Kerosene Disposal and Other Old Fuels
Kerosene Disposal for Households
Storing kerosene can be problematic. After about three months it can break down, lose its flammable potency, and support harmful molds and bacteria. (So, who knew?) That said, instead of going to the trouble & the expense of tossing it, you might advertise leftover kerosene under Free Stuff on a community bulletin board while it’s still fresh; or find out if there’s a local charity interested in the stuff. (Boy Scouts?)
If you need to get rid of small amounts from your home, then search online for your local household hazardous waste (HHW) collection site, probably sponsored by your local waste district. Another option: Many service stations that accept old fuel and oil might also accept kerosene—if you deliver it in a marked container so that it doesn’t get mixed up (literally) with any other type of oil or gasoline.
And while it might seem obvious, it’s nonetheless worth mentioning: don’t buy more kerosene than you need. Larger containers might seem more cost-efficient, but not if you’re throwing away a substantial portion of it.
Kerosene Disposal for Business & Industry
No surprise, but if you’re a business (i.e., not a “household”), there’s a good chance the local HHW won’t accept your waste—especially if you’re talking industrial quantities of the stuff. They’re funny that way. Under such circ*mstances, your first task is to call your local disposal company—whoever’s picking up your garbage now—to see if they accept kerosene. If so, ask the friendly sales rep
whether you’ll need to deliver the kerosene to their site, or if they’ll come and get it.
If your general waste contractor doesn’t cotton to handling kerosene—many don’t—then you’ll need to investigate the hazardous waste management resources in your area. In any event, there will be fees, and you can find out about the best pricing for kerosene disposal in
your area here.
Getting Rid of Old Gasoline
Gasoline breaks down and “goes stale” over time, especially if it’s exposed to direct sunlight or higher temperatures—neither of which we would recommend. Rather than going through the trouble of properly disposing of it, some folks will recommend mixing “old” gasoline with “fresh” to render it usable; but we’re fairly confident they’ve never priced a set of new fuel injectors for a piece of equipment (or the family Subaru).
Stale gasoline is anathema to modern fuel-injected (or even carbureted) engines, and putting it into your workplace equipment (to save the cost of its proper disposal) is the epitome of a false economy. And don’t get us started on fuel additives. No additive will restore old gasoline. They don’t turn water into wine.
BTY, a case can be made for mixing “old” gasoline with three-parts “fresh” and using it in your lawnmower or snow-thrower. But small-engine manufactures practically beg you to use high-quality non-ethanol gasoline in their products. So we leave it up to you. And read that warranty carefully.
Unfortunately, gasoline is both toxic and flammable—and you could probably make a case that it’s explosive. So you can’t just pour it onto the ground, into the sink, or onto your cornflakes. Thus, just like with kerosene, if you’re talking about “household” quantities of the stuff, you can search for a local HHW disposal center. If one isn’t near enough to you that accepts gasoline, then you’ll need to contact a hazardous waste management company in your area. In the case of industrial quantities of “old” gasoline, the need for a qualified hazardous waste disposal company should be obvious to the most casual observer. Consider……a single gallon of gasoline has the potential to pollute 750,000 gallons of water; and you’re responsible for the generation, transport, and treatment (or disposal) of toxic waste from “cradle to grave.”
Thus, the legal, financial, and reputational consequences of improper gasoline disposal—whether relatively minor or spectacularly catastrophic—will be yours forever…not to mention being beaucoup expensive by way of fines and lawyers.
Other Fuels
Our friends at the EPA deem many everyday products as toxic wastes when you want to dispose of them. The focus here has been on kerosene and gasoline; but much of this discussion also applies to paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides. The EPA does not take kindly to your throwing away anything into the garbage that might be flammable, explosive, corrosive, or toxic. But wait—there’s more!
You also have to be sure that whatever you’re tossing isn’t “reactive,” meaning that while it might be innocent all by its lonesome, it can aid & abet all sorts of mayhem in collusion with something else.
For example, some otherwise benign chemicals create toxic fumes when exposed to water under normal handling conditions. More dangerously, some of them explode, which can ruin your whole day. Other chemicals react violently with temperature and/or pressure changes.
So, if you have a potpourri of old fuels or chemicals that you need to toss, and you don’t have a chemist on site, we’d advise you get expert advice before making a toxic soup and storing it in that barrel outback—lest it glows in the dark and go boom in the night.
And as always, thank-you for reading our blog!
