Disposing Turpentine

[axio]

So i use paintbrushes to apply stain, and to clean them off, I use turpentine. How do I get rid of turpentine? Is it environmentally safe, can be poured down the stormdrain? Or is this should thing I should bottle up and drop off at some kind of waste disposal center?

[Whaler]

I probably shouldn't admit to this but I just dump it in a corner of the back yard.

[offthemark]

This won't answer your question but it will cut down on the amount to dispose...

I keep four jars of paint thinner going. I use the 'dirtiest' jar to start cleaning a brush and work through all four jars. By the last jar, there is very little paint left. Occasionally, I dispose of the dirtiest at work (we have a place for dangerous chemicals) and refill with new thinner. All the jars move down one. This way, I use about 1/4 the thinner I did before. Just get some wide mouth glass jars. We eat enough salsa to keep me in a lifetime supply.

[axio]

Thanks Mark, I'll try to use that method. It makes sense. And while I don't eat store-bought salsa (I make my own, actually), I have a bunch of random jars that should do the trick.

[BobSch]

quote:Originally posted by axio

So i use paintbrushes to apply stain, and to clean them off, I use turpentine. How do I get rid of turpentine? Is it environmentally safe, can be poured down the stormdrain? Or is this should thing I should bottle up and drop off at some kind of waste disposal center?

Don't pour it down the drain or dump it on the ground (sorry Whaler). Most locations suggest mixing it with kitty litter and let it dry, then toss it in as regular garbage.

[mschrank]

I'm not quite the environmental heathen that Dick is , but my method probably isn't too much better...

The closest "proper disposal" site is many many miles away, so I set the open jar outside and let it evaporate.

Supposedly the local transfer station (i.e., dump) is upgrading in the coming months to include hazardous waste disposal, so I'll start taking things like this there.

[LarryG]

I'm not admitting to anything, but I have it on good authority that turpentine + a kitchen match yields a very satisfying WHOOMPHH ...

[JR]

Hmm...

Around here if you head for the sewer drain you'll see a brightly painted sign pointing out that it drains directly to the sea where the dolphins play. Too much guilt for me.

And we don't burn nuttin' in these parts. At the first sight of smoke people start running, bells start ringing, red trucks start rolling. No, that won't do either.

I just save all my sludge and crud, because my town runs an incredible toxic waste event every month. Drive through the city yard, which is coated in platic sheeting for the day, and a couple of dozen Tyvek-clad mavens remove everything from your vehicle (no, don't get out, sir, we'll take care of it), mabye ask a question or two and you're on your way. 10 minutes tops. You can then swing around to a table where they offer paint and thinner and stuff that looks to be NIB.

JR

[Whaler]

Guess I sound like a bad guy but I use so little turp that I might throw away 8 oz in a year. All of it goes on a blackberry bush that I am trying to kill, hasn't worked yet.

[axio]

Whaler you might be on to something. My parents have a rental house and the neighbors refuse to cut down these trees that are rubbing up against the wall of the house, and god knows where the roots are ending up (hopefully not messing up the foundation). They even hired an arborist to prevent us from taking any action, despite it being up against our property. Maybe after my prelude's timing belt is replaced this weekend, I'll have to make a middle-of-the-night drive down to dispose of my turpentine hehehe....

[mater]

quote:Originally posted by BobSch

Most locations suggest mixing it with kitty litter and let it dry, then toss it in as regular garbage.

That would be better and easier than trying to take a small amount somewhere.

[Jim Boyd]

quote:Originally posted by LarryG

I'm not admitting to anything, but I have it on good authority that turpentine + a kitchen match yields a very satisfying WHOOMPHH ...

Yep! And you can almost hear the fire ants screaming[}]

[Tom Slick]

just set it outside and let it dry. toss any solids left behind in the trash.
OR
collect for awhile then take it to the hazmat collector.

[monte]

I usually let it evaporate outside.

[IBBugsy]

Well, let an environmental engineer with 30+ years of experience chime in......

Assuming you haven't contaminated the turpentine with something else (like lead-based paint), then the main "hazard" of turpentine is flammability. EPA standards would dictate to a "factory" that the correct (and only) disposal option is incineration. This is very expensive since these "hazardous waste" incinerators have many EPA laws that they have to follow.

A homeowner (or small factory per EPA guidelines) does not have to follow the incineration standard but should reasonably address the "hazard" posed by the waste, in this case flammability. I recommend to my small factories (and to homeowners) the following:

1) Use a local "Toxic Waste Cleanup Day" if their municipality has one.
2) Let it evaporate and toss remaining solids in trash or
3) Mix with kitty litter and toss in garbage

Storm drains are not appropriate. Pouring onto the ground could be a problem to groundwater, especially if you have your own well. Tossing in the trash while still fluid would be dangerous to the trash collectors. Burning it yourself, while an acceptable method of disposal, has inherent safety risks that would lead me away from this option.