Where do Antifreeze and screenwash go?
Ethylene glycol antifreeze is sweet, and animals drink spills readily; the metabolites cause kidney failure, and a small volume is enough for a cat. Any spill on a drive should be washed up and absorbed rather than hosed into a gully, and any leftover coolant goes to a hazardous waste collection or a garage that accepts it. Propylene glycol coolant is much less toxic but still not a drain disposal. Keep it out of the used oil bank, because mixing coolant into waste oil makes the oil far harder to re-refine. Sites and garages differ on whether they accept coolant from the public, so ring your local one first.
How to prepare it
- Keep it in the labelled original container.
- Absorb spills with sand or cat litter, sweep up and bag.
What not to do
- Never leave a puddle of coolant where an animal can reach it — ethylene glycol poisoning is usually fatal by the time it is noticed.
- Never pour it down a drain or mix it into waste oil.
Kerbside collection rules genuinely vary by council and county, and local rules always win over general guidance. The reasoning above is what transfers — if your service differs, it will usually be for a reason described here.
Other things that go to hazardous waste collection
- Paint thinner, white spirit and turpentine Hazardous waste collection. Flammable, and lethal to a septic tank or a river.
- Pesticides, weedkiller and insecticide Hazardous waste collection, in the original container with the label intact.
- Asbestos Do not break it, do not drill it, do not sweep it. It needs a licensed route, and most household waste centres take it only by prior arrangement.
- Old petrol and diesel Hazardous waste collection. Stale fuel is still fully flammable.
- Bleach, drain cleaner and household chemicals Use them up as directed if you can. Anything left over goes to hazardous waste, in its own container.
- Mercury thermometers and thermostats Hazardous waste. Never in a bin, and never vacuum a spill.
- Fertiliser, lawn feed and pool chemicals Hazardous waste. Oxidisers and concentrated fertiliser are reactive, not just polluting.
Common questions
- Where do Antifreeze and screenwash go?
- Hazardous waste. Ethylene glycol tastes sweet and kills cats, dogs and children.
- What happens if you put Antifreeze and screenwash in the wrong bin?
- Never leave a puddle of coolant where an animal can reach it — ethylene glycol poisoning is usually fatal by the time it is noticed. Never pour it down a drain or mix it into waste oil.
Related pages
- Where do Paint thinner, white spirit and turpentine go? Hazardous waste collection. Flammable, and lethal to a septic tank or a river.
- Where do Pesticides, weedkiller and insecticide go? Hazardous waste collection, in the original container with the label intact.
- Where do Asbestos go? Do not break it, do not drill it, do not sweep it. It needs a licensed route, and most household waste centres take it only by prior arrangement.
- Where do Old petrol and diesel go? Hazardous waste collection. Stale fuel is still fully flammable.
- Where do Bleach, drain cleaner and household chemicals go? Use them up as directed if you can. Anything left over goes to hazardous waste, in its own container.
- Where do Mercury thermometers and thermostats go? Hazardous waste. Never in a bin, and never vacuum a spill.
- Where do Household batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V) go? Shop or manufacturer take-back
- Where do Lithium-ion batteries go? Shop or manufacturer take-back
- Where do Vapes and disposable e-cigarettes go? Shop or manufacturer take-back
- Where do Medicines and tablets go? Pharmacy
- Where do Pizza boxes go? Kerbside recycling bin
- Where do Leftover wet paint go? Household waste recycling centre
Sources
- US Environmental Protection Agency — EPA (Public domain (US Government))