What do you drain your old coolant into?
 

Hi all,

Bit of a random question but what do you guys and gals use to drain your old coolant into when draining the system down?

I have always drained used oil into a plastic oil pan which can be bought cheap these days, then pour it into a 25L jerry can type container like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-X-NEW-2...8/252036641062

I then periodically take it to the local recycling centre and pour it into their used engine oil container.

Does anyone do anything differently with their coolant?
I would've thought it shouldn't be poured into the used engine oil disposal at a recycling centre but then what else would you do with it?

The bloke at our local tip would be really annoyed if you poured antifreeze mix into the waste oil, so I simply pour it into the header tank of an 1800, et voila it becomes steam :D

Brian :getmecoat:

I do the same as you have described.

If you try to find the 'official' method of coolant disposal, you may find yourself going round in circles. Try Googling your local council's waste handling information. I'll be amazed if there's anything informative about waste engine coolant. For certain, waste antifreeze/coolant shouldn't be mixed with waste engine oil at the dumpit site. It's totally incompatible and complicates the recycling/recovery process. Ethylene glycol solutions require a full chemical/biological water treatment process to render them safe. In other words, the best way is down the toilet or the kitchen sink, along with plenty of dilution water. This recommendation was also confirmed by Car Mechanics magazine a few years back. I dare say this question is addressed by the car magazines on a regular basis. This route isn't appropriate where a septic tank is used for waste treatment. What to do in that case is you go back to square one.



TC

there are two council tips in the area that will take up to 5 litres per month

macafee2

Another potential source for those containers, is a local garage that sells home heating oil in the pump. They were around a fiver each.

I use one for the oil, PAS, ATF and brake fluids, taking it to the recycling when it is 3/4s full. The coolant, I flushed in the toilet, after decanting from the basin to a large bucket adding additional water to it for dilution. I didnt think it would be suited for the recycling oil tank.

I asked about our local tip - we're in a London borough. They said chuck it in the general waste. Not good, I think.

I checked further and we are lucky and covered by the City of London, along with London boroughs (and paid through council tax), have a contract with a specialist hazardous waste disposal company. So, we can dispose of old paint, weed killer, coolant, oil up to 15 litres twice a year. All for "free".

That's interesting.

I have to be honest I would never have thought flushing it down the toilet or washing it down the kitchen sink would be an acceptable way to get rid of it.

I do agree though it's not something I would ever put in the engine oil recycling container.

Odd that there's a dedicated container for engine oil at recycling centres but no mention ever of what to do with old coolant.

Interesting question - had to look up the local Swedish regs. Antifreeze - regarded as hazardous waste ie take to the recycling centre, not to be thrown in the normal bin or down the drain. Deep fryer oil is however not accepted at the recycling centre but should be thrown in the normal bin.

Regards

When you see what folk put down the drains I would think that anti-freeze would be one of the very least of their worries.--:eek:

Very, very quickly the anti-freeze would become diluted with the vast quantity of water etc being processed.