It’s the time of year to have fun with the family, build carrot-nosed snowmen, and eat more chocolate than your sweet tooth can bear. It is also the time of year to get all those Christmas decorations out of your garage. If you’re having trouble reaching all of those boxes, you may need to clean the garage.
But be careful. Certain items in your garage cannot simply be placed on the curb for normal garbage collection. Items such as car batteries, used brake cleaner, pesticides, and used oil should be disposed of properly according to the rules and regulations of your local municipality.
Hazardous Materials Disposal
Before disposing of any material that may be considered dangerous or harmful to human health or the health of the environment, contact your local city hall. You can easily find the name, phone number and website of your local council by visiting the official UK government website and entering your postal code or street and city information.
Your local council should be able to provide you with a detailed list of their recycling and disposal practices. For example, some may dispose of the paint for you, but will only pick up the paint on certain days of the month. Until then, you might want to figure out how to reduce the amount of waste in your garage so stacks of plastic oil bottles and leftover coolant don’t take up a lot of space and don’t keep you from reaching for your Christmas decorations.
- Refrigerant– In previous years, you may have simply dumped your old coolant on the ground to control weeds around your house. Today, however, you know that this is no longer acceptable and is very harmful to the environment. So what do you do with all that leftover coolant? First, be sure to drain all of the coolant into a new drain pan so it doesn’t come in contact with oil. Call different auto parts stores in your neighborhood. Some of these stores have their own refrigerant recycling machines, which distill the refrigerant. The shop can then add an additive to the coolant and it can be used like new.
- Paint thinner and gasoline– Do you have some gasoline or paint thinner in your garage? If there is only a small amount, there is an easy way to get rid of it. Find a warm, well-ventilated area out of the reach of little fingers and pets and leave it open until completely dry.
- Brake fluid– When bleeding the brakes, collect the drip in a jar. Keep the jar open for a few months (out of the reach of children, away from fire or sparks, and in an area where it will not tip over). After a few months it will have absorbed enough water from the air to lower its boiling point. Pour the brake fluid into a cat litter tray and set it aside for a couple of days. A few days is all it takes for this hazardous material to evaporate.
- Brake cleaner– Brake cleaner can be very dangerous to both your health and the environment if it is not disposed of properly. Never dispose of it in the sewer, storm drain, or kitchen sink. Once you pick up your brake cleaner, it will actually evaporate after a while, leaving you with just the dirt and grime you cleaned from your brakes. However, it is important that you contact your local council and make sure this practice is allowed before attempting it.
When you need to empty your garage this holiday season, be sure to dispose of hazardous materials like brake cleaner properly. Before placing it on the sidewalk, contact your local city hall and find the best ways to dispose of harmful materials.