Upright, capped, and boxed
Any container you are allowed to haul, such as a sealed jug of used cooking oil on the way to a collection or a capped jug of used motor oil on the way to an oil program, rides upright. Set it in a plastic bin that can hold a leak. The cap stays tight. A label faces out so you and the attendant can see what it is. Do not lay a jug on its side under lumber. Do not put it in a trash bag. A bag hides the leak until the bed is soaked. If the container is a can of gasoline, solvent, or pesticide, it is not part of a mixed dump load at all. Take it to the household hazardous waste program and follow their transport instructions.
Keep fumes out of the cab
Even a legal container of used oil or fuel smells and can spill. Prefer the bed or a ventilated cargo area over the passenger seat. Do not haul an open bucket. If a cap is missing, do not start the trip. Get a cap or ask the collection program how to package a damaged container before you move it. In hot weather, leave a little headspace as the program recommends rather than filling a jug to the brim, and keep the jug out of direct sun in a closed trunk when you can. Do not smoke. Do not combine chemicals to save space.
Tell the attendant what the jug is
At a collection event, point to the jug and name the contents. At a transfer station, do not surprise the scale house with a liquid you hoped would pass as trash. Many sites refuse free liquids entirely. If they refuse the jug, you take it home. You do not pour it out in the lot to make the rest of the load acceptable. Strap the bin so a stop does not knock it over. After you deliver it, wipe the bin before it goes back in a car with groceries.
Before you go
- Keep allowed liquids capped, upright, and in a bin that can catch a leak.
- Take gasoline, solvents, and pesticides to HHW, not to the trash bay.
- Haul containers in the bed, not loose in the passenger seat.
- Name the contents at the collection point and take a refusal back home.
Laying an open oil jug under a pile of boards.
Questions people ask
Can I use a cardboard box instead of a bin?
Cardboard fails when it gets wet. Use a plastic bin or a tray that holds the liquid if the cap weeps.
What if a jug tips anyway?
Stop in a safe place, stand it up, and contain the spill with absorbent you can bag. Do not hose oil into a storm drain. Tell the collection staff what spilled.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.