Reviewed September 21, 2026 against City and County sources. Confirm hours before you drive.
- 1Drain used oil into a clean, dedicated container. Do not mix gasoline, antifreeze, solvent, or water into it.
- 2Take clean used oil (and usually the filter) to a CalRecycle certified collection center. Most take up to 5 gallons and pay 40¢ per gallon.
- 3Gasoline, diesel, mixed fuels, antifreeze, and contaminated oil go to the City HHW facility by appointment — not to an oil-change shop’s recycle tank.
- 4Fred’s will not haul oil, gasoline, or other fuels. Pull the fluids, then text a photo of the remaining junk.
Used oil: certified centers
CalRecycle certifies used-oil collection centers across California. DIY oil changers can drop off used motor oil and, at most shops, used filters. Certified centers must take at least 5 gallons per person per day and they pay a 40-cent-per-gallon recycling incentive. Search by ZIP at CalRecycle’s certified-center locator, or call 1-800-CLEANUP. The City notes more than 90 auto-product and oil-change businesses inside San Diego city limits participate. Call before you go — a shop can refuse oil that is contaminated with antifreeze, solvent, gasoline, or water.
Drain oil into a clean container. Do not use a bleach bottle that still smells like something else. Keep the filter in a drain pan or sealed bag so it does not drip in the trunk. Empty oil bottles that are truly drained are a recycling question for your blue cart rules; leftover liquid oil is never trash.
Fuels, antifreeze, events, and junk removal
Gasoline, diesel, two-stroke mix, and other fuels are household hazardous waste, not “used oil.” Antifreeze and brake fluid are the same category. Take them to the City HHW Transfer Facility by appointment (5161 Convoy St) or to your city’s HHW site. The City also accepts used oil and oil filters at HHW and at eight one-day collection events, and it runs free Used Auto Product Recycling events for antifreeze, contaminated oil, filters, used motor oil, and vehicle batteries. Businesses that sell vehicle batteries typically take the old battery back.
Never pour oil or gasoline into a gutter, alley, or gray cart. Storm drains in San Diego lead to creeks and the ocean. The landfill bans liquids of any type.
Fred’s Junk Removal does not transport gasoline, diesel, used oil, or mixed automotive fluids. We are not a hazardous-waste hauler. We will take a drained mower, a car part that is not a fuel tank, or the garage clutter around the workbench. Drain it, drop the fluids at a certified center or HHW, and text a photo of what is left.
Official sources
Fred’s does not haul this material. Use the official drop-off above. We will still take the rest of the pile — text a photo of the non-hazardous junk.
