---
title: "Where do Antifreeze and screenwash go? Hazardous waste collect"
description: "Hazardous waste. Ethylene glycol tastes sweet and kills cats, dogs and children. Why that route, what goes wrong on the wrong one, and how to prepare it."
url: https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/antifreeze/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Where do Antifreeze and screenwash go?

**Where do Antifreeze and screenwash go?: Hazardous waste. Ethylene glycol tastes sweet and kills cats, dogs and children.**

Hazardous waste collection

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

1. Keep it in the labelled original container.
2. 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](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/paint-thinner/) — Hazardous waste collection. Flammable, and lethal to a septic tank or a river.
- [Pesticides, weedkiller and insecticide](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/pesticides/) — Hazardous waste collection, in the original container with the label intact.
- [Asbestos](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/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](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/petrol/) — Hazardous waste collection. Stale fuel is still fully flammable.
- [Bleach, drain cleaner and household chemicals](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/household-cleaners/) — Use them up as directed if you can. Anything left over goes to hazardous waste, in its own container.
- [Mercury thermometers and thermostats](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/mercury-thermometers/) — Hazardous waste. Never in a bin, and never vacuum a spill.
- [Fertiliser, lawn feed and pool chemicals](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/garden-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?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/paint-thinner/)
- [Where do Pesticides, weedkiller and insecticide go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/pesticides/)
- [Where do Asbestos go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/asbestos/)
- [Where do Old petrol and diesel go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/petrol/)
- [Where do Bleach, drain cleaner and household chemicals go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/household-cleaners/)
- [Where do Mercury thermometers and thermostats go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/mercury-thermometers/)
- [Where do Household batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V) go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/batteries/)
- [Where do Lithium-ion batteries go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/lithium-batteries/)
- [Where do Vapes and disposable e-cigarettes go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/vapes/)
- [Where do Medicines and tablets go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/medicines/)
- [Where do Pizza boxes go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/pizza-boxes/)
- [Where do Leftover wet paint go?](https://atoneplace.net/where-does-it-go/paint-wet/)

## Sources

- US Environmental Protection Agency — EPA (https://www.epa.gov/) [Public domain (US Government)]