Modern Vespa

Finally got around to finding a convenient, local and free one stop recycler to dispose of all my spent fluids, oil, gear oil, coolant, brake fluid.
They also accept paint, electronics, etc. etc.

Not sure how well it will work for other counties and states but here is a nationwide search for hazardous waste recyclers

https://search.earth911.com/?utm_source=earth911-header

Just pulled right up and the man took my bag of poison off my hands.

Also they want fluids in original containers

In the Netherlands we have trash disposal centers for this, where you can get rid of all trash that shouldn't be in the general household dustbin.

Anything that's recycleable, wood, paper, carton, steel, car tyres, glass, electronic devices, hazardous fluids, engine oil, garden trash, garden soil, furniture, etc. is collected seperately here and gets its own route down to recycling or disposing.

For used oil my local motorcycle dealer will take it, they have a bio-fuel heating system for the shop.

All other hazardous waste goes to our local trash transfer station. Two times a month you can bring it there to a special collection site. It's just a guy sitting on the tailgate of a city pickup truck! For electronics we have a collection site M-F but the drop-off site is tight! You have to do a 14 point turnaround to get out of the facility, unless I take the scooter!

For used oil here in the county I take the stuff to Wally World. For antifreeze I have to go to the transfer station.

The municipal or county solid waste department usually has info on how residents can dispose of hazardous materials, from used motor oil to household chemicals to electronics etc. I've lived in one place where it was a separate processing center on-site at the landfill and another place where it was a collection site in town.

Barring "official" local sites, used oil, coolant, and vehicle batteries can usually be taken to auto stores such as Advance Auto or the like...at least in the southeast USA.

We came along way here in California.

In the early 70s most dads on the block had a spot on their side yards were they buried used motor oil, (don't remember what they did with the coolant)

In my neighborhood, oil was dumped down the sewer.

Was?

I dump it in my next door neighbor's well.
Is that bad?

Here I can leave old oil and oil filters out in the road beside the recycling bin, ready for the weekly collection.

Other stuff has to go to the local hazardous waste.

Yes

Maybe, as some here say, you have come a long way but it seems to me there is still a long way to go.

Here in Belgium it is organized in the same way as Mopmop explained for the Netherlands.

And bringing in hazardous fluids is free of charge to make sure people do not "feel the need" to dispose off somewhere in nature.

Our local disposal center (it is called here a "container park") is open every day except on sunday and monday. When you bring in hazardous fluids you are assisted where to drop the disposal.

So your local motorcycle dealer burns used oil in a bio-fuel heating system?
That is something from the 80's or so of the previous century over here.
Then indeed, that was done, but the heating system was not named "bio-fuel".

That's how my local dump works in the UK - it's a PITA going round all the various recycling bins. I like the way where I live in the US that anything recyclable that's non-hazardous goes in one large wheelie bin to be put out on the roadside for the weekly collection.

The motorcycle shop has been there since the late 60's. All I know is that you can dump pretty much anything oi based in the system and it will heat the shop in the winter. The system looks old but it seems to keep on ticking. One day the shop had a french fry smell and I found out someone dumped old fryer grease in it, I think from the local mom and pop eatery down the street. Made me get a grilled cheese and onion rings on the way home!

Someone was using old chip shop oil to run their car in town a while back. Smelt great!

Apparently waste oil heaters are a thing and are popular with automotive repair shops, as they have a surplus of used oil. TIL. See: Northern Tool Waste Oil Heaters

I was surprisingly impressed with the government recycling centers efficiently, it's 7 miles away, pulled right up, barely had to get off my scooter to put my bag on the cart and off I went free of charge, they even take old gasoline.

Way more efficient than the mechanical shop that only takes oil, has a 4 quart maximum, makes you wait in line with customers, fill out some paperwork, go around to the service bay area and pour it out into their recycling drum

Would be much more responsible to package it in a used Amazon box and leave it on your front porch. At least you're recycling twice and less bad karma.


Back in the day I think my dad saved his oil from cars and tractors for the burn pile. Not the most enlightened for sure....and no doubt tires found their way there too. Gas for cleaning paintbrushes and degreasing bearings etc probably wound up on the ground. It was a different time.

Despite modern awareness, I suspect that a lot of "country folk" cling to old traditions, particularly burning....so if it looks like it *might* burn, it goes on the pile. I think our species is doomed

My recycling of choice is my local small auto shop. It's convenient and I just save my stuff up for when I have an oil change for the car. I even asked about tires and they took a pair of old scooter tires...for free. The motorsport place charges $3/tire. The owner's been great with me so I handed him some cash and told him to buy a 6 pack or something...