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I have been pouring my used linseed oil and mineral spirits from oil painting into a gas can, because I heard that we shouldn't send them down the sink. The can is almost full, and I don't know what to do with the contents.
Do I take it to a service station and let them recycle it with the used motor oil? Do I just throw the gas can in the dumpster and buy a new one? Does anyone know of the best way to get of this stuff?
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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I'll have to let my Dad know that it's a free service now. They used to make you pay to dispose of hazardous chemicals.
Posts: 862 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Since you're in Texas, can't you just bring it to a local industrial site so they can add it directly to the drinking water?
Posts: 121 | Registered: Jul 2003
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I really like the smell of mineral spirits. Like, so much so that I probably shouldn't be allowed to have them.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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Yeah. I should emphasize that I was joking. Not very effectively, apparently. It's a good thing Bob came in and fixed my joke. Some people just shouldn't be allowed to play with humor; they're likely to hurt themselves. Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Most city recycle centers have a toxic/hazardous waste drop-off program. Most cities also have collection days around the city so you don't have to go so far out of your way. If your city has a municipal website, check it for information. Otherwise, call your local recycle center.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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How do I dispose of used vegetable oil? I like to make homemade french fries, but then I end up with excess vegetable oil that I don't know what to do with. I know not to pour it down the sink, but I'm not really comfortable with just putting it in the trash, either. Or would it be okay in the trash if I put it back in the bottle?
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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Some people have modified their car's engines to run off vegetable oil, even (and especially) the used stuff. The biggest drawback appears to be the smell of burnt dog tongue coming from your tailpipe after you've parked following a long drive.
Posts: 1862 | Registered: Mar 2000
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When I was a kid, my mother used to filter used vegetable oil through a coffee filter and reuse it for the next frying session. Good thing she typically only deepfried the same couple of things - frozen french fries and onion rings, chicken nuggets, occassionally fish sticks.
I don't deepfry anything so I don't have any other, more modern (?) suggestions.
quote: Option 1: You can take it out and burn it. Don't ask where.
Bonfire?
I was at a bonfire tonight and wondered if anyone would have noticed me slipping some mineral spirit remains in it. Posts: 862 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Like DanRaven said, vegetable oil is easily biodegradable, so throwing it away with your garbage ain't gonna do any harm.
Ain't gonna do much harm if you flush it down the sink or toilet either, unless you are frying meats. The fats from the meat will resolidify and clog the drain. Then again, municipal sewage systems have a harder time treating vegetable&animal oils&fats than other components, so tossing used cooking oil in the garbage is probably the best, unless you compost.
Do not flush mineral oil, petroleum distillates, radiator fluid, latex/oil-based paints, etc into house drains or into storm drains. The stuff poisons the algae/bacteria/etc used to clean the water at pre-release sewage treatment plants, and contaminates/poisons the waterways into which the cleaned water is eventually dumped. And it won't do much for your drainlines either. You can end up with a smell coming up from sinks&toilets that lingers in your house for a long time.
I am talking strictly of vegetable and animal fats below. Do not use motor oil, gasoline, other petroleum distillates, turpentine, mineral spirits, alcohol, etc. Explosions and poisoning can occur if you do.
If you have a fireplace, you can soak used vegetable oil and animal fats into newspapers to make firestarters. Heck, you can also pour a small amount onto the logs before the fire is lit. But only a small amount: oil/grease has a low vaporization temperature. Too much and most of the oil/grease vaporises, with a significan portion recondensing in the flue/chimney. The build-up of oil/grease condensate on the chimney/flue walls can later catch on fire, which is extremely dangerous.
Oil/grease-soaked briquets and newspapers are also much less unpleasantly stinky than charcoal starter fluid for the barbeque. Only a small fraction of the briquets should be soaked beforehand, and only a small amount of oil/grease should be dribbled onto the briquets as replacement starter fluid. Otherwise, the briquets will flame-up for longer than you want. Again, before the fire is lit. Throwing oil onto a fire presents too much of a risk of causing an explosion. And of fire following the fluid stream back up into the container, risking an explosion of burning oil/grease.
If you feed birds, you may want to soak&drain the seeds with used vegetable oil. Don't know how they'll react to it, but I do know birds love suet feeders and love getting some suet/lard/grease mixed in with their seed.
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Vegetable oil that has been used only for french fries or another non-meat/fish frying task can be saved in a clean jar, cooled, and immediately strained through cheesecloth, a coffee filter, or a very, very fine sieve, and re-used for frying only. Yes, I'm cheap. It keeps my family eating, though.
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