How to dispose of solvents

Waste solvents are hazardous, flammable, and a magnet for pollution prosecutions. Thinners, degreasers and cleaning solvents cannot go down the drain, in a skip, or onto the ground. Pour them away and you risk a fire, a poisoned watercourse, and a heavy fine. Here is how to dispose of solvents the right way.

Waste solvents are hazardous waste

Almost all waste solvents are hazardous. They sit in chapter 14 of the waste list, where every code carries a star, so each load needs a hazardous waste consignment note. The common codes are:

• Other solvents and solvent mixtures, 14 06 03*. The catch-all, covering white spirit, thinners, acetone and most cleaning solvents.
• Halogenated solvents and mixtures, 14 06 02*. Including some heavy-duty degreasers and dry-cleaning fluids.
• Solvent sludges and contaminated solids, 14 06 04* and 14 06 05*. The residues, rags and filters left behind.

Store them safely until collection

Solvents are flammable, and the vapour is often heavier than air, so it can travel along the floor to a spark. Keep them in sealed, labelled containers, away from heat and drains, ideally in a bunded store that catches any leak. Do not mix different solvents together, and never pour them down a drain or onto the ground, because a small amount spoils a huge volume of water.

Who can take waste solvents away?

Waste solvents can only be moved by a registered waste carrier, and can only go to a site permitted to handle them. From there they are usually either recovered, cleaned up by distillation so they can be used again, or burned for energy at a high-temperature incinerator. A normal tip will not take them.

The consignment note

Every collection of waste solvent must travel with a hazardous waste consignment note that names the right code, the same as any hazardous waste. Our guide on how to fill out a consignment note covers it box by box.

This is one of our guides on how to dispose of hazardous waste.