

| Subject: | Brake Fluid and Coolant disposal |
| Date: | Mon, 8 May 1995 12:12:11 -0700 |
Jon, I too have read that we're not supposed to allow car-wash runnoff to go down the storm sewer. I can actually see the point- dishwashing runoff goes through sewage treatment which includes re-turging (?) to keep the waste water from foaming... The recomended solution is a good one: Park the car over a lawn or other area. I don't think Ivory liquid is going to make my front yard a superfund site. And rain not withstanding, I hate to whoosh water down the storm drain! My lawn is WIP at the moment, so I park over the 'beauty strip' between street and sidewalk. Folks, Santa Clara Country residents may make an appointment to give brake fluid and coolant to the toxic waste people by calling: 408 299 7300 for an appointment. I called at 11:55 and waited about 5 minutes to speak to an operator. I confirmed that they take brake fluid, coolant, and would continue to do so for the forseen future. The woman I spoke to was happy for more people to know they were there. You can drop off up to 5 gallons of "household" liquid toxic waste PER TRIP at their roving collection centers. There is no limit on the ammount you give them in a period of time, but they don't want you driving around with more than 5 gallons at a time. You must tell them who you are, what you're bringing and how much. They send you an 'invitation' which you present to the person at the time slot they give you for the collection site. You open your vehicle and they take what you've got. Be nice and CLEARLY label anything that isn't in its own bottle. My own PITA threshold is slightly different: I have a dedicated funnel for pouring oil out of my drip pan into the gallon 'milk' bottles- I've got a low-tech drip-pan and the funnel is neccessary, plus I can leave the plastic bottles that new oil comes in neck-down in the funnel for a week and they drain *completely*. San Jose recycling takes oil at curb-side but prefers 1 gallon containers, which they trade you straight across for one of their 'milk' bottles. They also take empty oil bottles, as empties, so I save brake fluid bottles and coolant bottles for reuse and everything stays neat. Happy Motoring! Bill
Have something to add on this topic today? Revive this thread in the forum »