Used Motor Oil and Coolant/Antifreeze Disposal
Used oil is a petroleum-based or synthetic oil that has been used for the lubrication of the internal workings of an engine or machine to prevent friction during use. Impurities such as dirt, metal scrapings, water, or chemicals, can get mixed in with the Oil over time so the Oil will no longer perform as it should and require disposal. This leaves many small businesses in the field of performing automotive fluid changes to require assistance in the proper disposal of their used Motor Oil and Anti-Freeze, as well as other fluids such as power steering fluid and brake fluid which ADCO can assist you with!
At ADCO we specialize in offering turnkey used Motor Oil and Antifreeze/Coolant disposal services across The United States. In most scenarios we can offer either a pump-out service where a vac truck will suck the fluids out of your containers leaving you with your containers only empty to re-fill and re-use. In other cases, we will just take the entire container and dispose of both the fluid within the container and the container itself at them same time. Please contact us today to inquire about how we can assist you with your used Motor Oil and Coolant disposal needs.
For The Do-It-Yourselfers:
It is important to remember that all end users of Oil, Lubricants, and Anti-Freeze must dispose of these wastes in a proper manner and not just dump the waste. Dumping automotive liquids such as Oil and Antifreeze is not only bad for everyone’s and everything’s health, but it is also HIGHLY ILLEGAL!
Those caught not properly disposing of their used Motor Oil, Automotive Fluids, and Coolant have faced hefty fines and even prison sentences depending on the severity of the crime in recent years nationwide. It’s just not worth the risk, do the right thing and dispose of your waste in a responsible manner if you are someone who changes their own automotive fluids.
If you plan to recycle your used Oil or Coolant, place it in a leak-proof can or container such as the bottles the virgin product came in (Marking them with a Sharpie as now containing USED OIL). Thick laundry detergent bottles also work well for containing automotive fluids as they tend to be constructed of a heavier duty plastic than a milk jug for instance. Once the fluid is collected you can then usually drop the waste Oil/Coolant off at a collection site which in some cases may be offered by your city or county and in some cases is even offered by small auto repair businesses.
Don’t forget to drain and recycle used oil filters as well—usually you can drop off the filters at the same collection centers where you deposit used oil. Typically, we recommend you contact your local public works department first for instructions on how to take advantage of the household hazardous waste drop sites or days/events municipalities will hold.
When handling used Oil, Glycol/Coolant, and other Automotive Fluids, be sure to take these key points into consideration:
Used Motor Oil is insoluble, persistent, and can contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals from the engine.
Used Anti-Freeze is highly poisonous to animals yet due to its sweet smell and taste is appealing to many creatures out there for a drink which usually ends up being their last drink. Glycol also falls into this category.
Oil is slow to degrade.
Oil sticks to everything from beach sand to bird feathers.
Used Oil is a major source of oil contamination of waterways and can result in pollution of drinking water sources.
Storing the Oil and Anti-Freeze outside in containers only adds risk that down the line those containers may burst, crack, and leak creating a spill that you will be responsible for the cleanup and remediation of.
In the event that you do incur a spill, it is advised that you use Kitty Litter, Oil Dry, Spill Socks, and other absorbent materials to try to soak up the spilled Oil. DO NOT WASH OIL DOWN WITH WATER! It will only make a bigger mess. Once the spill has been contained and soaked up, the contaminated material can be drummed up and disposed of as a Non-RCRA material usually and still must be properly disposed of with a company such as ADCO.
