31 replies to this topic

[heartless]

A few ideas.
Call your local waste disposal authority.
Your local Fire Department may know where such substances can be disposed of.
Check your city/county's website for their environmental protection/management department. If there isn't information on their website, find a phone number and call them. If there is no info online, call City Hall or the county main office and ask.

+10!

Somebody in the city/county government has to know where that kind of stuff can be taken - if they dont have a specific place, they are being very irresponsible, and I would be asking WHY they dont have a list of places for hazardous waste disposal...

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We interrupt this thread for a Public Service Announcement:

Dumping things like old motor oil and antifreeze down the storm drains DOES put that stuff into the water supply.

Most (not all, but most) storm drain systems are not hooked into the city sewer systems (it would overwhelm the sewer system during a big storm). Instead, they take storm runoff and direct it to a watershed area - untreated. This watershed area DOES feed the water supply systems, as well as streams, rivers and lakes.
(disclaimer: I did work for a civil engineering office as a drafter for a time. I do have first hand knowledge of how this stuff is designed)

Another FYI - pouring down the drain, even diluted, especially if you are on a septic system, is really not a good idea either. It does kill off the essential bacteria in the system, which can cause all sorts of problems, including but not limited to back-ups.
And a city sewer system is not really much more than a giant septic system. (disclaimer: the other half is a septic pumper - he could tell some stories...)

So Please - Think before you dump!

now back to your regularly scheduled programming...

[Fairtax4me]

Earth911.com

I didn't see this link before, but I like it! I found a few places to take other things, such as old Nicd batteries. Also found a recycling center convenient to a shop where I do on the side mechanic work from time to time, where I can take all of the old oil and antifreeze that's currently occupying a half dozen 5 gallon buckets there. :-p

Lets make it clickable: http://earth911.com/

Contact the local wastewater treatment department. Many allow it to be poured into the toilet.

They do not allow that here so I'd also advise to call and ask before flushing it down the john.

gear oil - can't you just dump that in your oil containers?

Gear oil, motor oil, steering fluid, transmission fluid all kinda count as oil. Shops mix them all together along with brake fluid, so it should be fine to mix them. I always figured brake fluid was closer to antifreeze, but the antifreeze collection truck driver said, no can do "only antifreeze only".

[grossgary]

Somebody in the city/county government has to know where that kind of stuff can be taken - if they dont have a specific place, they are being very irresponsible, and I would be asking WHY

title of thread "that offer no coolant recycling", i'm not saying i can't find them, i'm saying there aren't any. though i did inquire some of the gov and got zero.

WV is an extremely rural state. largest city is only 50,000 people, the "cities" here would be just suburbs or towns to most states. everything is smaller, less available or in some cases not at all. that means there's a lot of antifreeze state-wide that's going "somewhere" for all the folks that work on their own cars, which is common here.

[Fairtax4me]

As horrible as it sounds, most probably pour it on the ground or down a drain somewhere. I live around many people who have the exact same mindset, and it happens all the time around here as well. :-\
I'd still like to think that the recycler/collector service that the shops in your area use could provide a way to get rid of antifreeze. Even though individuals pour it out all the time, it's against federal law for a business to allow hazardous liquids/materials to be poured out onto the ground / down a drain / into the creek out back. A reputable licensed repair shop has to have a collection and disposal service for antifreeze and oil. Whether or not they will accept yours is up to them, but it can't hurt to ask.

[Ricearu]

I dump my oil in a 55 gallon drum, and when it's full, a guy I know will drive out, pick it up, and leave an empty drum where it stands. I have been careless with coolant a few times and left it out and it was "rained" out of the drain pan, but a local auto shop will take it by the 5 gallon buckets. I am told that it is a violation of federal law to abandon it at a shop or parts store. I can say that at least I am not my grandpa. He used to dig a hole, drain, and bury oil... that's great for the ground water supply...

My friend doug has ran an air cooled vee dub shop since the 80's and in 2007 he was cited by the EPA for rinsing parts outside. They made him dig 6 feet down in a 20x20 area and replace the dirt and have the old soil treated and disposed of

Edited by Ricearu, 20 July 2012 - 08:18 PM.

[torxxx]

The safest place to dispose of antifreeze is down the drain. (Attached to a city sewage line, NOT IN A STORM DRAIN) Now a days most water treatment plants (sewage plants) are setup to handle glycol.


We have a recycling place in town, but it takes them so long to getting around to picking up full barrels of recycled antifreeze, that most people dont bother

Edited by torxxx, 03 September 2012 - 08:32 PM.

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

The safest place to dispose of antifreeze is down the drain. (Attached to a city sewage line, NOT IN A STORM DRAIN) Now a days most water treatment plants (sewage plants) are setup to handle glycol...

Yep, that is the way we "Recycle" Coolant... in my Li'l country.

But Used Oil has its price here: People use it to cover rustic wood, used in Farms' buildings and fences... So every place where you can change the Motor Oil, they sell the Used motor oil for those -and many other- purposes.

Kind Regards.