Recycle Your Used Antifreeze 

Antifreeze is a product used as a coolant in our motor vehicles. It is illegal to dispose antifreeze down drains or in the trash. Most antifreeze on the market is formulated from ethylene glycol, which is poisonous even in very small dosages. A cat can die by simply licking its paws after walking in a puddle of the antifreeze. A lethal ingestion dose for an adult is four ounces. So, it is important to use the product carefully in our homes, clean up any drips or spills immediately, and store the product out of the reach of children and pets. Whether changed at home or through auto servicing, it is also important for motor vehicles to be properly maintained, so accidental spills will not occur in parking lots or on the street.

A much less toxic antifreeze, propylene glycol based, is now readily available at auto parts stores and other retailers where antifreeze is sold. It is sold under the brand names Low-Tox and Sierra. This antifreeze provides an added margin of safety for humans and animals. Even though it is eight times less toxic than the ethylene glycol based antifreeze, it is still important to store the product with care away from children and pets and to clean up spills.

Like other products, both kinds of antifreeze can be recycled. Currently, the amount of propylene glycol-based antifreeze used is fairly small, so, it can be recycled in with the ethylene glycol-based antifreeze. The recycled antifreeze, however, is often difficult to find at retail locations. The product is expected to become more readily available in the future. For further information, please contact Anna Ward at (916) 341-6454 or award@ciwmb.ca.gov.

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Last updated: August 01, 2008