How to Dispose of Paint Thinner

Paint thinners are not environmentally-friendly. Disposed of improperly, they will end up contaminating our water supply, as well as the marine animals that live in watershed areas. This puts the toxic chemicals into the food chain, where they eventually end up being served on your plate. To protect the environment and your family, be sure to properly dispose of any potentially toxic chemical, especially paint thinner.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Glass bowl
• Yellow pages
• Paper

1. Buy only the amount you think you will need and use it up. Then leave the can open to air out the vapors before rinsing and discarding it into the recycling trash.

2. Pour the remaining thinner into a glass bowl, place it in a place where it will receive lots of sun but be inaccessible to pets and children. Allow the liquid to evaporate entirely. Wrap the crystals in paper and discard it in the trash.

3. Call your local hazardous waste information line to find out where to take your used paint thinner.

4. Some industries will recycle used paint thinners and other hazardous wastes by burning them or refining them for fuel. Ask around, or check out the “Business Waste” pages in your local phone book to find out where you might take your contribution, so that your waste will be recycled.

Tips & Warnings

• Before disposing of anything like paint or paint thinner, ask your neighbors if they have a use for them. You could save them a few bucks and yourself the hassle of dealing with the disposal.
• Never leave any toxic chemical where they might be accessible to kids or pets!