The company has agreed with EET Corporation, an antifreeze recycler headquartered in Harriman, Tennessee, to supply the recycled product.
Marilyn Johnson, Director of Coolant Product Management, said recycled antifreeze offers the same operating benefits as new antifreeze but is more environmentally sound. "Used antifreeze contains a variety of components, some benign and some quite detrimental to the environment, such as water, glycol, soluble salts, oil, dye; metal; and trace hydrocarbons. When contaminated with lead and benzene from vehicle engines, used antifreeze poses a danger to the environment unless it is safely recycled. We promote the viability of using recycled coolant as a safe alternative to new," she said.
"Used antifreeze doesn't belong in the environment," said Rick Neves, Environmental Specialist with the Florida State Department of Environmental Protection. "The concern is not so much the ethylene or propylene glycol, but when you take it out of a vehicle or cooling system, what comes with it are things that are dissolved in it such as heavy metals and solvents. Those definitely have an environmental effect."
Current economic conditions also support antifreeze recycling, Neves explained. Glycol is becoming increasingly expensive to manufacture as the price of wholesale petroleum and natural gas rises. "Any opposition to the use of recycled products stems from quality concerns based on incorrect assumptions," Neves added. "However, according to the U. S. government, recycled antifreeze can actually be purer than new antifreeze because the recycling process reduces chlorides that come from hard water. The best recycled antifreeze meets virgin requirements, such as the product offered by Fleetguard," said Johnson.
