Hazardous Waste

[redliteal]

I am quite new to the POG group and apologize if this question has been asked before or if it somewhat naive. In my youth when I worked at a gas station I changed oil, filters, coolant, transmission etc. The waste was collected initially in a collection sump and then transferred to a collection waste company (ie. the tank/sump was pumped out).

For those of you who maintain your coach and undertake regular fluid changes, how do you get rid of your waste? Do you temprarily store on site or do you haul it away to a recylcer?

Thanks in advance for your response.:)

[redliteal]

Sorry I should have used spell check.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Welcome to the group Red, three free ways that I know of are;

take it to a government recycling center. In my state it is a county facility and free.

take it to an auto parts store. In my area Autozone provides the service free.

if you have a friend that uses a waste oil furnace, he will embrace you for the oil. Strangers are reluctant to take the oil as they don't trust that you are giving pure oil waste (some people have been known to mix in solvents used for cleaning and they are considered hazardous waste in the US)

There is a fourth way and that is as you suggest, to have a commercial recycler haul it away at a cost to you.

Hope this helps.

Fill in your signature and tell us a little about your bus .........

PM Dalej with your data and he will put you on his map under quick links, oh yea be sure to give him your credit card numbers, he is retired now.

JIM
:)

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Spelling doesn't matter anymore, Lew is gone. Better watch the grammar though, or Dale will get you! ;):D

JIM

[Kenneth Brewer]

Piggybacking on Jim's reply:

Many service stations, repair facilities and quick lubes will accept used oil and used oil filters. Additionally, your local government or recycling coordinator may be able to identify curbside or other recycling programs in your area. The best way of locating a nearby collection center is to visit the web site www. Earth911.org (http://www.earth911.org/). This web site allows you to search for collection centers by ZIP code. It also has information on recycling other items like batteries, electronics, and aluminum.

In some states, or localities, services stations are required to accept used engine oil/lubricants, NJ was one.

[Jeff Bayley]

I just pull into an auto parts store or a quick oil change place (or parking next door), verify they'll take the oil, change the oil (usually the generator oil) and walk it next door and hand it over (or dump it out of the reuseable container thing) and off I go without having to haul it around and worry about it leaking in the bay.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I don't know if this practice is becoming widespread, but here in Knoxville TN they do it right.

The county has about 9 recycling centers. In addition to accepting household garbage, they accept all kinds of stuff usually hard to dispose of ranging from appliances to old paint, to anti freeze to waste oil and even tires.

I generate a lot of waste oil, filters, used anti freeze etc, so I am a frequent visitor. They apparently (and correctly) assume it is far better to accept everything than to risk having people dispose of the stuff along side the road. No charge, all they ask is that you have Knox County license plates and that you put things in the appropriate collection containers.

[Jeff Bayley]

Question: If you live in the country and want to start a burn pile, is it bad for the environment to use waste oil (poured on the wood pile or garbage you wan to light, not the ground) to get the fire going and further, once the fire is going can you pour more excess on it to dispose of it. Going into the water tabel a deffinite no no but my neighbor does this and seems to be convinced it just goes into the atmosphere (adding to the hole in the ozone probabley). I always wind up changin generator oil on a trip anyway and don't use burn piles like him. Curious. And while we're on the subject, where he hell does the 55 gallon drum of waste oil make it's way to after you dispose of it properly ?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Oil and antifreeze are recycled.

Please don't burn waste oil.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

For one thing, if you live in an area where there are still gravel roads, the local government responsible for their care sprays them with waste oil to keep the dust down. You can't do that even on your own property, but the government is exempt from its own regs., that's a sore point with me.

Most of the waste oil is filtered and re refined into other useful petroleum products.


JIM