Oil change cardboard box.

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It seems like it was back in late 80's or early 9O's since I have seen these. cardboard box with enough absorbent material to soak up 5 or so qts of oil, then you could take it to a oil recycle place and some how they would extract the used oil out of it. They were filled with some sort of chopped up foam looking stuff. Never did try it but recall people brings these boxes into auto part stores to be recycled. Anyone else remember seeing these things around or used one?? seems to me that it would be easier just to drain oil into a pan and transfer it to a jug or container, but apparently some people used it.
 
I've seen this as well as oil absorbent rugs, pads and rolls of material. I agree that the oil pan seems like the best way to go. Someone must like these items enough for them to continue to be produced.
 
Never saw one of those before. The drawing of the car on the box reminds me of a Pacer.
 
When my dad was stationed in Hawaii during his stent in the navy he would use them when he changed the oil in both of the family cars. The local garbage company would collect them and send them to the power station to be burned there to help create electricity.
 
Seems ridiculous to be honest.

I like how it says "The Pollution Solution!" despite making more pollution and using more resources than just draining the oil, putting it into a re-usable container and bringing it to a recycling center. Every part of it makes no sense.
 
Originally Posted By: NoNameJoe
Seems ridiculous to be honest.

I like how it says "The Pollution Solution!" despite making more pollution and using more resources than just draining the oil, putting it into a re-usable container and bringing it to a recycling center. Every part of it makes no sense.


Because the other option to dispose oil in Hawai'i is to pour it down the storm drain. There is no place that takes used oil here (even oil change places or friggin Unitek.) The only way for residents to dispose oil is to use these boxes, throw it in the trash where it gets sent to H-POWER and is incinerated to create electricity.

The key with these boxes is to seal the inner bag tight using a zip tie and throw it in a garbage bag so it won't explode all in your trash can. It helps to do your OCI's prior to trash pickup day so it's not sitting in the bottom of the bin all week long.
 
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I've seen these now and then but have never used one.
A solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
 
If the local incinerator took used oil, and made electricity from it, then I could see this making sense. Use waste/recycled/reused paper/cardboard, or anything of a fluffy material that would burn (rags etc) and this might be less waste than a drain pan. Drain pans don't last forever.

But since burning waste is not that popular... don't see the need.
 
what's green and not green ?

Is biodegradation green, or is re-use and energy recovery green ?

There are so many shades of grey.

Have got (maybe) an old HotRod Magazine that showed how to make a used oil disposal system. A hole dug in the yard filled with gravel. A ceramic sear pipe as a riser, the balance buried, and the sewar pipe capped with a roofing tile...tip the oil in...From recollection of the article, it was quite probably in the days when the fuel, and oil contained heavy metals.


I remember, and have posted here a few times in the distant past, my Grandad used to douse the blackberries (noxious weeds, they can give you removal orders) in used engine oil, then burn them off. Those areas created the most luscious pasture/grass...for whatever reason, the minerals (Zn, P, Mo ?) in the oils, the char residue, recolonization by fungi ?...who knows ?

Are either of those green ?

Or are they "damaging" ?

All shades of grey.

Originally Posted By: supton
If the local incinerator took used oil, and made electricity from it, then I could see this making sense. Use waste/recycled/reused paper/cardboard, or anything of a fluffy material that would burn (rags etc) and this might be less waste than a drain pan. Drain pans don't last forever.

But since burning waste is not that popular... don't see the need.


But with this...what would you do with this waste oil ?

Burning waste once was popular...then it became unpopular, and we just started throwing stuff in landfill.

Burning waste reduces the volume of landfill (which is good), produces energy in a from that we can use (electricity), and reduces the greenhouse potential from the rotting gasses, which is also good.
 
Originally Posted By: Kibitoshin
Originally Posted By: NoNameJoe
Seems ridiculous to be honest.

I like how it says "The Pollution Solution!" despite making more pollution and using more resources than just draining the oil, putting it into a re-usable container and bringing it to a recycling center. Every part of it makes no sense.


Because the other option to dispose oil in Hawai'i is to pour it down the storm drain. There is no place that takes used oil here (even oil change places or friggin Unitek.) The only way for residents to dispose oil is to use these boxes, throw it in the trash where it gets sent to H-POWER and is incinerated to create electricity.

The key with these boxes is to seal the inner bag tight using a zip tie and throw it in a garbage bag so it won't explode all in your trash can. It helps to do your OCI's prior to trash pickup day so it's not sitting in the bottom of the bin all week long.


Hawaii seriously does not have waste oil collection facilities? Oil filters go into the garbage as well? For such a beautiful and Eco minded island, it seems incredibly wasteful.
 
I'm coupling two ideas.

This drain box idea - a hellacious, wasteful concept which has only one place-remote location engine maintenance facilities or military/spys.

And my conclusion that the "industry" wants all of us to go to the "Toro lawn mower oil change cartridge" method with mandatory, secured-by-deposit recycling.

The battle cry will be "See what they're doing to Hawaii!" Ban loose oil sales.

You'll see
 
Originally Posted By: TheLawnRanger
Hawaii should dump their garbage into a volcano. Problem solved.

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Originally Posted By: Kira

And my conclusion that the "industry" wants all of us to go to the "Toro lawn mower oil change cartridge" method with mandatory, secured-by-deposit recycling.


What is this? The only one I know of is the John Deere "30 second oil change" cartridge.
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: supton
If the local incinerator took used oil, and made electricity from it, then I could see this making sense. Use waste/recycled/reused paper/cardboard, or anything of a fluffy material that would burn (rags etc) and this might be less waste than a drain pan. Drain pans don't last forever.

But since burning waste is not that popular... don't see the need.


But with this...what would you do with this waste oil ?

Burning waste once was popular...then it became unpopular, and we just started throwing stuff in landfill.

Burning waste reduces the volume of landfill (which is good), produces energy in a from that we can use (electricity), and reduces the greenhouse potential from the rotting gasses, which is also good.




I agree--burning paper and similar (and waste oil) to make heat to make electricity seems rather green to me. Dunno about food waste--might make sense, might not, not my area of knowledge--but NIMBY seems to have taken care of the good solutions. Instead we drive it way out of our way and punt the issue down the road.
 
Originally Posted By: Kira
And my conclusion that the "industry" wants all of us to go to the "Toro lawn mower oil change cartridge" method with mandatory, secured-by-deposit recycling.


Is that method wrong? I'm reminded of the bottle deposit.

Part of the RoHS/wEEE push was to get manufacturers of electronic equipment to foot the bill of end of life issues. If you make something and then have to accept it back & properly dispose of it, you just build that into the cost model. [And design so as to obtain lowest overall cost while meeting reuse, recycle, reduce requirements.] I don't know how that has worked out.
 
Back in the day there was really no oil recycling at auto parts stores, I used these boxes all the time. They were easy and neat. You sealed them up and tossed them in the trash to be burned or put in the landfill. Better than the alternative of dumping it in the ground or drains. Back then fewer people changed their own oil. Most oil bought was for topping off.
 
“.....The key with these boxes is to seal the inner bag tight using a zip tie and throw it in a garbage bag so it won't explode all in your trash can. It helps to do your OCI's prior to trash pickup day so it's not sitting in the bottom of the bin all week long....”


That works for your local environment at home but as soon as the garbage truck takes it and compacts it, that oil gets everywhere further down the way.
 
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