oil. The spot market price for #2 is now somewhere around $1.70 a gallon in 42,000 gallon quantity (I knew I should have put in a larger heating oil tank). As the value of the BTUs in used motor oil grows, someone will want it.

I assume most used motor oil just gets blended into a slop oil tank and winds up back in the still at a refinery somewhere. Or is blended into heavy fuel oil, as is used in industrial boilers and very large marine diesel engines.

Now, if we could only get someone more interested in garbage and sewage.

 

[eljefino]

If you're talking about household curbside recyclers, no. The municipality you're in probably takes the profits from curbside recycling and uses it to offset the costs of the solid waste they have to pay to get rid of. There have been cases of "bandit" recyclers taking only the "good" stuff at 4am and the town setting annoyed.

That's not to stop you from selling it on your own though. Shoot, you can make a three-foot aluminum foil ball and sell it for $.06/lb!

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

I'm talking about the recyclers who go to service stations and quick lubes.

 

[oilyriser]

Aluminium pop cans here sell for about $1800 per 1000 kg. That's roughly us$0.66/lb.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

Aluminum cans here go for 5 cents a pop, going from the store and back.

 

[k1xv]

We have a racket in Vermont on returnable beverage containers. We buy in "no deposit" New Hampshire, and return our empties in "redemption centers" where we get 5 cents each.

I am sure some New Yorkers pull the same racket buying beverages in New Jersey.

The first time I saw a sign for a "redemption center", I thought it was a place I could go to have my soul saved.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

The bar codes prevent non returnable bottles from NJ to be redeemed at NY machines. I've seen a few arguments in stores over this.

BTW, there is no reason you couldn't have your soul saved at any given time or place.