What do you do with used oil filters?

[Gale Hawkins]

Technology is reducing filter size. I was looking for a larger filter for the GM 5.3 engine than the PF46 that looks like it belongs on a 10 HP engine. The larger PF59 will fit but in reading the PH46 uses a plastic center and can flow as much as the larger older style.

Element replacement cost can be higher then a spin on filter labor wise.

 

[puckgrinder85]

Well, its about the same for me, i have no issues with either filter, same time frame for replacement for me. The element filters are easier to pick out as they all look the same from every manufacturer. Spin on sometimes take me longer to find than it would to install. Looking up the part number if it hasnt been a return customer with our filter on it, etc.. I like the ford transmission bypass filters. I told the customer it looked like a mini roll of toilet paper.. :laughing:

 

[december45]

I would think that autozone/walmart/checkers etc would take the oil filters when they recycle the oil... however the last time i took my oil to autozone to be recycled , i took it back in original oil container that they sold to me originally, and told them if they wanted, just keep the old container i didnt need it . They said....Ohhhh no i had to take the 5qt container with me... i said no sweat ill just throw it in the trash can out side the door... NO that original oil container was hazardous waste and they would call the police if i threw it in their garbage can out side on the sidewalk.... So of course i asked what was i supose to do with a empty oil bottle..that could not be thrown in the trash and that autozone sold to me originally with the oil that autozone had just recycled.... and wasnt the whole idea of autozone being a collection point to recycle oil, because they had sold it in the first place, and if a establishment sold oil they also were supose to collect it for recycling ...?
the bottom line was they didnt care as long as i didnt throw it in their trash container and they would not keep it... id hate to ask them to take an oil filter

 

[California]

Autozone says the same thing for their own used oil filters. Hazardous waste, cannot accept. "Just throw it in your household garbage".

 

[brown40]

Is there any wonder American Industry can't compete with foreign nations when a business has to treat oil products as harardous waste, along with fluorescent light bulbs, empty propane tanks & paint cans?

Its just another facet of how we've liberalized our way to the divide between the culture of entitlement, and the castrated businessman. You think China or India spend billions of tax dollars assuring businesses are cutting out their bottom line towards tax & compliance?

Even tuna and other types of fishing: we put on strict quotas and limits so the fish may swim to a non-regulated area and be caught by a less idealized nation. I'm not saying it's right or wrong to be the world's envirinmental champion... but it's keeping us from equal footing.

Businesses have to pay a hazrdous waste management company to dispose of the aforementioned items, Joe Consumer can put them in the trash.

 

[California]

You think China or India spend billions of tax dollars assuring businesses are cutting out their bottom line towards tax & compliance?

You want to live like this photo? This is AFTER New Delhi banned all the 2-cycle pedicabs you saw everywhere 10 years ago and required they all be re-engined to run Natural Gas. The cost of the conversion had a devastating impact on the transportation sector of the economy.

But wouldn't you agree that rule was needed? Think what this photo would look like if they hadn't passed it. This is an ordinary day, midafternoon. Every day in New Delhi looks like this. I've read that the cities in China are even worse and their national goal now is to jump right to electric cars because they couldn't survive the pollution that gas engine based transport would cause.

You can't ignore environmental impact.

 

[jlsmith]

Have y'all asked ur tractor dealer if u can return oil to their shop. I let my customers bring their used oil and filters to my shop and put it in my waste tank. If alot of the dealers are like me they have a company come and pick up the used oil and filters and pay the dealership to do so. It should be a win win situation for both the customer and the dealership.

 

[crashz]

I appreciate the education here. Up unitl now, I've always tossed the filters into the trash after draining them for a few minutes. I only service a few vehicles andprobably generate about 2 dozen filters a year. I send all of my waste oil to a friends shop, where he heats with a waste oil burner. From now on, I'll collect the filters in a 5 gallon pail and dispose of them at the bi-annual collection in my city.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Well just a update. I made a filter drain rig. What I did was take a old cake pan and drill 4 holes in the lip around the top. I then cut a piece of expanded metal mesh and secure it thought the 4 holes with 4 zip ties. I then put a drain hole in one corner and mounted the rig at a slight angle with the low corner having the hole. Oil flows out the hole, down a hose, and into a gallon catch jug.

Now for the filters. I punch each with a center punch in the domed end and then near the base plate to act as a "vent". Put the on the rig for a week and let them drain base plate up.

I had 3 oil changes last week. One was a 4.6L V8 Lincoln Aviator, one was a 18HP Kawasaki Motor on a mower, and the last was a GM based 6.2L V8 boat motor. Draining all 3 filters this way recovered nearly 2qts of oil. I then take the filters and bag them up in a plastic Walmart bag or similar and toss them in the trash.

I can not get over how much oil remained in filters even if I drained them for months prior to doing this. Punching the hole is the only way to go.

Chris

 

[California]

I made a filter drain rig. ... I punch each with a center punch in the domed end and then near the base plate to act as a "vent". Put the on the rig for a week and let them drain base plate up.

I can not get over how much oil remained in filters even if I drained them for months prior to doing this. Punching the hole is the only way to go.

I just learned something here - punch the domed end and drain upside down!

I tried punching down by the seam (plus a vent hole) and left filters upright in a funnel for weeks. You could still feel the weight of oil that wouldn't drain.

 

[RalphVa]

If you have a wood or coal stove, put them in the stove in the winter. Then recycle the leftover metal parts in the ashes. That's what I used to do when I had wood stoves.

Ralph

 

[clemsonfor]

If you have a wood or coal stove, put them in the stove in the winter. Then recycle the leftover metal parts in the ashes. That's what I used to do when I had wood stoves.

Ralph

I have a cat stove, i dont think it will do my catylsts any good to be burning qts of oil through them, on bypass maybe?

 

[Car Doc]

I burn mine during the winter months and throw them in the trash. I leave them upside down in my oil drain caddy until there is too many in there or I need to dump the caddy.

 

[rswyan]

If you have a wood or coal stove, put them in the stove in the winter. Then recycle the leftover metal parts in the ashes. That's what I used to do when I had wood stoves.

Ralph

What Ralph sez :thumbsup:

 

[sw03]

I throw my filters in the trash..

 

[clemsonfor]

I throw my filters in the trash..

Theres the simple answer! It took us 8 pages to get there!: :laughing:

 

[fieldserviceengineer]

Used oil and fuel filters are not deemed hazardous. At one time it was though that oil filters contained led from engine bearing wear thus they needed to be treated as hazardous waste and disposed of accordingly. Our company (Fleetguard) and Donaldson Filter undertook a study for the US EPA. We determined that used oil filters did not contain hazardous levels of lead from filtration. What we did determine is that the lead levels in the metal forming process did have levels exceeding EPA requirements. Metal suppliers coated the metals with a lead alloy coating (terne plating). The coating allowed the metals to take form in forging presses while making filter shells (parts for the refrigerator too!). Metal terne plating was discontinued for filter metal supplies back in the late 90s. It is acceptable to dispose of filters in landfills unless local or state law overrules. Scrap metal dealers will take them.....they become rebar in China along with your old Ford tractor.

 

[crazyal]

I throw my filters in the trash..

The last time I went to the dump and had a couple filters and asked the guy where to put them while he was draining the used oil into their tank he took them and tossed them into the household trash. Since then that's what I do.

I have one of these drain cans, I just leave them in it with the hole facing down and a plastic bag over the funnel and leave them to drain until the next oil change.

 

[Skyco]

I throw my filters in the trash..

Theres the simple answer! It took us 8 pages to get there!: :laughing:

We aren't allowed to do that in the county I live in

The bigger problem I have is legally disposing of old antifreeze...the state used to have a recycling drum for it in downtown Columbia SC but they removed it a few years ago...

 

[Taylortractornut]

All the old oil and oil filters at work usually go in the lake lol JK. We used to have to show DEQ the pick up recipts from oil companies. THen they wouldnt take the filters. THen started balking on giving a reciept. We bought a Clean Burn Waste oil heater and it works great. It takes car of about a gallon per hour. We save our oil changes from transmission and engine and hydraulics on all the machines at work. Usually get several barrels per year. Then we also buy a few gallons at 30 cents per gallon. DEQ looks at the heater each time they visit and save alot of paper work. The old filters get crused in my press or burnt in the shop stove here at the house then recycled.