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Sat Mar 10, 2007 5:48 pm

I was wondering what everyone does with their used motor oil? Can I take it to an auto parts store for recycling? I'm in California.

Sat Mar 10, 2007 6:02 pm

Birdibus wrote: I was wondering what everyone does with their used motor oil? Can I take it to an auto parts store for recycling? I'm in California.

Most garages and franchise service chains will take it. Some will charge a fee of a couple of dollars. I don't know if a parts only place will take it. But if they have a garage they will. They have to dispose of their own oil anyway.

Sat Mar 10, 2007 6:02 pm

local recycling center. Walmart has also let me empty it in their tank.

Sat Mar 10, 2007 6:29 pm

You might check with your local garbage/recycling pick up service. Some of them will take it for you. I just fill 2L pop bottles and mark it "used motor oil" and leave it at the curb.

Sat Mar 10, 2007 9:48 pm

Where I am, Central California, I can either take it to a local parts place, oil change places, and the county here has a drop place on Fridays (Stanislaus County).

Sat Mar 10, 2007 10:42 pm

in eugene it gets taken away in a milk jug every other week with glass and paper recycling. otherwise, the county dump takes it free if for some reason one can't wait. its enough to make you want to change your oil all the damn time. its a pretty advanced recycling town. before that i'd take it to a gas station where they'd have a dedicated 55 gallon drum. of course them were the good old days when gas stations meant cans of oil stabbed with a spout.

Sat Mar 10, 2007 11:12 pm

stevo wrote: in eugene it gets taken away in a milk jug every other week with glass and paper recycling.

Same here in Las Vegas.

Sat Mar 10, 2007 11:19 pm

EZ Gruv wrote: stevo wrote: in eugene it gets taken away in a milk jug every other week with glass and paper recycling.

Same here in Las Vegas.

I've never seen or heard of curb-side oil pickup before. That would be convenient. But here, you have to take it to a garage and they usually charge $1.00 disposal fee. Same for tires.

Sat Mar 10, 2007 11:27 pm

heat your garage with it.
http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/me8.html

Sat Mar 10, 2007 11:32 pm

Air pollution is a serious problem here, so I wouldn't feel right burning it. A friend of mine used to fire his kiln with it, though, up in Surrey, B.C. Besides, I have no garage. I probably need to make some calls. 'Bep Poys' perhaps?

Sun Mar 11, 2007 4:51 am

In NYC any place that changes oil is required to take waste oil free of charge.

Sun Mar 11, 2007 5:19 am

insanitize said: Quote: In NYC any place that changes oil is required to take waste oil free of charge

i think it is the same in NJ. tires you usually get banged like 5.00 a tire when you go to a tire place and get new ones put on.

Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:22 am

The harbor has oil dumps, that's where most of mine goes. It does work good for getting a nice fire going when I am clearing brush around my property.

I worked in a shop in Nome that had an oil burner, that thing really cranked out the heat but you had to watch what else might have gotten in the used oil.

Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:38 am

Long ago (40+ yrs) I worked in a general repair garage. The lot was dirt/gravel. We'd dump the drain oil on the ground, creating sort of a "poor man's blacktop".

I don't think you can do that today.

Sun Mar 11, 2007 10:48 am

You can, you just don't want to get caught doing it. (Not that I would condone such activity, mind you.)

Sun Mar 11, 2007 11:39 am

I use it for chain saw bar oil.

Here in Boise curb side recycling will take.

Schucks auto parts will also take it.

Dan

Sun Mar 11, 2007 11:41 am

When I lived in Cali I took all my oil to Autozone...after a while they knew me well that I would just walk into the back and dump it into the bin. IIRC they would ask how much I dumped and I would get a small cash refund.

Sun Mar 11, 2007 11:42 am

insanitize wrote: In NYC any place that changes oil is required to take waste oil free of charge.

It's really a statewide thing, not just in NYC.

I bring mine to work; the dealership has waste oil heaters for the shop. 8)

Sun Mar 11, 2007 12:12 pm

Check with your local City or County offices, even online. In the City of LA, you can find your local recycling center at:
http://www.lacity.org/SAN/solid_resources/special/hhw/safe_centers/index.htm

Most cities/counties have services like this now.

Sun Mar 11, 2007 12:43 pm

Years ago I had a neighbor that would take all my oil and his and strain it for reuse. He had this God-awful contraption made from pvc pipe, a stack of toilet paper rolls, stuffed inside a 6" galvanize piece of duct, with a pan on top and a bucket below. Dump the oil in the pan and it would filter through the TP and come out clean oil in the bucket. Every once in a while he would pull the top roll and insert a fresh one at the bottom. Claimed that oil never went bad, it just got dirty. :lol: