Recycling Automotive Fluids.

[George7941]

I took some engine oil and some brake fluid in for recycling to the local municipal recycling centre. The staff there poured the brake fluid in with the engine oil which surprised me. When I questioned them about it they said the company that recycles the fluids doesn't mind the mixing of the brake fluid with engine oil. The staff were told that they are both esters. I know the following

a) Brake fluids are glycols
b) Brake fluid mixes with water whereas engine oil does not. The two fluids differ greatly in their properties.

Anyone with more information on this?

 

[Warstud]

Motor Oil...Brake Fluid...Power Steering Fluid..Axle Fluid...Trans Fluid can all be mixed. More than likely it will be used for Heating Oil.

 

[raytseng]

yea it depends on the recylcer.
Most often they won't care about lubricant fluids like ATF and so on with engine oil.

However, brake fluid might be different depending on who takes it, don't make a blanket rule, it's easier to keep it separate, as once you mix, you can't unmix.

 

[Bluestream]

Saftey-Kleen allows small amounts of brake fluid ion with the oil.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

My local transfer station will not take brake fluid. As I recall, AAP did not want it mixed in with oil, either.

 

[ragtoplvr]

Brake fluid burns. So if they are using it for heating, then they will not care. if they are refining it into motor oil. they would prefer it was kept separate. Easier to refine. It can be dealt with, just takes extra steps.

Rod

 

[Run]

Some recycling stations have weird rules. I can think of 1 place that will accept oil filters but no oil. Forget about any other automotive fluid.

 

[zzyzzx]

At least one place locally around here won't take the empty oil containers for recycling.

 

[George7941]

My municipality does not want empty oil jugs in the recycling bin at my house. They come for it every two weeks and will take all kinds of plastic jugs but not empty oil jugs. Not sure why.

 

[Donald]

The places that will not take empty oil jugs will not take empty pool chemical containers.

It's a balance, if the places are picky then people recycle less. We have single stream recycling and they take anything but plastic bags. But the glass containers must all be broken when they get to the recycle center.

Some places accept glass sorted by color and they are able to sell the glass for a lot more than the mixed glass.

 

[double vanos]

I guess the brake fluid acts as a seal sweller if it survives refinement....

 

[bvance554]

Did you pay for the disposal of your fluid? Or was it free? When people take care of a problem for me I never question them. Chances are they know more about it than you pretend to. Like Warstud said, odds are its going to be burnt in a shops used oil heater.

 

[bdcardinal]

We keep oil and brake fluid separate. The people that collect the fluids say that you can mix small amounts of brake fluid in with oil, but it is better to not take the chance. We have to keep spin on oil filters separated from the cartridge insert type filters. They have us crush the spin on filters but the cartridge inserts have to be in their own container.

 

[bvance554]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
We keep oil and brake fluid separate. The people that collect the fluids say that you can mix small amounts of brake fluid in with oil, but it is better to not take the chance. We have to keep spin on oil filters separated from the cartridge insert type filters. They have us crush the spin on filters but the cartridge inserts have to be in their own container.


So then what do you do with your brake fluid?

 

[bdcardinal]

They have a separate container for brake fluid. I can't control what customers do when they drop off oil. We have people that just leave their gallon milk jogs on the lot and we have to dispose of it somewhere.

 

[dmdx86]

Originally Posted By: George7941
My municipality does not want empty oil jugs in the recycling bin at my house. They come for it every two weeks and will take all kinds of plastic jugs but not empty oil jugs. Not sure why.


Because those empty oil jugs still have a film of oil coating the insides so it becomes a HazMat issue for them.

 

[raytseng]

it's less of a Hazmat issue, and more that the oil residue ruins the whole batch of recycling, or gunks up the recycling machines.

The empty jugs are not hazardous material, they are to just be put into standard garbage.

 

[nthach]

I've always mixed my brake fluid with used oil. Next time, I'll keep a 2.5 gallon pail from the paint store for brake fluid, once that's full it's going to the hazmat drop off.

 

[George7941]

Originally Posted By: raytseng
it's less of a Hazmat issue, and more that the oil residue ruins the whole batch of recycling, or gunks up the recycling machines.

The empty jugs are not hazardous material, they are to just be put into standard garbage.


Don't they wash the bottles out before processing them? I rinse out all my containers before putting them out for recycling but I think a lot of people don't and the plastic containers must have left over shampoo, yogurt, vegetable oil etc.

 

[SHOZ]

I usually just dump brake fluid on the gravel or concrete. it evaporates sin a couple days.