Technical How do you dispose of used antifreeze?

Local oil change place...after hours

 

I pour it down the sewer so it goes into the San Francisco Bay and makes the fish glow at night.....

actually I don't think I've ever drained a radiator that had much more than rusty water in it, if it is still green I just leave it.

 

Ethylene glycol is biodegradable, breaks down in 10 days or so. That being said spreading on the ground may pose a risk to pets or wildlife, many places will accept antifreeze for recycling, municipal dumps and some auto parts stores take it for disposal for free. There is some debate on whether it can or should be poured in a municipal sewer system, call your local waste water treatment facility for clarification.
Dan

 

The solution to pollution is dilution!

 

The same way as oil:

 

The buildup of that green crap (that also plugged the core of this small aluminum radiator) and the severe metal corrosion hiding under it disagrees with you.
Coolant contains additives to prevent corrosion, once those additives run out things can really go bad - and expensive.

 

For those folks in & around the North/Central Ohio area, there is a company located in Mount Gilead, Ohio that recycles it into new somehow. They used to be closer to me & would come pick it up if you had a tank. I took about 25 gallons down to them that I had built up a couple of years ago. No charge other than the time & fuel to go down there. (sorry name escapes me, but a search can find it I am sure)

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

I cannot find anyway of disposing of it. Right now I’m storing about five gallons. I’ve tried everything and everyone listed. I’ll keep looking.

 

Some shops have recyclers.
Like they do with waste solvents and refrigerants.

 

Ethylene glycol completely breaks down within 10 to 28 days. Depending on which source you believe. For what it’s worth, airports dump tons of it on the ground when they are de icing planes.

 

The hospital I worked at for most of my adult life had an industrial hygienist on staff. I said that to her one time and she 'bout had a coronary.

 

I let it evaporate in plastic storage bins (what I use to catch the coolant when draining). I have a lid with holes in it so animals can't get in. takes a while, but it doesn't take any of MY time.

 

The easy way:
Drain on the driveway and wash down the sewer, which I don't do.
The hard way:
Have the cheep piece of crap radiator cap blow off the radiator while overheating in your face, and then wash down the sewer.
That happened to me Wednesday.

Bill

 

I strongly suggest that you put used coolant back into coolant jugs and take it to your household hazardous waste facility and/or check if local auto parts stores accept it.

https://www.stancounty.com/er/hazmat/household-hazardous-waste.shtm

 

You shouldn't dump or flush new or used antifreeze/coolant. It's usually not pure ethylene (or propylene) glycol when new, and it's likely contaminated when used.

 

Household hazardous waste collection:

https://portal.ct.gov/deep/waste-ma...ehold-hazardous-waste/hhw-collection-schedule

 

By contrast propylene glycol is edible, and is an actual approved food additive. All that other stuff isn't, though.

 

Some pollutants break down naturally, some don't. Some break down to harmless substances; some break down to nasty stuff.

The pollutants intended to be controlled by a catalytic converter are all substances which break down to harmless substances, given enough time. The component with the longest half-life is, surprisingly, the CO. It follows that there is a rate of generation at which a substance gets replenished faster than it can break down. The purpose of smog equipment was to allow that rate of generation to keep being exceeded.

 

Early on I called our city services & they said to dispose of it down the sewer system, however since I was on a septic system I was unsure how it would affect the workings so consulted a local drop off site for used chemicals, oil etc.

 

In our town they don’t take antifreeze there either. It’s crazy! Most people will pour it in the ground because they make it so difficult. Just makes no sense. Frustrated!

 

Not certain what the collection sites might do with anti-freeze they may well use the sewer system anyway, seems we have little or no means to dispose or recycle the products we produce, I was of the opinion that anti-freeze never wears out only weakens & becomes acidic, but may be cost prohibitive to remanufacture.

 

Donate it at your local used car lot

 

Take it to your local recycling center for free: "Columbia residents may dispose of or recycle hazardous waste for no cost at the Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Facility."

https://www.como.gov/utilities/columbias-solid-waste-utility/household-hazardous-waste/

 

A few years ago an acquaintance invested in a facility not far from me that recycled antifreeze, they vacuum distilled it, then added the appropriate additives and dyes. It was then sold to local car dealerships' service departments.
He gave me a couple gallons for my fleet.

I imagine there was a small, continuous stream of hazardous material (dregs) that they had to ship out, but I didn't get all the details of the refining process.

 

I wasn’t going to belabor the point, but did do some math

So the small septic tank that was put in for the shop was a 1500 gallon tank.
A septic tank comes divided. 1/2 “dirty” water which it sees when it’s in use first. There’s a cut out in the divider that leeches liquid over to the “grey” water side that when full, dribbles out the leech line.
Okay-too much info.
So say I dumped 2 gallons straight AF in the toilet. It would mix with roughly 750 gallons of black water the leech over and mix with roughly 750 gallons of grey water.
2/750 is (rounded up) .003%. 1/2 that if 50/50 mix. , not even taking into account the grey water side.

 

Propylene glycol is what they use to de-ice airplanes. It makes a great fertilizer too.

 

Leave it in pans for the roaming tomcats.

 

Am I glad we don't have to use antifreeze Downunder. We do have a recycling facility for politicians. It's called government.

 

Pour it in the used coolant tote at work, a recycler pumps it out a couple times a year. They get a LOT of 15W40 in that tote from various types of engine failures.