Disposing of old petrol (or diesel for that matter)

[David]

As part of the ongoing clear up I have a small amount of petrol in a green can. It is old (probably from when we had a petrol lawnmower).

I've just looked up the details of how to dispose of it and it seems to be classes as a "hazardous waste" which is not handled by the local recycling centre.

"Hazardous waste collection

A special hazardous waste collection can be arranged for items including paints, oils, weed/pest killers and other hazardous household waste. There is a minimum charge of £45.60 for this service.

Collection, treatment and disposal costs of hazardous waste are expensive for the council (approx. £80 per collection). For this reason, residents are urged to follow the advice as set out in these pages and to use this service only when absolutely necessary."

O.K. I have always thought that it is crazy to charge a high price for disposal of asbestos because that just encourages people to dump it.

To effectively charge £45.60 to dispose of a litre of old petrol or a spray bottle of weed killer will just mean that the waste product is dumped. Nobody is going to detect a bit of Roundup (for example) flushed down the sewers. Petrol might be a bit of a give away by the smell.

My current thought is to (very carefully) mix the petrol with sawdust and light it from a safe distance in the garden log burner thingie (mmmm....flames!!). Or just mix it with a bit of cat litter then let it evaporate into the atmosphere then chuck the dry remains. Much as you are advised to do with paint.

My general complaint is that making it almost impossible to dispose of fairly common household or garden waste does little if anything to protect the environment.

Quite the contrary.

Cheers

Dave R

[The Natural Philosopher]

Just put it in your car and add 50 liters of new fuel.

[tabbypurr]

On Saturday, 4 November 2017 16:42:55 UTC, David WE Roberts (Google) wrote :

Why not be sensible and give it to someone with a car?

[damduck-egg]

If he has got a modern diesel car what would be the safe ratio to mix it with? We don't know what the small amount is .

G.Harman

[Tim+]

I wouldn?t mix petrol in diesel in any modern diesel car. Just not worth the risk.

Surely must know someone with a petrol lawnmower?

Tim

[Reentrant]

It's November the fourth. Surely you can think of a way to dispose of it tomorrow evening ...

[Tjoepstil]

some year back when moving an old oil tank about 2 gallons of kerosene were spilt - they ran through the hedge down into the farmers field.

a few months later all plant life in an area about 4 ft across had died.

a year later it was all back.

petrol is more volatile than kerosene just throw it away on a patch of uncultivated land

Or mix it with washing up liquid to make swarfega degreaser

[Bob Eager]

Together with your eyebrows.

[Dave Liquorice]

More likely a rather larger WHUUMPPPF than you expect. The vapours above the sawdust will ignite very easyly and if the vapour/air ratio happens to be just right they'll go semi-explosively...

That is by far the safer option.

Or as others have said just bung it in a, preferably petrol, car.

Agreed, what do we pay Council Tax for?

[tabbypurr]

We used to bury all rubbish in a big hole in the ground. Now we have to pay the council to collect it, but some of the time they won't, then they char ge us yet again for our rubbish not meeting their rules, which tend to be i nterpreted somewhat foolishly by their staff. I guess that's progress.

[ARW]

Cutting down good trees if you live in Sheffield.

[tabbypurr]

We used to bury all rubbish in a big hole in the ground. Now we have to pay the council to collect it, but some of the time they won't, then they char ge us yet again for our rubbish not meeting their rules, which tend to be i nterpreted somewhat foolishly by their staff. That's progress apparently.

[Iggy]

replying to David, Iggy wrote: I'd vote for burning it. Pour it into a very wide pan like a pizza pan or make one out of aluminum foil and light it...a wide open pan means you aren't restricting the flames or fumes, so no explosion or hazard. Then, you want to keep the can open to let it fully air-out and evaporate. If you'd like, afterward you can fill it with water and dishwashing liquid to remove the rest of the can's flammability.

[Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp]

I think the normal routine is disposal by way of a warm barbecue.

Best warn Trump first though in case he thinks "little rocket man" is getting frisky.

AB

[Steve Walker]

I had 5 litres of petrol that came from a gunked up tank and had had cleaners added as well. There was no way it was going back in a car, so I poured a small amount each day onto the path in our back garden and just let it evaporate. It didn't seem to do a good job of killing off either the weeds growing between the paving slabs or the ants living there.

SteveW

[tabbypurr]

Yep, we have a darwin award nominee

[The Natural Philosopher]

+100

[Dave Liquorice]

There speaks some one who has never tried that and has no idea of the volatility and flamabilty of petrol.

Experience has taught me that you DO NOT attmept to burn petrol in the open. It will go WHUMMPFF and will produce a fire ball from the vapours.

[Dave Liquorice]

dispose of

Link? No.1 Daughter is at Sheffield Uni and some what of a political activist. Apparently was on (front row of the fancy dress marchers) the recent demo about Orgreave.

[The Natural Philosopher]

+2 eyebrows and a lot of skin