Why will no one take/recycle used coolant?

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I did a coolant drain/refill on my Accord this morning. Went to both Autozone and O'Reilly to dispose of the old coolant and Autozone said they "sometimes" take it and O'Reilly says they won't take it. What the [censored] is up with that? Curious as what they expect people to do? I find it pathetic in this day and age with all the "save the world" crusaders that no one is willing to recycle it.
 
Some, but not all, Advance Auto Parts locations accept used coolant. They have a tank next to the used oil tank for it.

The locations should show up on the AAP website.
 
In many areas, draining coolant down the toilet is an acceptable means of disposal. It depends on local laws and how your waste gets treated. Definitely DON'T put it down a sewer drain, as these usually go right to streams/rivers.
 
Yeap. I have to go 20 miles north to the county dump to get rid of coolant. Is a huge annoyance. And I dont usually need to go that way for anything either, so I have to drive 40 miles for that one thing.
No one else takes it. Putting it down the drain is not an option since Im on a septic.
 
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Waste Management here pick up hazardous waste (i.e. motor oil, transmission fluid, coolant) on trash day. I just leave it out and they take it.
 
I'm not sure what reuse or recycling options exist for coolant, so nobody really wants it.
Drain oil has actual value and can be either re-cracked for basestock or used as space heating fuel.
 
As smart people we should really learn if our sanitary sewer can treat coolant.

Obviously NO-NO-NO in septic systems and storm drains.

Any country dweller can get to a town/city with sewage that goes to a adequate treatment plant.

Don't hurt Mother.
 
i suppose the question is who is the "they" you are referring to. whyb is the first thought that a private company your goto for disposal? some offer it as a convenience and marketting to get you back to the atore. but it is illogical to assume they are required to procide that service.
Do you expect to bring your garbage and leftover food scraps back to safeway for composting?

As said above your local or county waste service should have household hazardous waste and recycling info for you on where or how to recycle.
 
Originally Posted By: Kira
As smart people we should really learn if our sanitary sewer can treat coolant.

Some municipal websites will indicate whether or not it can or should be done.
 
Black oil collection container for coolant. They would never know. Or mix with used oil. If they question it tell them you have a blown head gasket.
 
Originally Posted By: raytseng
i suppose the question is who is the "they" you are referring to. whyb is the first thought that a private company your goto for disposal? some offer it as a convenience and marketting to get you back to the atore. but it is illogical to assume they are required to procide that service.
Do you expect to bring your garbage and leftover food scraps back to safeway for composting?

As said above your local or county waste service should have household hazardous waste and recycling info for you on where or how to recycle.


Come on bro,I know you're not THAT stupid. Re-read my op and you'll very easily see who "they" are. Let's start with the basics. An auto parts store. They advertise all over their store to "recycle your oil,brake fluid,transmission fluid,gear oil,etc here". So......coolant. An automotive chemical that they sell. An automotive chemical that gets changed therefore needing to be recycled. Now I could see it being completely asinine if I drove up to my bank and asked the teller if I could recycle my used coolant there,or if I walked in to my local Red Cross and asked if I could donate not some blood,but some used coolant. But an auto parts store? Sorry dude I just don't see the fallacy there.
 
Originally Posted By: raytseng
i suppose the question is who is the "they" you are referring to. whyb is the first thought that a private company your goto for disposal? some offer it as a convenience and marketting to get you back to the atore. but it is illogical to assume they are required to procide that service.
Do you expect to bring your garbage and leftover food scraps back to safeway for composting?

As said above your local or county waste service should have household hazardous waste and recycling info for you on where or how to recycle.


In many jurisdictions, "they" (being the authorities) partner with private businesses to act as the collection points.

It happens with vehicle fluids, it happens with paint, and other hazardous household waste like batteries, electronics and fluorescent tubes.

Not illogical at all.
 
In my area Sam's Club is listed as accepting antifreeze in addition to municipal household hazardous waste collection sites / programs. I'd call ahead in any case.

http://search.earth911.com/?what=Antifre...y=&sponsor=

Although not listed, might call Firestone Complete Auto Care and ask if they'll accept used coolant. They took my used automatic transmission filter for recycling after calling ahead although not listed as something they accept for recycling.

No FLAPS in my area advertise accepting used coolant / antifreeze, here in the 7th largest city in the USA. Same in Austin, the most Californized piece of Texas there is.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Originally Posted By: raytseng
i suppose the question is who is the "they" you are referring to. whyb is the first thought that a private company your goto for disposal? some offer it as a convenience and marketting to get you back to the atore. but it is illogical to assume they are required to procide that service.
Do you expect to bring your garbage and leftover food scraps back to safeway for composting?

As said above your local or county waste service should have household hazardous waste and recycling info for you on where or how to recycle.


Come on bro,I know you're not THAT stupid. Re-read my op and you'll very easily see who "they" are. Let's start with the basics. An auto parts store. They advertise all over their store to "recycle your oil,brake fluid,transmission fluid,gear oil,etc here". So......coolant. An automotive chemical that they sell. An automotive chemical that gets changed therefore needing to be recycled. Now I could see it being completely asinine if I drove up to my bank and asked the teller if I could recycle my used coolant there,or if I walked in to my local Red Cross and asked if I could donate not some blood,but some used coolant. But an auto parts store? Sorry dude I just don't see the fallacy there.



Have you tried Applebees? Walk in...seating for 1? No, just here to get rid of my coolant. Lol.

The few times I've had to get rid of coolant, I had drained it into my oil catch pan out of convenience. Didn't have anything else. So naturally it got mixed with oil.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
I'm not sure what reuse or recycling options exist for coolant, so nobody really wants it.
Drain oil has actual value and can be either re-cracked for basestock or used as space heating fuel.


Used antifreeze can be re-purified and additized to be as good as fresh antifreeze, similar to re-refining used motor oil, with various other product streams produced during this process.

http://www.hhrecycling.com/used-antifreeze-collection.html

http://www.hhrecycling.com/antifreeze.html
 
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
Yeap. I have to go 20 miles north to the county dump to get rid of coolant. Is a huge annoyance. And I dont usually need to go that way for anything either, so I have to drive 40 miles for that one thing.
No one else takes it. Putting it down the drain is not an option since Im on a septic.


Old 5 gallon plastic cans work nice to store that sort of thing till you happen to be going by some time. I do the same with oil. Dump it in a couple old gas cans then when they are full and I happen to ne going by with the truck off they go. Straight yo the shop of the guy who nurses my old cars around those [censored] NY State inspections. He heats his shop with it and keeps a couple 55 gallon drums handy for dumping into.
 
Auto parts store don't take your used oil to be nice.. They sell it. It should be worth a little over $1 a gallon IIRC. I've never heard of one taking coolant. A couple hundred gallons of used oil would add up quite nicely especially if they don't have a dime in it.

We have a recycling place in town that takes coolant. They also take old TV's, light bulbs etc.
 
My Town's Recycling Center accepts used automotive coolant along with old cans of paint(house paint) and other chem's....old computers, TVs & electronics. Look them up online if you have a recycling center in your area.
 
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