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Recycling Antifreeze

4K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  mikehawk 
#1 ·
Recycling Antifreeze

In the State of Texas there is a $10,000 fine for the improper disposal of engine oil and filters. Accordingly, Advance Auto Parts, O'Reilly Auto Parts, and Wal-Mart, among others, have responded with free recycling centers, which makes sense to me. If they want to sell these products to do-it-yourselfers, then they should act responsibly and provide recycling. Still, estimates are that the equivalent of 3 Exxon Valdez super tankers of oil are improperly disposed of in this country each year. That's unbelievable, to me. However, the situation gets worse.

There are very few antifreeze recycling centers that I'm aware of. What are most do-it-yourselfers doing to dispose of their old antifreeze? I don't know. These same stores that sell oil, oil filters, and batteries recycle them; however, they don't offer antifreeze recycling. Hopefully, these services will be provided voluntarily or, in my opinion, laws will be enacted to require those who sell antifreeze to recycle it. The TCCA needs to take a stand on this issue. Let your voice be heard.
 
#5 ·
Antifreeze can be dumped down the drain in certain municipalities with substantial public sewage facilities. Some municipalities don't allow this b/c of the trace metals the antifreeze contains. CHECK WITH YOUR MUNICIPALITY FIRST. If you have a septic system, "privy pit", or other non-public sewage system, you will need to dispose of your used antifreeze via household hazardous waste collection service.

The reason there is no "market" for oil/hazardous waste disposal is because free disposal facilities are mandated by the EPA and other government entities. Check with your city/county offices, and they will give you a list of locations that will accept your used motor oil, ATF, antifreeze etc. for free. Most PepBoys stores will accept old motor oil and ATF.

HERE is the list of centers in Philadelphia, for those who care.
 
#6 ·
Just because of no places around me, I take my car to dealer to for cooling system service.
But, I change my own oil b/c local PepBoys have recycling tank. However, they keep it very dirty.
Also, many morons, leave their plastic containers fulled with use oil leave next to tank instead of draining them and disposing those plastics properly.

I don't get that why people are so careless for environment :angry:
 
#9 ·
Originally posted by SixFoFalcon@Aug 20 2004, 03:37 PM
The reason there is no "market" for oil/hazardous waste disposal is because free disposal facilities are mandated by the EPA and other government entities. Check with your city/county offices, and they will give you a list of locations that will accept your used motor oil, ATF, antifreeze etc. for free. Most PepBoys stores will accept old motor oil and ATF.
Take a guess on my view of the EPA and it's policies. Personally, and I'm trying not to bring politics into this, I think the EPA should be abolished and the states should make the laws..."protection" of the environment is not in the federal government's mandate.

JR
 
#10 ·
Originally posted by godspunk32@Aug 21 2004, 09:56 AM
and I'm trying not to bring politics into this
:bs:

Don't take offense, but you've already ****** yourself out for your political party (on a car forum, no less) as anyone can see from your signature, avatar, and member title. That's your prerogative--but when you say that you aren't trying to bring politics into it, you aren't convincing me or anyone else. :)
 
#11 ·
The EPA isn't as interested in enviromental protection and compliance as it is MONEY from fines!

Example: If the government was truly more concerned about compliance with OSHA and EPA rules, they'd have specialists on hand that one could call to their place of business that would actually help them set up everything necessary for compliance.

The way things are where I live, a maintenance manager of an apple packing warehouse called WISHA (WA state's OSHA) in, thinking pretty much the same thing that I described above.

WISHA came in all right - and fined the bejeebers out of them for some things that they weren't aware of. So, instead of spending the money to get compliant, that shed will pay a large fine to the state. And be forced, by law, to do whatever it takes to make the Socialist State of Washington happy.

And they'll have continuing inspections, whether they want them or not, since the state now has it's heavy foot in the door.

Gov't = Extortion in this case.
 
#12 ·
I agree with you Dan...osha and the epa are a joke in this country.

What I mean by not bringing politics into this, was that I am offering an opinion. I think that the state or private enterprise could better take care of the environment and better manage the recycling of oil and other hazardous materials. The companies recycle them, and the state watches over, the way the Constitution intended for the gov't to run.

JR
 
#14 ·
Ok, here you go:
I have been an environmental scientist for over 10 years. It is true that recycling of glycols (ethylene and propylene glycols, antifreeze) is difficult to find an outlet for. I have done fuel blending, biological treatment and incineration of these chemicals. One thing I can say is that there are very few options for the do it yourselfer. Oil, ATF and batteries are easy, but I AGREE it is hard to find someone willing to take your glycol when you are done with it.
Environmental effects of these chemicals? Well, ethylene glycol is toxic, propylene is less toxic. Most glycols are sweet in smell and taste so they pose problems for animals and small children. Large releases (often found at Airports in cold climates, as they use glycol do de-ice the wings) are very bad. I know the cleanup of the old Stapleton Airport in Denver ended up in 1.8 million cubic yards of soil to be contaminated and needed to be removed to a lined landfill. Glycols are NOT good for the water we use and can be difficult for treatment plants to remove. The REALITY of the situation is, however, that as a private individual, we can do NEARLY anything we want to do with these chemicals, legally. Businesses are watched by the EPA with great interest, however, 40CFR261.4(B) in the federal register allows an exemption that includes: homes, apartments, hotels, motels, military barracks, campsites, and more. So, all I can say is, do the right thing. Glycol recycling is a growing industry, hopefully it will make it to us DIY's! Call your county or city and see when they have Household Hazardous Waste roundups. (Although most glycols would NOT be considered hazardous waste, unless heavily contaminated with one the 8 RCRA metals). Oil recycling has its own chapter in the fereal register, so it is more widepread, I guess the EPA figured more people change their own oil than flush their own radiator.


Take care....
 
#15 ·
:withstupid:

Most treatment plants are setup to remove biological waste only.




For a better understanding of Ethylene Glycol, read this:
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts96.html

http://www.inchem.org/documents/cicads/cicads/cicad_22.htm

" Evans & David (1974) studied the biodegradation of ethylene
glycol in four samples of river water under controlled laboratory
conditions. The samples were dosed with ethylene glycol at 0, 2, or 10
mg/litre and incubated at either 20°C or 8°C. At 20°C, primary
biodegradation was complete within 3 days in all four samples; at 8°C,
it was complete by day 14. Degradation rates were further reduced at
4°C. Price et al. (1974) assessed the biodegradation of ethylene
glycol in both fresh and salt water over a 20-day incubation period.
Concentrations of up to 10 mg ethylene glycol/litre were used. In
fresh water, 34% degradation was observed after 5 days, rising to 86%
by day 10 and 100% by day 20. Degradation was less in salt water
-- 20% after 5 days and 77% after 20 days."
 
#16 ·
Again, the county recycle center here in Charlotte takes everything.... paint, oil, batteries, anti-freeze. The only thing required is they check your ID to see if you're "local" since Charlotte is right on the North Carolina, South Carolina border. Guess we don't want those skanky Gamecocks coming up here and dumping their anti-freeze in The Tar Heel State.

And since someone else brought it up......Let the states keep charge of their own EPA regs?

One of the reasons Richard Nixon started the EPA back in about 1970 was because of the problems with competing states. Say a state that allowed lots of industrial pollution bordered a state that didn't. The state that had stricter laws not only may have lost industry jobs to the state that allowed pollution but the also got the dirty air that flowed across the border from the polluting state. It wasn't fair and it didn't work.
 
#17 ·
You know, I just flushed my coolant yesterday, and when the job was done I started calling around to parts stores and shops and nobody would help me out. A few shops actually hung up on me. So, I just took it to a parts store and dumped it in with the recycled oil, I figure it's about the same as a bunch of people with bad head gaskets chaning their oil and dumping it in.
 
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