# Chemical disposal



## JerseyMike79 (Apr 7, 2012)

Was wondering where people dispose of their chemicals (Thinners, Denatured Alcohol, etc.) once they finish using them and have small quantities of leftovers…


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## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

Pour them on kitty litter, throw away the clumps.

For fun: keep the kitty litter in a cat box and ask your wife whenever she comes in the shop: "Have you seen my kitty?" ;-p


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## newwoodbutcher (Aug 6, 2010)

Good idea!


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

In Ontario we have Specific Locations where you ar suppose to take all that Toxic stuff for Disposal.

To be Honest. I don't know anyone who does that. It usually gets buried in the Garbage Bag and hits the Curb every Wednesday.

Except my *IDIOT Neighbour* who does his own Oil Chages on 2 Cars.

He just *stacks up the Old Oil in his Garge*. It's No Longer Motor Oil and It's *Very Toxic! *

I told him last year to get rid of the stuff and Quoted him the By-Law that said it* MUST be *Properly disposed of.

This area is all *Townhomes*. A Month ago some Kids broke into his Garage when they where away and *TRIED to Light The Stuff! *They weren't succcessful.

Someone else called the Cops and reported it. I asked the Cop if they where going to make him remove it.* "We just file a report on the Breakin. That's pretty well it" HUH??*

I waited 3/4 Days after the IDIOT got home. "You going to get rid of that stuff?" .... "Oh well, maybe, prety soon, blah blah blah".

I reported it to the Town By Law Officer. He came over, counted *53, 3.5 Litre Jugs of it (46.37US Gallons or 196US Quarts). He gave hime 48 Hours to dispose of it and bring the Receipt to Town Hall or face a Substantial Fine. *

He did so. Naturally I'm now the *"Bad Boy" *on the block for reporting him. *Go figure!!*

Rick


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## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

About 11 or 12 years ago in England there was 'the petrol strike' - a protest against high gas prices and government fuel duty and taxes. The tanker drivers refused to make deliveries from refineries to depots.
Of course, everyone panicked and started stockpiling unleaded and diesel.
One idiot made the headlines when he filled up his 240L wheelie bin with petrol and brought it into his terraced home.
The wheelie bin had a leak and as far as I can remember, the petrol poured through the floor and the vapours spread underneath and across, affecting his neighbours and his neighbours neighbours.
Not that that has much to do with getting rid of old thinners and other chemicals, but it does illustrate just how stoopid some people are.

My local recycling centre doesn't have a dedicated container for old thinners/white spirit etc, but there is a collection about once every three months for all that stuff.


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## kizerpea (Dec 2, 2011)

Dam! thats why i,m glad i dont have neighbours…....i got a 5gal bucket ..just pour it in,,,keep wood scraps in there to…when its time to build a fire in da wood stove i just toss in a few ,stack some wood in an let it roll..


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## tenontim (Feb 24, 2008)

I keep used thinner in a one gallon can. After about a week, when the color and sediments settle, I pour off the "clear" thinner in another can, and use it for initial cleaning of brushes and such. When I do the final clean with clean MS, I pour it back into the first can. I get a lot of mileage from a gallon of thinner this way.
I do the same with cleaning shellac brushes. Eventually, you'll wind up with about a 1 pound cut of shellac, and you can use it to seal end grain, etc.


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## RussellAP (Feb 21, 2012)

Mix with coke or redbull and drink it. Don't forget some mint.


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## dontrushme (Jul 23, 2012)

Here, the regular garbage pick-up will take it as ling as it dry/cured. So I leave paint cans in the garage, open, for a week or so, and then put it out with the regular garbage.


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## Tedstor (Mar 12, 2011)

Well US federal HAZMAT laws make it difficult/expensive for municipalities to operate HAZMAT collection points. You need personnel that have taken special courses and have special licenses (special = expensive). You also need a slew of permits, certificates, and insurance. If the EPA finds the smallest deficiency, the collection site gets butt-raped. 
That said, many localities contract the function to a private firm and only offer collection a couple times per month. SOOOOOO- even though said laws are meant to protect the environment, too many people simply allow the stuff to evaporate into the atmosphere or just throw the crap in the garbage. Funny. If they made it easier, they would undoubtedly get better compliance.


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## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

Our city/county are having a collection of such items at the exhibition center, south of town. The paper had an article on it as to what to bring, not to bring and how to package or fix it for disposal. They are now doing this twice a year.


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## ClintSearl (Dec 8, 2011)

If you can't drink it, burn it.


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## MNgary (Oct 13, 2011)

Honest, officer, I ALWAYS dispose them in accordance with federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, requirements, and even wishes and guidelines. The EPA is not only the guide to my ship, it's the Bible of everything I do!


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## Wdwerker (Apr 14, 2012)

I had an ex EPA guy as a client. He said that an implied license to use a solvent is part of paying for the container. Leftover paint and finish he reccomended folding and tape up a cardboard tray, pour out a thin layer and let it dry,repeat until the can is empty then throw away the cardboard. Solvents pour out in a metal tray to evaporate.
I have sprayed leftover solvent out with a spray gun just to get it over with, didn't want to leave a pan of flammable solvent unsupervised and dangerous..
I have used waterborne finishes for the last 15 years so most of my solvents are stains these days.
Remember to let rags from oil finishes hang outside flat ! If you wad them up there is a risk of spontaneous combustion. This is real, my in laws garage burned down due to spontaneous combustion! Heat is created as the oil finish cures.


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

I always try to make an effort to dispose of the chemicals, oil, batteries, light bulbs, etc., if there is a disposal site fairly close. Most of the items I listed do have sites within a few miles of me. I cant find a close place for mineral spirits, etc., so with gas at $3.50 a gallon, it goes in the trash. My collector takes everything to a trash burner downtown, so I dont see any problems.


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## hhhopks (Nov 22, 2011)

Our county has a site where you could drop it off.
You do have to call to make an appointment.
It works really good. They pretty mnuch will take everything.


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## Momcanfixit (Sep 19, 2012)

Very easy here. The landfill has designated days when you can drop off household hazardous waste. That's not to say that small amounts don't end up at the curb…


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

In the city I used to live in you could just take the stuff to the dump; there was a special area where you'd leave the containers and they'd dispose of it in a safe manner for you. As I was doing home renos and constantly going to the dump it was fairly easy to dispose of it. Now in the city I live in there is a special depot in town with limited hours it is open and is only open Thursday through-Sat so my chemicals and used oil tends to pile up outside by the garage.


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## bernwood (Aug 19, 2010)

I've been recycling for 30+ years and the rule is if the solvent is dry you can put it into the landfill dumpster they have on site at the recycling station. I have an old plastic container full of clean sawdust and I pour old paints thinners etc. into it and let it dry. The dry sawdust is dumped into the land fill.


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## stevenhsieh (Jan 8, 2010)

Dump it over the neighbors wall.


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## stevenhsieh (Jan 8, 2010)

No, You should have waste chemical centers near you that can collect most waste.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

I'll confess that used DNA and Mineral Spirits get used as starter fluid in the fire pit. I let paint/finish cans air dry, then they go into the recycling bin.

The county operates a hazardous waste drop-off … they are open Thursdays until 6pm and Saturdays until 2pm.

The last place we lived, the township had a drop-off set up at the town garage that was open Tuesday and Thursday morning, and 7am to Noon on Saturday.

-Gerry


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## JerseyMike79 (Apr 7, 2012)

I've been doing the, "Dump it in the pile of sawdust" method as Bernie mentioned, just not sure this was the right/safe thing to do. I will have to check with my local laws and see from there, but usually in Jersey, you can just dump it right in the rivers and they say everything should be OK! Nightglo fish are yummy to eat :-(


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## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

Bernie's mehod is probably the best if there is no drop off for old containers.

Personally, I think anyone who is reckless enough to dump stuff like thinners/mineral spirits down the drain or into waterways should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.


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## Gregn (Mar 26, 2010)

I do like tennontim and when I'm done with it, I take it to the local landfill that has a trailer for taking hazardous materials to its hazardous recycle center.


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## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

FWIW, I heard once that all this stuff we take to hazardous sites is incinerated anyway. Anyone know this for a fact?


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

Depends on the chemical. But typically things like motor oil and coolant go back to Advance Auto for recycling. Woodworking solvents I run the can dry so not an issue there. Leftover finishes that get nasty in the can go to the Hazardous waste recycling center. No idea what they do with it from there. Almost afraid to ask..


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## MoPower (Feb 6, 2009)

As far as used motor oil is concerned, the law (federal) now requires that any place that sells motor oil is required to take in the old motor oil for recycling and or disposal. As far as I know this law has been adopted by all 50 states.

As for chemicals at the house hold level, there are no federal laws, just state (very few), county and city ordinances regulating disposal (getting better but still not enough).

As a fire fighter it scares the hell out of me when I see an attatched garage on a house fire. Garages are havens for some ordinary house hold chemicals (in larger than normal qtys) that become very nasty when exposed to heat or when burning (most can be absorbed through the skin when vaporized). These type chemicals in garages are usually stored in larger quanities than what you find under the kitchen sink.

Big bulk stores now sell this stuff by the gallon (and larger) vs the 16 and 20 oz bottle that used to be the norm.

If you happen to live in an area where your local FD has a Hazmat team they can tell you how to properly dispose of it. Even most VFD's have had some Haxmat training and can help you with this.
As a general rule FD's are NOT haxmat disposal sites. But some in larger cities are set up for HOUSEHOLD waste disposal. Your home workshop would fall under this category as long as you don't exceed certain limits ( don't show up with a 55 gallon drum of paint thinner ! ).

A couple of things to remember when tossing stuff;

Used oil : if the oil is absorbed into an absorbent (kitty litter, oil absorbent pads) as long as it is not saturated to the point to where it is dripping or leaking, in most areas it is ok to bag it and toss it in the trash.

Paint and thinners: Leave the cans open to dry / evaporate, once this is done it's ok to toss them into the trash in most area's. Again check local ordinances,* if you live in California where your existance causes cancer, most likely none of this applies.*

Another GENERAL rule for a liquid, either try to evaporate it or turn it into a solid waste (kitty litter) and* usually *it is ok to toss

Bottom line is most household chemicals are easily disposed of with a little thought .

And if you are a business, absolutely none of this applies until you have an EPA certification as to what type of hazmat generator you are.

Woodcop: Hope you and your's made it through Sandy OK. As a first responder I know you are going to be running long hours for many days to come putting others before yourself and family.
Be careful out there!


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## chickenguru (Mar 15, 2010)

As far as oil goes in Ontario Canada you can take I think 4.5 gallons per month to any place that does oil changes and they have to take it. I have not been into woodworking long enough to have the other waste. Plus there is hazardous waste days like 6 times per year where is no limit plus free.


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## MoPower (Feb 6, 2009)

I had to come back to this thread just to remind everyone to keep WoodCop in your thoughts and prayers. Even though Sandy has passed through now the most dangerous part is just beginning. Clean up and search and rescue can sometimes be more dangerous than the storm itself.

Just remember that as a cop, He's one of the CRAZY ones running to the disaster, not away from it.


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## oldretiredjim (Nov 14, 2011)

Our city has a collection site that is free. It is about 10 miles away so a 20 mile trip. They take everything and separate it into disposal at an incinerator (rotary kiln that trial burned at about 1900*), and items that can be recycled. Incineration works really well with organics which most of it is.


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## JerseyMike79 (Apr 7, 2012)

Thanks Scot, things are finally starting to return to "normal" around here. 12 hour shifts for 2 weeks was draining, but I was blessed to still have my house (and family) intact. I've never seen anything like this in my life and hopefully never will. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers.

-Mike


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