Nowadays, everybody wants to DIY! Be it a nice art piece or creating a dependable container, you want to do it yourself. Despite the efficiency of self-maintenance and the thrill of “your own” projects, the waste handling bit remains a lurking problem.
Be it your first motor-oil jug or your last one, these plastic containers quickly start stacking up. Empty containers remain a well-advertised public hazard. But are there other options? Is recycling possible or worth the potential trouble?
We offer a fresh guide on disposing of oil waste safely and easily, with a look at services which may be available around you and how you can approach them.
Before plastic technology was advanced enough, oil was sold in glass bottles. This was an easily cleanable, durable, and reusable solution to the problem. The shift to metal containers led to longer-lasting, corrosion-resistant, and safer alternatives.
The next major change came with the use of cardboard containers. In the 1980s, polyethylene was developed and plastic became the default packaging material.
Plastic protected the packaged oil better and was liked by consumers and retailers alike. It was cheaper to manufacture, light-weight and had excellent insulating properties. It was easy to attach them to reusable sprouts and refilling tanks.
However, with plastic, there came a problem. Disposing of plastic is not simple! In the early 2000s, countries in Asia provided a rich market for the disposal of plastics. It provided them with a cheap source of plastics and manufacturing material. Landfills receded as plastics were transported by ships to Asian countries for disposal.
In 2014, an International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) the commissioned report provided evidence about the adverse environmental impact of such recycling. This led to several Asian countries imposing restrictions on the import of plastic waste.
This, in turn, led to an accumulation of plastic waste in several plastic manufacturing countries. In many cases, it was beyond their capability to handle. Since then public investment and research at leading universities have focused on reducing, reusing, and recycling plastics.
Several initiatives, both by Governments and private firms, started working to make the recycling of plastics economically viable and environmentally friendly.
Table of Contents
How does Recycling Matter
Why should you not throw your oil containers in a bin?
Calling motor oil dangerous is an understatement. It is positively toxic.
We, as a nation, generate around 150,000 tons of empty oil containers every year. Research also shows that each “empty” oil container contains about 1-2 ounces of motor oil residue.
To understand the danger better, consider this.
- Stray residual oil can turn a million gallons of water non-potable.
- An accidental runoff of residual oil can turn fertile land into a wasteland for several decades.
- Accidental exposure to residual oil damages plants and most animals indiscriminately.
- Not to forget, if someone were to mistakenly consume this motor, they may choke to their death. Even if we get them to a hospital in time, they would suffer from respiratory disorders all their life.
Hence, these containers pose a massive biohazard unless these are disposed of safely.
Most recycling facilities are ill-equipped to deal with engine oil residue. If you leave your container on the curb accidentally, it pollutes all waste it comes in contact with, making them toxic as well.
Drop it at a landfill and the surrounding land becomes irredeemable over a period of time. If there is a stream of water or a rain shower, then the oil percolates and contaminates precious groundwater.
Our water bodies and our health are next in line.
Motor oil contains zinc, cadmium, benzene, and a host of other toxic substances. Furthermore, it’s loaded with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), which are well-known carcinogenic agents.
These empty bottles cannot be reused owing to the nature of oil stored and transported in them. The blow molding process used to shape the bottle for reuse causes residual oil to degrade from the heat. Bottles recycled in this manner have a strong, lingering stench of oil.
Hence, motor oil containers are classified as “household hazardous waste” in many counties such as San Jose.
California has banned the disposal of used oil containers.
Check your state and county rules for the correct disposal of these containers. This information is usually available on your county website or with the agency responsible for waste recycling.
Latest Trends in Recycling
There are several methods to separate oil from the plastic before recycling containers. The cheapest procedure is blowing out the residual oil with blasts of hot air and carbon dioxide. However, this method is energy- intensive and is economically unviable for mass use.
Solvents offer a cheaper alternative, but their final waste is hard to dispose of.
One of the easiest solutions to this problem was provided by Dr. Quinin Wu. He is a leading researcher on Nanocellulose and Polymer Composites from Louisiana State University, USA.
Years of research and development led him to discover a suitable method to convert oil residue into sustainable, recycled wood.
His novel method combines plastic waste with commonly available natural fibers such as rice straw, wood, and bagasse.
These are, then, treated with carefully chosen chemicals to create a durable alternative for wood.
The material, thus, formed is essentially a form of wood-plastic and is suitable for outdoor furniture and decking. This technology is gaining traction among sustainability enthusiasts. This method is economic and environmentally sustainable with little carbon dioxide emission.
This method is under the radar of several sustainable-production agencies. Plans are underway to make it a commercial reality.
However, even in this system, oil still presents a challenge. While the science works, the infrastructure needed to implement Dr. Wu’s plans on a large scale are years away.
The problem is not just with oil. It has also to do with the way our current waste collection and recycling system works. Creating and refining systems where everyone has access to oil container recycling is an ongoing process.
With investments from energy majors such as BP, innovative methods are being tested and developed.
One such idea is the use of compactors on oil waste. This method has been suggested to safely reduce waste and facilitate the transportation of waste for recycling. The plastic is, then, converted into a wood alternative, using Dr. Wu’s method.
California’s oil recycling program is another pilot project, which seeks to make oil recycling more accessible. This program involves a three-pronged approach.
One approach has been to create collection sites near auto stores, garages, and oil change services.
The second approach is to transport empty containers to permanent recycling centers.
The third allows residents to easily dispose of oil waste with curbside collection.
The recycling process allows the bottles to be used as fuel in cement kilns and to make plastic resin. Most of the containers are taken to Material Recovery Facility (MRF) for mass granulation.
The granulation process reduces the plastic waste into small chips locally. These are then packed into 55-gallon drums and transported to centrally located processing plants.
Inside the plants, the chips are processed and their residual oil is extracted. After extraction, the pellets produced are cleaned and reused. The reports from the plan claim to have extracted 8 -12 gallons of oil per drum.
The granulated plastic is, then, used for road construction. Making construction blocks used in buildings is another use. These plastic blocks are not only easier to construct but also provide excellent insulation.
While a large scale accessible disposal is still some time away, numerous methods of oil disposal are available to consumers today.
Availing Local Recycling facilities
The first thing you need to know is the type of bottle you have. This is written on the bottom of the jug, inside the recycling symbol.
Most companies use No.7 jugs. In certain counties, you can put it out for local garbage collection to take care of.
However, it is necessary to thoroughly clean your jug before putting it out. On no account should these be poured into sewage disposal or mixed with other chemicals such as anti-freeze.
Clean Empty Oil Containers
Generally, the process starts with rags and paper towels being used to clear out oil residue.
This should be followed by a thorough wash down with dish soap and water and dried overnight.
Before putting it out, check and confirm that the insides are fully dry and no lingering oil remains. For public safety and ease of recycling, oil containers are considered hazardous waste until they are clean and dry
Contact Local Recycling Centers
It is important to call your local recycling center or Department of Public Works beforehand to check if they recycle the type of container you have. If they do, you can dispose of cleaned containers in a recycling bin alongside your other recyclables.
Curbside Services and Drop-off Programs
Recycling centers can also have residential curbside facilities around you. Under this, you can place empty oil bottles at specified locations or lanes alongside other recyclables. These are, then, picked up by the organization and safely disposed of or recycled.
Recycling at Auto Parts store
Many auto service centers and community garages offer places to drop-off oil bottles alongside oil recycling services.
You can call the nearest auto parts store and verify their free oil recycling services. Ask them where their recycling area is. Usually, it is behind the store by the waste oil drum, but the site may vary. Later, you can visit their store and discard your empty bottles.
Many counties also offer drop-off facilities for recyclables. These are mostly near municipal transfer stations and depots. You can also ask your municipality about their drop-off locations and days/ events when these facilities are available.
If the container is empty, it must be cleaned and dried. However, if your container has residual oil, it must be sent to an oil recycling site separately.
The container also needs to be secured so that the oil does not leak prior to or during collection.
Upcycling and Reuse at Home
Oil containers also have a stream of garage DIY possibilities. Oil containers are made of high-grade polyethylene, which makes them sturdy and spacious storage organizing tools.
However, contaminants in oil are toxic. No matter how well you wash them, the risk of contamination lingers. Hence, it is best to limit their use of metalware in your garage. Here, you can use them to organize your screw and nail collection, metal tools, and other hardware.
Gear and items made of non-corrosive material can be organized this way.
Depending on its design, the top or one side of the bottle is cut.
The open bottle can then be used as a tray or a container to segregate different types of items. You can also combine similar trays for better visual appeal.
Conclusion: Future of Recyclable oil Containers
To conclude, recycling plastic oil containers is a necessary endeavor. The good thing is that there are several alternatives, which have been invented in the past decade, to facilitate environmentally sustainable and economically viable recycling of oil containers. These methods can be explored by all for safe and convenient options. This option can, then, be exercised to dispose of oil-contaminated plastics.
In an effort to reduce oil container waste, alternate forms of packaging are also being explored. Many cities are seeing increased use of stand-up oil pouches and flexible packaging. In contrast to plastic jugs, the technology is new and focused on recycling. These pouches also come with a built-in spout making them easy to use.
These pouches also use just one-third of the plastic required to make rigid bottles. This results in significantly reduced emission, water, and energy consumption, and lower costs. Newer pouches also make use of films to prevent material contamination from the oil. Advances in material technology are making these pouches tougher and leakproof.
While pouches are becoming a standard in Europe, their potential in making America sustainable has yet to be fully utilized. There is a need to adopt pouches as standard oil containers before moving to more environment-friendly alternatives.