Anyone out there have a good method of recycling brake fluid? I have 4 cars that I flush annually and build up an inventory. The local landfill takes used oil, oil filters, and coolant, but no brake fluid. I'd like to find a responsible way of disposal.

thanks,

someguyfromMaryland

Mix it with the used engine oil. They will never know the difference. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~PEH~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Same idea here

While the previous suggestions seem like the obvious solution, they don't really satisfy your "responsible" criterium. Brake fluid and anti-freeze seriously interfere with the processes used in the recovery of lubricating oils for recyling. I'm sure many recyclers will reject loads contaminated with glycols. It's also problematic in waste oil burners. Find a responsible shop that will let you bring it to them. Safety Kleen and the like handle it in a separate stream. You might contact them locally for a suggestion on a shop they deal with. You might have to pay something, though. I haven't had to find a home for mine yet as I'm not very good about regular flushes and only generate waste fluid from incidental tasks like bleeding after component replacement.

Since brake fluid is hydraulic oil why should it be treated any different then engine oil ?

Brake fluid is more accurately a hydraulic fluid than a hydraulic oil. Oils are typically composed almost entirely of hydrocarbons whereas fluids used in automotive braking applications are a mixture of glycols, poly-glycols and related ethers owing to their higher boiling points. Hydraulic fluids used in low-temp apps may well be oils; I wouldn't know. Real oils would be great in braking applications since they wouldn't suck up water like the glycol based fluids do were it not for their boiling point limitations.

Bulk fluids for recycling are tested on receipt by the buyer. It doesn't take a lot of brake fluid or antifreeze in a tanker of waste oil to turn a potentially saleable load into a costly disposal burden. Even incinerator operators are extremely careful about what they accept. There are better ways to get rid of brake fluid than mixing it with waste oil. It shouldn't be too hard to find one. I'll look into it and post what I find.

Looking forward to it
Here in the Netherlands it's easy, we can deliver all used oils,paints and other chemicals to a community yard that takes care of the disposal,all free of charge.

Check with your local university or college.

Almost all of the University of California campuses take all sorts of enviromentally hazardous chemicals (pesticides, paints, oil, brake fluid, fire extinguishers, batteries, etc.).

I visit them almost once per quarter with oil, antifreeze, brake fluid, etc.

:-) neil