Disposal of Antifreeze?

[RemarkLima]

I\'m really having a hard time trying to find somewhere to get rid o fthe stuff... I\'ve phoned the council but need to ring back later as their system is down ATM.

But just googling around and it seems that it\'s really vague as to what to do in the UK, some people saying just dilute and other saying flush it down the loo into the sewers (where at least it\'ll get treated).

But for something so toxic I\'m really surprised that there\'s basically zero guidance on it... How does everyone else get rid of their old anti freeze?

[JohnnyP]

I had the same problem. Council said it\'s illegal to pour down drains, but try your local garage as they have to dispose of it safely. I tried my local dump, they have a container for engine oil but not antifreeze. Ended up pouring it in plastic bottles and chucking it in the household waste skip! Not my preferred option but as usual the council were of little use.

[RemarkLima]

Shame it\'s not an easy thing to get rid of TBH... I\'ll check with the local mechs as they must know a way to safely get it disposed of.

Otherwise down the loo seems the most sensible option if the council can\'t come up with the info!

[Prof]

It\'s mostly the Ethylene Glycol in the antifreeze that\'s the reason it\'s considered poisonous.
 
Becuase of it\'s sweet taste, animals and children can ingest large amounts of it - causing toxicity.
 
Alcohol is an active inhibitor of poisoning by it, no wonder the french got away with putting it in their cheaper wines ! :Nono!
 
Wiki Article here:
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene_glycol
 
It\'s destroyed by heating (120 deg C plus), and probably broken down in the sewer/drain by bacterial agents.
 
This site:
 
http://ptcl.chem.ox.ac.uk/~hmc/hsci/chemicals/ethylene_glycol.html
 
says small amounts may be flushed down the sink if permitted by local regs, but larger quantities should be disposed of as \'Liquid Waste\'
 
Also found this:  http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=63404

[g11ary]

Was going to say I normally drink it hehe

[RemarkLima]

Cheers Prof! I saw the HonestJohn link which is where I thought th sewer would be one of the more responsible options... In a bizarre way.

[Swanny_UK]

I dispose of it down the toilet. As you\'ve said - it\'ll get treated that way.  Drains etc wont get treated, and may run straight into waterways.  I\'ve phoned our local council several times to get confirmation of what they want me to do with it but they havnt got a clue. :2Confused

[RemarkLima]

Cheers Swanny, glad to get some confirmation... Anything left I\'ll stick into the home made wine

[FDAsh]

When Ive changed radiators in the past I just left it to dry up on my garage floor or put sand on it, and shovelled it into the bin.

[Timmy]

Flushing it is ok apparently. http://www.wasteaware.org.uk/db/material.cfm?id=54

[RobbieRX-7]

Dump mine in the garden along with the oil. My plants are proper tough, like bouncers

[Martiny]

I dispose of it down the toilet. As you\'ve said - it\'ll get treated that way.  Drains etc wont get treated, and may run straight into waterways.  I\'ve phoned our local council several times to get confirmation of what they want me to do with it but they havnt got a clue. :2Confused

?

My drain and my toilet waste go to the same pipe!

[bluerx]

Dump mine in the garden along with the oil. My plants are proper tough, like bouncers

PMSL. Treat em mean, keep em keen

+ 1 vote loo. It can\'t be any worse than what my toilet has to deal with on a daily basis.

[RemarkLima]

?

My drain and my toilet waste go to the same pipe!

Do they? That\'s weird... My drains (for rain, guttering, bath, sink, shower water etc...) all go into the open drains around the house, but the toilet goes into a seperate sealed pipe (with a vent above the house) into seperate sewers.

Seems to be the norm around this way!

Don\'t think my veggie patch would like the antifreeze tho\'... And I\'d not be too keen to eat it afterwards!

[ashc]

my local tip manager said pour it in the engine oil recycling tank there, he said it was for all nasty fluids - so i did!!! it is pretty toxic to fish even in trace amounts, so i feel a bit guilty about drains!