Oily waste and used oil disposal

- I
- Ignoramus29401
  
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posted
12 years ago

Mon, Nov 21, 2011 1:56 AM

I am seeking input mostly from business owners and people with direct experience on the matter of oily stuff.

My business produces some oily stuff small quantities (say 3 gallons per month), such as

1) Used oil, like hydraulic, engine oil, etc 2) Oily rags 3) Oily cat litter 4) Miscellaneous non-oil petroleum stuff, like dirty kerosene, cleaning solvent etc.

I want to make sure that I do not go to prison.

I think that I can take used oil to Autozone and the like, without big problems.

As far as I understand, oily rags can be disposed of in landfills. Petroleum oil is perfectly bidegradable. Same probably applies to cat litter.

The question is what can I legally do with item 4. Should I just save it in a barrel and have some disposal company empty it out every couple years?

What do you do with oily stuff?

i

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- azotic
  
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posted
12 years ago

Mon, Nov 21, 2011 2:25 AM

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Best Regards Tom.

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- Steve W.
  
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posted
12 years ago

Mon, Nov 21, 2011 3:50 AM

Used oil goes to my neighbors shop, he has a waste oil furnace to heat the place. Takes pretty much anything from used 90 weight down to turbine oil and kerosene isn't a problem.

Oily cat litter gets sent to him as well, he uses it in the filter for the furnace, then sends it out.

Oily rags go to the local industrial laundry that I have a contract with. I'll drop by and drop off 200 and P/U 200 about once a month. That way they get to deal with it.

BUT your place will be a business, in a different state and that puts you under a different set of laws. As such you had better get everything done legally. OSHA, DOT, and the DOH all cover portions of your question. Fines are VERY large for "OOPS, I didn't know that" violations.

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- Larry Jaques
  
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posted
12 years ago

Mon, Nov 21, 2011 4:16 AM

Try the state epa laws:

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Right.

Check with the site above.

No, it can be more heavily regulated if you keep it around, both for storage and for quantity.

Oil: Recycle it at the lube places.

Chemicals and paint: free disposal days at the local Sanitation company lot.

-- Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling. -- Margaret Lee Runbeck

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- Mike Henry
  
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posted
12 years ago

Fri, Nov 25, 2011 6:22 PM

Small quantities of solvents like that in #4 can usually be disposed of at local household hazardous waste collection centers. Naperville has one that is open at least one day a month but you might be able to find one closer to you or the warehouse. Be very sure that you don't inappropriately dispose of oil containing PCBs (polychloro biphenyls). The fines for dumping that illegally can really ruin your day. With the amount of scrounging and auction buying you do that is always a possibility. It used to be used in transformers so watch out for it in any of those you collect.