Cycle Your Gasoline

There was a time, and it wasn’t too long ago, when it was common to dump an old canister of gasoline down the storm sewer. Fortunately, times have changed and education has taken over where ignorance once prevailed. Unfortunately, though, there are still incidents where individuals dump gasoline down the drain. This is troubling. Even small concentrations of gasoline in water can kill fish.

We are in a somewhat precarious position as anglers because we rely on gasoline for our cars, trucks, lawn mowers, trimmers, and augers. With so many gas-powered implements, we run the risk of having our fuel go stale. We are all familiar with the string trimmer or auger that is difficult to start when filled with fuel that has been sitting on the shelf for a number of months.

In order to avoid this situation, buy one gallon of gasoline to use for you mower, string trimmer, or auger. If it sits on the shelf for thirty days, pour it into the gas tank of your car or truck. Then refill your container with another gallon of gas. With fresh gasoline, your string trimmer or auger will be easier to start; it will perform better as well. We follow the same procedure with gasoline that has been mixed with two-cycle oil. After thirty days, we pour the mix in the truck and then refill the container with a gallon of gas and enough two-cycle oil to make a 50:1 mix.

By following this procedure, you can keep your fuel supply fresh; your power equipment will perform better, and you will keep yourself out of the position of having to take spent fuel to the recycling center (but never down the drain).

For more Stewardship Tips visit www.RecycledFish.org