How to Get Rid of Antifreeze

How to Get Rid of Antifreeze

How to Get Rid of Antifreeze

Antifreeze or coolant is a substance used as freeze protection and heat transfer medium for motor vehicles, heavy equipment, and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) systems. It's typically made up of ethylene glycol, a material that's toxic to humans and animals. Ethylene glycol is very dangerous because its sweet taste and smell is attractive to children and animals, and can cause antifreeze poisoning. You must handle used antifreeze carefully whenever you flush or drain your radiators. The following tips will help you get rid of antifreeze in a safe and environmentally friendly way.

Draining Antifreeze from Your CarAntifreeze keeps your radiator fluid from freezing when it's cold, and your car from overheating during hot days. You need to flush or drain your radiator every one to two years because it can become contaminated with traces of lead and benzene during use. Here is a step-by-step guide to drain antifreeze from your car.

• Look for the drain valve on the bottom of the radiator and drain antifreeze from there. If the car doesn't have a drain valve, take off the lower radiator hose.
• Drain the antifreeze using a pan that's large enough to catch any leak or spillage. The number one rule in this process is never to mix two different chemicals or liquids, so do not use the same pan that you used to empty the oil out of your car.
• After draining the antifreeze, carefully pour it into clean, labeled plastic bottles.
• Local garages usually have machines that can transform used antifreeze back into a usable product. It's advisable to call a few places first before you start driving around because not everyone has these machines.

To Drain or To Flush?Although draining helps improve your car's performance, it's still better to take the car to an auto shop and have a flush done because this is more effective. Even if you drain used antifreeze, it's likely that there's still a considerable amount of it in the engine and in the heater core. The remaining used antifreeze will contaminate your new antifreeze as soon as your thermostat opens. In addition, draining the radiator does not remove all the deposits that have built up in the system.

Used Antifreeze DisposalIf you drained antifreeze from your car, you will likely end up with bottles of it lying around your garage, putting children and animals in danger of poisoning. The following guidelines will help you dispose of used antifreeze properly.

• Recycle the antifreeze by taking it to a local garage or recycling facility. If you live in the United States, the facility must be approved by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).
• Determine if the antifreeze is hazardous or not by submitting it to a testing facility.
• If the used antifreeze is hazardous because of lead contamination, transport it using closed containers with impermeable concrete surfaces for spill control. In the US, the container must have an EPA identification number.
• If the antifreeze is nonhazardous, you have the option of disposing it in a landfill that's authorized to accept antifreeze.
• Keep all receipts of used antifreeze shipments. The receipts or written records must include:
  • Name and address of the recycling facility and the generator for off-site shipments.
  • The amount of used antifreeze recycled or shipped on-site.
  • The amount of waste antifreeze filters shipped off-site. Waste antifreeze filters are generated from recycling.
  • Date of recycling or shipment

Antifreeze Disposal Do's and Don'ts:

• Do keep your used antifreeze in a covered container and out of the way of children and animals.
• Don't pour used antifreeze into floor drains, sewers, on the ground, or mix it with other waste products.
• Do make sure that your recycled antifreeze meets manufacturers' warranties for the vehicle you're servicing.
• Don't collect antifreeze in containers that have been used to hold other substances, for instance, gasoline or diesel, unless the containers have been thoroughly cleaned. Antifreeze can dissolve substances from the walls of a container and become contaminated or hazardous.
• Do wash down or absorb puddles of antifreeze with an absorbent material and dispose of it in the trash. You may dispose absorbent materials with antifreeze during hazardous waste collections.
• Don't heat antifreeze because this will release toxic fumes.
• Do store antifreeze away from heat and in a well-ventilated place.

Determining Whether Used Antifreeze Is Hazardous or NotThere are different ways of disposing used antifreeze depending on whether or not it's hazardous. Determine whether it's hazardous or nonhazardous by submitting it to a laboratory. You must test each batch of antifreeze from every vehicle you service.

Aside from testing, another way to determine the hazardousness of used antifreeze is to look for hazardous indicators. For instance, if the used antifreeze is mixed with a hazardous waste such as gasoline, then it's considered hazardous. Another indicator is when the antifreeze comes from an older vehicle where it has been sitting for years, collecting contaminants like lead. Lead has many toxic effects, including the capability to cause blood and brain disorders in young children. Lead contaminated antifreeze is automatically considered hazardous and needs to be disposed of carefully.

Is the Disposal of Used Antifreeze Regulated?Laws regarding waste products in different countries may vary, but in the United States, there are currently no federal requirements for the management and disposal of used antifreeze. EPA has not determined whether used antifreeze is a hazardous waste or not. Hazardous wastes include all biologic or infectious wastes, toxic chemicals, and radioactive materials. These materials are a threat to workers in their workplace, to the general public in their homes, to communities, and to the general environment. Exposure to hazardous materials can happen anywhere near the site of generation, along the path of transportation, or near their disposal sites.

Regardless of EPA's unregulated treatment of antifreeze, most states have regulations for the management and disposal of used antifreeze. These regulations apply whether the antifreeze has been determined hazardous or not. Used antifreeze is potentially hazardous because of its high pH level and its potential to carry a high lead content.

Reclaiming AntifreezeAnother way to get rid of antifreeze is to reclaim it in a closed loop system that's connected by piping. This system gathers antifreeze and returns it to the vehicle from which it came. In the United States, EPA doesn't consider reclaimed antifreeze as solid waste or hazardous because it's returned to its original purpose as a coolant.

Closed loop systems connect directly to the radiator of your car, filter the antifreeze, and return it back into the vehicle. While reclaimed antifreeze itself is not considered hazardous, any filter in the recycling equipment needs to be determined as hazardous or nonhazardous when replaced. There are also non-closed loop systems that put used antifreeze into a storage drum. In this case, the antifreeze in the drum may be considered hazardous and must be stored and disposed of according to your local waste management laws.

It's your responsibility as a motorist or an antifreeze user to make sure that the substance is properly disposed of. Always dispose of any potentially hazardous material carefully to avoid harming yourself, other people and the environment.

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