Olds64

Ok, I have 10+ gallons of used antifreeze out of my Olds and my truck. I need to dispose of it and I want to do it properly.

Does anybody know of a national auto parts chain that accepts it? I've checked O'Reilly, Auto Zone, NAPA and Advanced Auto Parts websites and all they take is oil/ATF.

Surprisingly, I called the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and the jamoke I talked to assured me I could get rid of it at an auto parts store. Apparently there is an auto parts store I don't know about that takes it. I told the guy if you wanted to do the wrong thing and mix it with your oil you could drop it at an auto parts store, but I thought that wasn't allowed.

I've already done EXTENSIVE research and the recycling center in OKC won't take the antifreeze because I live in Logan county. I don't have a municipal water bill since I'm on well. Plus, they won't even let me dispose of it with them for a fee.

I'm down to few options. I thought about calling the Logan County Sherriff's office or the Edmond Public School district to see if they would allow me to dispose of it in their vehicle maintenance shop. They would probably laugh at me.

I guess I might just put it in an open container in the back of my truck when I drive to work; or, put it in my trash can. According to the doofus with OK DEQ and their website that is allowed:

http://www.deq.state.ok.us/lpdnew/Co...Collection.htm

A man tries to do the right thing... I am an Eagle Scout. Thanks for listening to me vent.

2blu442

Years ago a local quicki lube advertised that they would take used antifreeze. You might check with whatever you have locally to see if they'll recycle it for you.

scottv442

take it to your local waste disposal site. where your household waste is delivered too.
if it's like ours, they will recycle it along with used engine oils and fluids too.
ours does it for free, drop-offs.
i think our local pick-n-pull auto recycler has a drop off too.

Olds64

I was considering the local pick and pull. I need to give them a call.

70W-32

When I lived in the city, I was told to dump it in the toilet, as long as there was not oil mixed into it,the city waste plant would remove it from the water. The guy I talked to was adamant to not put it in the garbage, the storm drain, or any toilet hooked to a septic field.

jaunty75

In chemistry parlance, ethylene glycol is miscible with water, meaning that the two dissolve in each other in all proportions. Thus, you CAN dump it down the drain with lots of water behind it. Remember, the solution to pollution is dilution. But, as noted, don't put it in the storm sewer as that doesn't get to the water treatment plant but could end up in a local stream or lake where it can do harm.

My city does have a waste liquid drop-off point, and they'll take anything (auto fluids, paint, paint thinner, kerosene, you name it). But that doesn't mean that all cities do, and it doesn't mean that a nearby city will take yours if you're not a resident. I've never found an auto parts store that will take used anti-freeze. Oil and transmission fluid, yes, but not radiator fluid.

Don R.

I have recycled antifreeze at my local NTB tire shop but not recently. My town has a hazardous waste pickup service thru the trash contractor so I use that when I have enough set aside.

oldolds88

I have a couple of things I do with mine,ill run it thru a paint filter and use it in the beater vehicles or give it to someone else looking to do the same. and I also fill my steel lawn roller with it so I don't need to drain it in the winter

Olds64

That's a good idea. I've heard of recycling coolant; however, I don't really have a beater to use it in. Unless I put it back in my Olds or my truck.

I never even knew lawn rollers existed. Good idea.

https://www.homedepot.com/tool-truck...RBH/index.html

VI Cutty

My lawnroller leaks at a far too high rate to be filling with coolant!


Fortunately my local garbage/recycling facility has a broad program that includes free coolant disposal.


What do local mechanics do for disposal? If you're on good terms with any perhaps they could help you out.

Olds64

Yeah, I was thinking I need to go by the Kia dealership, where we bought my wife's car and have both of them serviced. Or, I should stop by a diesel service shop down the street and ask him if he would take it.

FWIW, I called the Logan county OK sherriff's office and they weren't interested.

At least they didn't tell me off...

jensenracing77

Same here but my 125 gallon lawn roller is full now, lol. Now I just give it to the old farmers that have leaky tractors that don't like spending money on fixing leaks...

RandyS

I've seen several mentions of lawn rollers...... why do you need one?
Yeah, I know, to roll the lawn...... but in seriousness?

83olds98

That's ridiculous the local parts stores won't take it. As far as being mixed in with oil - It makes very little difference. Water separates from oil very easily. This has to be done before waste oil can be run in a furnace, etc..

jensenracing77

Freeze and thaw and also moles and crawdads. Helps keep the lawn smoother. My yard is so rough it don't really matter any more. I can't use a fast mower or it would bounce you out of the seat.

m371961

I have the same trouble living where I do. I would try the KIA dealership. Where I used to live, the landfill had recycling set up and took anti-freeze. But here I don't pay the taxes I used to.
Putting it in your garbage is not a bad idea. Most landfills are required to have a treatment system for underdrain runoff. I was once licensed in waster water treatment, do not see how that would actually treat it, only dilute it.
I will not confess to how I have gotten rid of it.

Partagas

Minnesota Pollution Control allows you to dispose of small amounts (below 600 gallons) through a sanitary sewer, provided you check with the city or waste water treatment authority first. I worked for a city and our sewer & water department said that was ok with them. So, if your state is similar, and you can somehow get it into a sanitary sewer system, that may be easiest. Another option may be to dump it at a salvage yard. I've been to several that sell used/recycled coolant from the cars they scrap and they may gladly accept yours for free as they'll make a few bucks when they sell it later.

ankerclanker

I take mine to Fast Eddie oil change here in Michigan. Try calling a hazardous waste company such as Clean Harbors, or even your local Sherwin Williams store for ideas. stuff is very dangerous for animals.
ted

Koda

Mine ends up on the driveway with the water from flushing.

CRUZN 66

Our local landfill has a recycling facility for oil and antifreeze, but not gas... In fact on occasion the facility is shut down when the oil (or antifreeze) tanks get contaminated with gas until such time they can be cleaned out properly...

scottv442

Just curious....why would you need a recycling facility for gas?

oldolds88

old gas that you don't want to run through any decent engine

72455442RA

http://edmondok.com/864/Drop-Off

CRUZN 66

To dispose of old gas that has been removed from gas tanks or cans that has been sitting dormant for several years...

Paladin31

Try This
https://recyclenation.com/find/?zip=...als=17,5898255

Brett

jensenracing77

I suspect that before long the EPA will require new cars to have the oil and antifreeze to be in cartridges. Just pull it out and turn it in for replacements at the parts store. The new cartridge will have the correct amount for the application it is bought for. The filter could be built into it also. I hope not but I could see things going that way.

Copper Nine Eight

I have always wonder about this. Crazy that an auto parts store doesnt accept it.

jaunty75

It's not surprising that an auto parts store doesn't accept antifreeze while it does accept oil and transmission fluid. The latter two are recycled. The antifreeze is not recyclable. The auto parts store would just have to throw it away themselves.

Paladin31

Used anti freeze is recycled, there are many facilities around that do it here in Michigan, and with a google search numerous places nationwide can be found. recycling machinery for your local auto repair facility is available. DOE, DOA, DOT, EPA all have listed protocols and specifications for recycling.

http://www.michigan.gov/deqreswastecontacts

http://www.earth911.org/

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...TqX93Mr29aafqO

https://www3.epa.gov/region9/waste/p...antifreeze.pdf

jaunty75

I'll revise and extend my remarks. Yes, anitfreeze can be recycled, but is it always? The websites mentioned above are not clear on this. The first one doesn't work unless you register and have a username and password.

The second one is a generic "recycling is good" website. There is a search function there, and, when I did a search for my area, it identified the location that I talked about earlier in this thread. But hunting around on the website of that collection service doesn't reveal, at least that I could find, whether or not that location actually sends antifreeze to be recycled or simply makes sure that it is disposed of properly.

The actual name of the location is "South Central Solid Waste Authority Household Hazardous Waste Community Collection." No mention of recycling there. Just collection of hazardous waste. Not saying they don't recycle it. Just not clear that they do versus just making sure it's disposed of properly.

The third website above is another generic "recycling is good" site, and it does talk about how antifreeze can be recycled.

The fourth website, again, just tells us that antifreeze can be recycled.


Another issue for auto parts stores would be simply volume of material collected. You change the oil on your car and you generate 4 or 5 quarts of oil. You do simple fluid and filter change on your transmission, and you generate typically 4 quarts of transmission fluid. But change your radiator fluid, and you typically generate 2 gallons of liquid, or about twice as much as either of the other two. If an auto parts store started collecting antifreeze, it wouldn't be long before they'd run out of space to store it, transporting it would run into money, etc. Again, it's likely economics that prevents auto parts store from accepting it.

Just because something can be recycled doesn't mean it always IS recycled. Glass is very recyclable, but in the two towns I lived in most recently, it wasn't always something that could be recycled through the town's recycling service because there was no market for the used glass. No one would buy it because it's too expensive to recycle it versus just making glass from new raw materials.


Let's go back to the OP's original post. He has ten gallons to dispose of. You walk into an auto parts store with ten gallons of antifreeze and ask them to take it, and it's no surprise they might laugh in your face. That kind of volume of material is not something they're set up to deal with, and that's just this one person. You have people bringing in gallons of used antifreeze on a regular basis, and you'll soon need an oil tank farm to store it all.

Second, the OP looked all over his area to find a place to recycle it, and he couldn't find anything. That was the main reason he started this thread. So again, just because the chemistry of the situation says that recycling of antifreeze is possible doesn't mean that it's actually done everywhere and routinely.

Paladin31

I always enjoying reading your well thought out and discerning comments Jaunty.

I suppose my dissertation boils down to one fact that antifreeze recycling is available, and perhaps the obvious idea would be to follow [Old64] his suggestion/comment of going to the Kia dealership. That is what I've done. My point is there are places that do it, and find it viable. I will continue to use them for my small part. Nothing altruistic, just practical, why not try to recycle?

GM had the following statement posted in a 1994 Automotive News:
GM PAYS FOR RECYCLED COOLANT

To encourage use of recycled engine coolant, General Motors now pays dealers who use recycled coolant at the same rate that it pays for using virgin coolant in warranty service work.

The change became effective in February. To qualify, the coolant must be processed by a GM-approved recycling machine.

The point I was trying to offer to Olds64 and others, is if dealerships are going to use recycled product, and numerous companies are manufacturing equipment to recycle it then there must be a source to be recycled.

So from the GlyEco website a Chemical company specializing in the post Consumer market:
Our Consumer segment has processing and distribution centers located in (1) Minneapolis, Minnesota, (2) Indianapolis, Indiana, (3) Lakeland, Florida, (4) Rock Hill, South Carolina, (5) Tea, South Dakota, and (6) Landover, Maryland. The Minneapolis, Minnesota, Lakeland, Florida, Rock Hill, South Carolina and Tea, South Dakota facilities have distillation equipment and operations for recycling waste glycol streams as well as blending equipment and operations for mixing glycol and other chemicals to produce finished products for sale to third party customers, while the Indianapolis, Indiana and Landover, Maryland facilities currently only have blending equipment and operations for mixing glycol and other chemicals to produce finished products for sale to third party customers. We estimate that the monthly processing capacity of our four facilities with distillation equipment is approximately 100,000 gallons of ready to use finished products. We have invested significant time and money into increasing the capacity and actual production of our facilities. Our average monthly production was approximately 40,000 gallons in the first quarter of 2016 as compared to approximately 60,000 gallons in the fourth quarter of 2016.


Sorry Olds64 for purloining your thread, no matter how thought provoking it may be for me, it is yours.


With respect to all,
Brett

Olds64

Thanks for searching but I already know about that location. Unfortunately, I can't use their services because I don't have water services through the city. I'm on a well.

Even if I could drop it there I would be hesitant to pay $79 to recycle HHW. Especially since I would be paying more in taxes for city water and sanitation.

Olds64

No worries.