Nasty stuff disposal

GoldenMotor.com

Tony01

Well-Known Member
Nov 28, 2012
1,730
1,722
113
sf bay area
So I have this bucket filled with nasty stuff... Oil, gas, vinegar, bacteria, decomposed paper towels, maybe some dead goldfish... Like the stuff in the trash compactor scene in Star Wars... How do I get rid of it? Flush it down the toilet a liter at a time? Pour it over the fence?
 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
175
63
Littleton, Colorado
Got a neighbor you aren't fond of?

Seriously, most cities or trash disposal services offer a hazardous material collection point. If there are any flammable or toxic materials in your bucket then technically it falls under the 'Hazardous Material' banner and you're legally bound to dispose of it properly. Use caution and discretion. Don't put it down your toilet or garbage disposer. A plumber will not be cheap if it doesn't go down.

Tom
 

FFV8

New Member
Oct 29, 2013
551
16
0
Spring Valley NV
Causing that condition to exist is probably a felony in CA.

I KNOW that pouring it down a drain is a crime there.

30 years ago my business was in California. Nearby, there was a gas station. These guys http://www.calepa.ca.gov/ crawled up my backside about three feet - they were chasing a pollution source upstream. They tested every drain on the property, went through my shop and my records. I was clean, but they were on the warpath.

It turned out the garage / gas station had found a "magic pipe" on their property that actually fed the sewer line under my location. They were using it to dispose of all sorts of stuff they were not willing to pay to have picked up.

1) Do NOT create messes like that bucket. If you have drain oil, put it in jugs & recycle it.

2) Do NOT pour messes like that down the drain. Your city has resources to deal with your mistakes:
https://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?NID=1626- no cost to you directly.

.
 

MEASURE TWICE

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2010
2,741
1,211
113
CA

Allen_Wrench

Resident Mad Scientist
Feb 6, 2010
2,784
26
36
Indianapolis
Yeah, we've got a haz-mat collection point here in Indy too. Several actually. Ours are free to drop stuff off. I just keep a sealed box out in the deck box and when it starts looking full I check the haz-mat schedule and go there at the next pick-up date.
Some sometimes I have to run two boxes because there are some things that should not rub elbows. But usually it's just old CFL lights, used computer parts, sometimes a tire or a jug of used oil. Stuff that's not going to blow up, basically.