California, and recycling used oil

[wrcsixeight]

I went into Autozone with a M1 5 quart jug of used oil to recycle, and one employee said that california passed a new law that said all recycled oil must be brough in in an EPA approved container for it, and pointed towards some hideous monstrosity up on the shelves.

But then they let my dump my oil anyway.

I did not find any reference to this and figure it was just a bogus method to try and sell me something I don't want or need.

Sounds like something California would do though. Such a law would likely have the opposite of intended effect though. Make it harder to recycle used oil and more of it will just be illegally dunped.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted By: wrcsixeight

Sounds like something California would do though. Such a law would likely have the opposite of intended effect though. Make it harder to recycle used oil and more of it will just be illegally dumped.


Sounds about right for Kalifornia

 

[bdcardinal]

Bogus, have not been told anything about that. Legally they are supposed to pay you for your used oil. There is a form you have to fill out and you get money from the store.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: wrcsixeight
I went into Autozone with a M1 5 quart jug of used oil to recycle, and one employee said that california passed a new law that said all recycled oil must be brough in in an EPA approved container for it, and pointed towards some hideous monstrosity up on the shelves.

But then they let my dump my oil anyway.

I did not find any reference to this and figure it was just a bogus method to try and sell me something I don't want or need.

Sounds like something California would do though. Such a law would likely have the opposite of intended effect though. Make it harder to recycle used oil and more of it will just be illegally dunped.


I have no real idea, but I can guess that once used oil is in a container then the container itself cannot be recycled. So for example if you put your used motor oil in a gallon milk container then the milk container could not be recycled.

I use the jugs that cat litter comes in. They are large, maybe 2 or 3 gallons. (Not enough of a reason to get a cat however).

My local indy mechanic heats with the oil I give him and disposes of the container.

 

[Omahaug]

So then it must be fine to put it back in the jug or containers the oil originally came in right? Instead of buying their EPA-approved container.

Unless they think used oil is somehow so dangerous it can't even go back into the same container fresh oil came from.

It does sound like something California would do but probably not something they actually did.

 

[eljefino]

If it's a law ask for chapter number etc so you can look it up yourself.

I'm pretty sure when I get gas in my sedan in a "normal" gas can I'm breaking a rule about using those $80 DOT approved ones.

 

[raytseng]

1) are you sure it's really a law or just AutoZone store policy and the employee is making it up.


2) As a devil's advocate the issue is what happens to the container after you take it to autozone? do you reuse it again?
It is common practice that they won't take your container and you must take that back with you. So you end up trashing it or leaving it at their door because it's unrecyclable and it's a mess for them.

Assuming it really is a law or policy, I think this has a logical step to help push to make recycling the used oil containers easier. If they force you to return using an oil container, then your empties will be relatively "clean". If more empty oil bottles are clean, then this can help push for recycling systems for the empties that are more cost effectively instead of going to the trash.

Also, a proper used oil container is like $10, so it's not like it's going to break you.

 

[wrcsixeight]

Yea, my initial reaction was that it was pure horse hockey pucks to get me to buy a POS overpriced leaky oil pan.


I was also there to buy some ATF+4, but they lost a sale with that line.

They do not sell 5 qt jugs of M1 at that AZ, so he knew I had not purchased the oil there.

My engine uses 5 quarts, I prefer to buy 5 quart jugs. Don't sell 5 quart jugs of oil, and you sell me no oil.

But it must be near impossible to compete with wal mart on that score.

This store has bins outside the doors that clearly demarcates a bin for used oil containers.

If they really wanted to keep the motor oil remnants out of landfills, they should have a system that holds the bottles upside down for a period of time, so thay can completely drain. Their policy of you must take your container with you, but then dump it in the provided bin for used motor oil containers, makes no sense.

I did see that they had a method for holding bottles upside down over the oil bin, and they were all filled. I'd certainly feel better knwoing that nothing or very little was left in the container I brought in, but only gave it about 10 seconds to drip before walking to the ATF+4, then deciding against a purchase, irritated. Also ATF+4 does not need to be 9$ a quart.

 

[raytseng]

I can see the logic in it and here is how i see it.

The difference is that it's harder to dispose a container that has ever had Used oil in it. This is considered hazardous waste. A container that has only had clean oil could be recycled or disposed of by a recycling company as non-hazardous in a different manner than contaminated containers that had used oil.

Overall, it's proper practice to use a resuable container rather then filling an empty so you don't change non-hazardous containers into hazardous containers.

The issue with the bin, is that it's a compromise to make up for people doing the non-correct thing. If they don't put out a bin , people are lazy, so they end up throwing the container in the Autozone trash (and then autozone gets fined for having hazardous waste in the trash). Or they just leave their empties right by the front door and those get tipped over and drips leak out, and makes a mess and they can get fined for that too.

It's along the same vein as if they didn't enforce a policy of checking the fluids, People would be lazy and mix their coolant and brake fluid into their oil and dump all that into the bin too turning that whole bin into unusable hazardous waste too.


By putting a value into a container, even like $5, then people are going to take it home with them, rather than thinking the container is trash.

 

[Errtt]

I heard something about used oil may have to be recycled via EPA approved containers. Just haven't heard if that passed yet or not.

I put the my used oil back in the jugs. Every other week when the recycle garbage gets picked up I can put up to 3 jugs of used oil next to the recycle waste can and they take it away. I can also put them in other containers (i.e. gallon tea jugs) and no problem. Been doing this for a few years now. I hope this won't change.

 

[goodtimes]

I was taking mine in used milk jugs to a "Kalifornia" recycling center and there were no such requirements. All kinds of containers everywhere at the oil barrel, mostly the oil jugs themselves. Not even any one around, just dump the oil in the barrel, put the filter on the draining tray they had, leave the milk jugs draining too, and go. You could bring the oil in a bucket if you wanted to.

 

[raytseng]

interesting, i think the law would have to be well crafted and it well otherwise it'd dissuade the public from participating and will stoop to worse habits.

Perhaps it can be a Store Policy to prevent people from trashing the place with empties rather than something and there would still be other avenues to recycle.
Definitely balancing proper behavior against human laziness is an issue. People are already horrible and dump their junk at the door and still expect a pat on the back because they are "recycling", even though someone else has to clean up after them. I suppose at least they didn't just dump it in the storm drain, and cause damage, but still.

 

[RedOakRanch]

Sounds bogus to me, I haven't had any issues. Also EPA is Federal so did CA or EPA require this, they aren't the same.

 

[Chris142]

Thats been the rule as long as I can remember. Just rarely enforced.

 

[Lyman]

I used to pickup jugs at our local library of all places. They had hundreds of new jugs right in the lobby for used oil.
I would set them at the curb and the trash company would pick them up. That was 5 years ago. Now I just take a 5 gal bucket
to my local Autozone and they dump it and give it back.

 

[HerrStig]

My local town transfer station takes the used oil AND the containers (I also use cat litter containers) as a matter of course. We don't need 50 Leftyfornia bureaucrats at 100K per year to bleep it up.

 

[Vuflanovsky]

I've never had an issue with any drop off location taking the oil and container with the last time being fairly recently. They'll usually ask for affirmation that it contains ONLY used motor oil. Thankfully, I don't rely on Auto Zone employees to be up on the recycling laws but my feeling is that it's likely this person doesn't know their head from their arse.

For obvious reasons, they don't want it delivered in antifreeze, solvent, Johnny Cat containers, etc. because what's going in the sump is supposed to be only used motor oil...not cat [censored], not nasty solvents, or whatever somebody needs to get rid of...IMO, if people are so stupid that they can't figure that out then they deserve the bureaucracy when they eff it up for everyone else.

 

[bullwinkle]

Not too long ago, AAP was basically giving away Hopkins plastic used oil jugs, like this-

I got four free ones & just take them to AZ & dump them (and reuse the jugs). Sounds like a good way to keep contaminated containers out of the landfill!

 

[CharlieBauer]

Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Sounds like a good way to keep contaminated containers out of the landfill!


But what happens to the now empty containers that new oil comes in?

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: raytseng


Perhaps it can be a Store Policy to prevent people from trashing the place with empties rather than something and there would still be other avenues to recycle.


That's why the local O'Reilly by my parent's place only allows staffers to take use oil - one is to make sure the container isn't sitting on the used oil tank and two, they can see/smell the oil coming in to make sure it wasn't contaminated with water/gas/glycol/certain solvents. They told me the people who open the store in the morning come to a mountain of used oil containers in the back and that someone dumped gas into the tank recently. It's a "free" service, but someone like Safety-Kleen or Ashbury Enviromental hauls the oil off - I know they will test the oil they pickup for any chlorinated solvents.

The same thing with the one by my apartment - but they'll keep the containers. Both Alameda and Contra Costa counties as well as SF do collect oil curbside along with the recycling, Alameda will take if off your hands regardless but Contra Costa requires a phone call to Republic Services a day before.