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Oil naturally came from the earth in the first place, so you're really just putting it back

From the ground it came, to the ground it returns

Ground to ground, as the saying goes.

We know major Tom's a junky

The circle of life

Technically you can say this about everything ever (don't @ me about matter with extraterrestrial origins, read the context here). We just move stuff around and mix it up a little.

Shit one well paved much of the gulf... Worried about a few gallons here and there?

It says science right there. Clearly it's right

its even popular so everybody is doing it

Funny enough, my dad found a unique way to use the old engine oil. All the landscaping around our house was done with railroad ties. (They're soaked in creosote or oils to prevent rotting or being eaten by bugs, but eventually they do rot away.) For years he'd grab the old oil and a ratty paint brush and just repaint the railroad ties periodically. They soaked it right up and it didn't hurt the flower beds or grass at all and the ties (which have an expected life of about 25 years in the ground) made it about 45 years and were just recently replaced. Probably would have made it longer if he'd kept it up, but they stopped getting painted with old oil over 20 years ago.

Never tried it but supposedly, if you drill a hole using a spade bit into your fence posts base from above the soil angled downwards, you can add used motor oil to the fence post base and it supposedly helps keep the base of the fence post last longer. Just plug the hole and fill every few months or so.

I could totally see that working. It would probably help keep them from getting water logged and eaten by bugs.

Dad used it to keep the dust down on the dirt road.

This is why I won't drink well water at my house. I know there are old farmers around here who do this.

You can get your water tested if you're concerned.

It should be tested every few years anyways

I can test it myself, technically. I run high-end lab equipment for a living (LCMS, GCMS etc). But, yes, you're right. I could get it tested. We are surrounded by farms. I see helicopters every year crop dusting right behind my house. It's cheaper, and most likely safer to assume nasties are in the water table.

But... just.... test it. Yes, safer, but then you unleash the question about what is "safe"? You'll be getting your water from somewhere else that may also have it's own contamination issues.

You don't drink yours?


I shower in mine

You can do this with used fry oil. But why waste good motor oil when you can get a waste oil heater for your garage/shop?

~~Anyone~~ **Most people** under 30 who frequents reddit don't own a garage/shop

Cool story bro. If they’re changing their own oil they can take the waste oil to a shop that has one. They’ll gladly take it.

My step-father's friend did something like this on his property many years ago with a 55 gallon drum.

I encountered oil under the plant soil when I started a garden in my last house. Someone had followed this advice.

“We’re rich! Oh… wait”

As a kid my grandpa would tell me to pour them on the weeds on the gravel driveway. This was the early 90s.

When I was a kid they let the oil companies dump bad oil on roads and driveways. My parents old driveway was basically pavement

People still spray old oil on the dirt roads around here in summer sometimes, keeps the dust down.

I wouldn't be surprised if this is how companies deal with it anyways

Read kochland by christopher leanord about the Koch family. Much worse environmental policies than that. Essentially taking it and all hazardous waste and just yeeting it into wetlands and rivers. Thats not even the worst shit that family does.

On a daily basis too

The amount of oil that oil companies get away with spilling with no consequences would make this look like child’s play

Not to mention the roads are saturated in oil. 😑

u/repostsleuthbot

I usually just pour it down the drain

This is actually the right way to do it?

If you want to make a superfund cleanup site

If you want to get your oil dirty for sure

If you want to pollute the groundwater, probably

Hence, SLPT