Where and How to Dispose of Antifreeze Safely
You can avoid antifreeze safety issues with a few simple tips
- Rubber gloves
- Eye protection
- Large drain pan
- Funnel
- Shovel
- Wide-mouthed plastic jug
- Kitty litter or sand
- Plastic bag
- Bungee cord
If you do your own vehicle maintenance, eventually you'll have to change your antifreeze. This highly toxic chemical is vital to keep a vehicle's engine from overheating or freezing, depending on the weather, and it needs to be handled and disposed of carefully. This guide offers tips on how to dispose of antifreeze safely, including where to take it and how to recycle it.
Why It Is Important to Dispose of Antifreeze Properly
Antifreeze is necessary for vehicle maintenance, but you should handle it carefully. The primary ingredient in antifreeze is either ethylene glycol or propylene glycol, which are both toxic to all living things. It's typically a bright, fluorescent green or orange with a sweet smell, so it's attractive to children and pets who don't know better.
Antifreeze can cause organ failure, convulsions, and loss of consciousness if ingested. For all these reasons, you should dispose of it promptly and clean up spills as soon as they happen.
How to Dispose of Antifreeze
Before changing out your vehicle's antifreeze, be prepared with a disposal location. Search online for antifreeze recycling near you, and you'll likely see recycling centers, auto service stations, auto parts shops, and public landfills listed.
Call or check the websites of these locations to see if they accept the type of antifreeze you're getting rid of. If the antifreeze comes from your vehicle, collection sites will almost always consider it used. You can usually drop off your antifreeze at these locations for free. Sometimes, however, you’ll be charged a small disposal fee.
Not all disposal locations recycle. If you find one that does, it’s the more environmentally friendly option. Either way, properly disposing of antifreeze and other materials like bleach is always better than dumping it down a drain or into your yard.
Don Your Safety Gear
Photo: Turnervisual / Getty ImagesWear rubber gloves and eye protection to ensure that your skin and eyes don't come in direct contact with the toxic coolant fluid.
Drain the Old Antifreeze
Place a large drain pan under your vehicle and open the coolant drain plug. Consult your vehicle's manual to ensure you use a big enough pan. You may also need to flush the radiator system by running clean water through it.
Transfer the Liquid to a Secure Container
Photo: iStock / Getty Images PlusOpen your plastic container and place a funnel in the mouth. A wide-mouthed jug will help keep the funnel steady and prevent spills, but you can also have a partner wear proper protection and hold the funnel for you. Carefully lift the drain pan and slowly pour the collected liquid into the container. Screw on the container lid and ensure an airtight seal.
Clean Up Any Spills Immediately
If you accidentally spill any antifreeze on the ground or floor, soak it up immediately with an absorbent material such as kitty litter, sand, or floor sweeping compound. These work better than rags or paper towels, which become saturated too quickly. Once the material has soaked up the antifreeze, use a shovel to transfer it into a sealable container for disposal.
If you spill antifreeze on yourself, scrub it off with soap right away. Antifreeze on your clothes will come out during a regular laundry cycle.
Transport the Antifreeze to a Disposal Location
Photo: andreygonchar / iStock / Getty Images PlusOnce you've determined a disposal or recycling location that will accept your antifreeze, place your container or containers in a plastic crate or bag to catch any potential spillage that happens during transport. Secure the container in your vehicle with bungee cords or cables to keep it from tipping.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
Whether you don’t have the time or tools or simply don’t want the hassle, you may decide to take your vehicle to an auto mechanic to change the antifreeze. A standard coolant change costs $100 to $200 and will include disposal of the used antifreeze. Or, you may be comfortable with changing the antifreeze in your vehicle but not transporting it. In that case, a local junk removal service may be able to take it off your hands along with any other stuff you’re cleaning out of your garage.
How Much Does Professional Waste Removal Cost?
If you want the pros to dispose of antifreeze as part of a bigger garage or household clear-out, professional junk removal costs an average of $240. However, you could pay anywhere from $100 to $1,000, depending on the quantity and type of junk you have, your location, and whether there are any specific local disposal fees or permits required. Disposing of hazardous waste costs more than regular household trash because pros need to take extra precautions and find the right disposal facility for the product.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coolant and antifreeze are technically not the same thing. The difference between the two is the ratio of water to other chemicals. True antifreeze is mainly made up of either ethylene glycol or propylene glycol, while coolant comprises one part antifreeze and one part water. However, the terms coolant and antifreeze are often used interchangeably, even by pros.
You should never pour antifreeze down the drain or outside on the ground. Because it's highly toxic, antifreeze can still impact people and animals long after it drains. Antifreeze can contaminate water and sewage systems, and any that gets into storm drains and water supplies can attract animals and harm those that ingest it.
In some circumstances, medical professionals can neutralize ingested antifreeze with antidotes such as fomepizole or ethanol—but there is a short window of opportunity. Neutralizing isn’t possible when dealing with antifreeze that you accidentally spill. In these circumstances, the safest and most effective option is to quickly clean up the spill using absorbent materials, such as kitty litter or sand, which you can then put into a sealable container for disposal.
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