Where do you dispose/recycle your coolant / antifreeze / flush?

S

spazzyone

New member
I tried searching this forum but it doesn't seem like anyone's ever really asked before.

Oil is easy to bring just about anywhere to recylce but coolant seems to be a whole different beast to get rid of properly. I've never flushed my own system before and was planning to, but now I've come across this dilemma of how do I store all that contaminated water, where do I get rid of it and the rest of the used coolant?

Some people say flush it, some say bottle it and save it for the 2 days you can drop off hazardous waste in the state... I don't need 10-15g of contaminated waste sitting on the side of my house. I've checked the recycling pages of NJ and there are only 4 places that take it which you must pay anyways and they're over an hour drive each way.

Thoughts?
 
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jkfuel said:
Local car shops (Autozone, Jiffy Lube, etc..) and the city recycling center accept them where I live.
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Local shops around me only take engine oil. Firestone takes brake fluid and ATF. None of the above take antifreeze. There are drop off days 6 times a year in the county I live in, but in different areas. I might just be better off having my shop do it for me still...

is it really ok to flush it?
 
I usually just collect them using an aluminum catch pan or whatever else and drain it all in a 15g container (usually find these at walmart in the auto oil section).

I don't advise that you just dump it in the street, soil, down the drain as if animals get into it, it could kill them; just not socially responsible :]
 
Yeah socially responsible. I remember the 'old' days when I was a kid and watched Everyone dump their used motor oil down red ant holes in the ground, Ants just moved to another spot, LOL!
 
jkfuel said:
I usually just collect them using an aluminum catch pan or whatever else and drain it all in a 15g container (usually find these at walmart in the auto oil section).

I don't advise that you just dump it in the street, soil, down the drain as if animals get into it, it could kill them; just not socially responsible :]
Click to expand...


That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid. I don't need any animals/humans to be collateral damage to the coolant or contaminated water. I assume my shop disposes of it responsibly. From the looks of things and lack of options, I'm going to time the flush with the first drop off day this year (March 19) so I can do it myself.
 
spazzyone said:
That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid. I don't need any animals/humans to be collateral damage to the coolant or contaminated water. I assume my shop disposes of it responsibly. From the looks of things and lack of options, I'm going to time the flush with the first drop off day this year (March 19) so I can do it myself.
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It surprises me that there are no county collection/recycling centers that are closer. I would call around to your local automotive shops to see if they could help out. Years ago, I would just do the exchange in their lot and dispose there.
 
Recently found myself in the exact situation you are in with disposal. None of the local stores would take it. I even checked with radiator shops. They said they do not take it because they are now charged for having their tanks emptied.

I got lucky with about 8 gallons when a guy needed some for a leaky radiator on an old junker truck. My last resort was going to be to bribe and offer to pay someone with a disposal tank. Good luck.
 
flush it down the toilet provided you don't have a septic system. Most sewer treatment plants can process diluted antifreeze with no problem.
 
What county in NJ are you in? My county (Somerset) accepts both motor oil AND coolant every first Saturday of the month at their recycling center. I go there two or three times a year.
 
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Herculean T4R said:
flush it down the toilet provided you don't have a septic system. Most sewer treatment plants can process diluted antifreeze with no problem.
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I think that is the way to do it if you can't bring it somewhere. Dilute alcohol is food for bacteria. Assuming they don't put some biocide in the coolant to keep it from decomposing.
 
Mark_BC said:
I think that is the way to do it if you can't bring it somewhere. Dilute alcohol is food for bacteria. Assuming they don't put some biocide in the coolant to keep it from decomposing.
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When they dump the waste water out of our local plant into the river....its cleaner than the drinking water....basically purified water by then. I dump mine down the drain without trying to find any other place. Why would you take the oil in....dump it on your road or driveway...best dust abatement there is!! Don't use diesel....stinks terribly for years!!! I was told that once.
 
I'm pretty sure flushing it is fine. I remember reading that one of the worst things that is commonly flushed is milk. Apparently the bacteria used to treat the water eat themselves to death. And who hasn't poured sour milk down the drain? When I drained my coolant, I used my oil catch pan so instead of flushing it, I threw it away. Yeah it's bad, but they've got expensive bags that are made to keep that stuff in the garbage and out of the groundwater. Just don't leave it out for the neighborhood cats
 
IsaiahC said:
I'm pretty sure flushing it is fine. I remember reading that one of the worst things that is commonly flushed is milk. Apparently the bacteria used to treat the water eat themselves to death. And who hasn't poured sour milk down the drain? When I drained my coolant, I used my oil catch pan so instead of flushing it, I threw it away. Yeah it's bad, but they've got expensive bags that are made to keep that stuff in the garbage and out of the groundwater. Just don't leave it out for the neighborhood cats
Click to expand...

I'll be moving to Hawaii soon and their rules are much different than where I am now. For both oil and antifreeze they want you to "absorb and trash" and this is how they define it:

Absorb and trash: Pour liquid into a plastic bag with absorbent material, such as shredded newspaper, old rags, or sawdust. Once liquid is absorbed, seal the bag, then throw away in trash can. An oil change box provides the same results. Paints can be hardened in the can, then thrown away.

Household Hazardous Waste :: City & County of Honolulu, Department of Environmental Services
 
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