White spirit is quite a handy mineral spirit used in most home remodeling projects. You can use it as a paint thinner, or even clean most of the tools after you’re done repainting the walls of the house.
However, the white spirit is only used in small quantities at a time. This means that once you’re done, you will probably be left with some unused white spirit to dispose of or store away.
Since it’s a hazardous substance, you must dispose of white spirit very carefully. Here’s how to do it.
Ways to Dispose of White Spirit
White spirit is a solvent that is petroleum based. This means it needs to be treated with extreme care when it is time to dispose of it.
You should remember that white spirit isn’t soluble in water. Therefore, mixing it with water isn’t a good idea. You can use the methods mentioned below to dispose of the white spirit instead.
Check Your Local Council’s Website
For starters, you can use your search engine to navigate to your local council’s website. These websites usually have detailed guidance on the best ways to dispose of hazardous waste.
They will take you through everything you need to do in order to dispose of it safely.
Additionally, the local council’s website also has details about where collection centers and points are located in your city. You can easily look for the nearest collection point using the maps feature.
They also offer you contact details of the collection points. So, you can call them up and ask if they accept white spirit for recycling.
If they do, you can then set up a time to drop off the white spirit at the facility. It is often the most convenient and safe way of disposing of the white spirit.
Search for a Collection Point
If you’re struggling to dispose of the white spirit and have no other means of reusing it, we have a solution for you. You can simply look for a local collection center or point that takes in white spirit.
There are a large number of companies in America that offer this option. They are willing to collect your white spirit at no cost. This is the best way to get rid of any leftover spirit.
Since these companies aim to promote the safe disposal of spirit, they are usually willing to help you out in any way possible. You can call them up and ask for guidance regarding the best way to do it.
Moreover, these collection centers are well-trained and know the best ways to safely recycle used mineral spirits.
They offer you the assurance of knowing that your unused white spirit will be disposed of safely. You won’t even have to worry about it damaging the environment or ending up in water filtration plants.
Send to a Local DIY Store
There are many local DIY stores now appearing all across America. These stores have all of the materials and tools you need to do your own home remodeling and painting projects.
This means that these stores definitely have the white spirit for people to purchase. You can reach out to one of these stores and ask if they accept opened bottles of white spirit.
If they reply affirmatively, you can just schedule a drop-off time with them. By giving off the white spirit to the DIY store, you can ensure that you dispose of it safely.
It is also a great way to minimize waste since someone else will buy it from the store and use it. This means that the white spirit isn’t wasted away. You won’t even need to reserve a space to store it!
Donate to Local Community Projects
Another great way to get rid of any extra white spirit is by donating it to any local community projects in your neighborhood.
You can reach out to any youth club, school, or local religious organization that might be getting some work done on their buildings.
These charities and organizations will be grateful to receive the white spirit as a donation. It helps them cut down on the overall costs of their project.
It works well since you get to dispose of the white spirit safely, and you know it is being used for a good cause!
Reuse it to Clean Tools
Haven’t been able to send the white spirit off to a local collection center or a community project? Don’t worry! You can simply reuse it at home to clean up your painting tools and other objects.
Just because your white spirit isn’t perfectly clear, doesn’t mean it can’t be used to clean anymore. All you need to do is let it sit overnight, and all of the paint will settle at the bottom.
Your white spirit will look almost new again. Therefore, you can continue removing oil-based paints from brushes and other tools using it.
Save for Later Use
In the end, if nothing else works out, you can simply store the white spirit for later use.
It is important to realize that white spirits can easily be reused multiple times. Even if you have used the spirit once to clean painting tools, you can use it again for other cleaning purposes.
Just follow the method mentioned above to get your white spirit ready to be reused. Moreover, you should also ensure that the spirit is stored in a safe manner when not in use.
You can pour the white spirit into a new container after the paint has settled at the bottom. Label it using a permanent marker and keep it locked away in a cupboard in your toolshed.
Safety Concerns When Disposing of White Spirit
White spirit tends to be an essential part of your home makeover tools. Most people use it when repainting their walls.
However, they don’t realize just how important it is to ensure proper precautionary measures are taken when using the white spirit.
White spirit is a toxic substance that can be quite harmful to human health. It can contaminate your groundwater, damage the environment, and even cause breathing difficulties.
Upon direct skin contact, white spirit can cause extreme irritation and dryness. It can even lead to your skin cracking, developing blisters, and burning.
Constant skin exposure to white spirit can cause dermatitis.
White spirit is also quite dangerous for your eyes. Exposure to the eye due to splashing or even rubbing your eyes with your hands after touching white spirit can cause stinging.
Long-term exposure will cause your eyes to burn and tear up.
Environmental Concerns When Disposing Of White Spirit
Knowing how to dispose of white spirit in an environmentally friendly manner is of utmost importance. This hazardous substance can’t simply be thrown away without much thought.
It is critical to know the right ways of disposing of white spirit. This is because this hazardous substance can be highly toxic to the environment.
Its water insolubility means that it can linger in the environment for long periods of time. It doesn’t get washed out with water, and neither does it turn into a diluted form.
If white spirits enter the local water supply or the groundwater, they can cause severe damage to marine life. It can poison fish and other types of wildlife.
Moreover, white spirit can even make its way to your drinking water supply. This would pose a serious health risk to people residing nearby.
Can I Pour White Spirit Down the Drain?
White spirit should never be poured down the drain.
Due to the many environmental concerns, disposing of white spirit down the drain is a terrible idea. It will drain into your water supply systems and seep into underground water.
Underground water is generally treated and pumped back to homes in the neighborhood. This means that your water supply will be tainted with traces of white spirit.
White spirit also damages water pipes and septic tanks. Due to its sharp nature, it can wear down your drain, cause severe damage to your pipes, and even cause your tanks to malfunction.
This can easily result in hundreds of dollars’ worth of damage. You will need to call in a professional plumber to have a look and fix your drainage system and pipes after this.
Similarly, you should never flush white spirit down the toilet either. It is a solvent that won’t dissolve in water, nor will it get washed away.
Like petrol, it will continue to sit on top of the water. This means that it can quickly clog up your toilet and cause extreme water damage. It erodes rubber joints and causes pipes to leak.
Moreover, this also risks the possibility of contaminating the wastewater supply in your area. This is another major environmental risk and should be avoided at all costs.
Is It Okay to Put White Spirit in the Trash Bin?
In general, it is better to put white spirit in the trash bin as compared to pouring it down the drain. This is because it is less likely to become an environmental hazard in this way.
That being said, putting white spirit in the trash bin is still not the safest way to dispose of it. You should be especially careful not to put the spirit in the usual trash bins at your home.
Instead, return the leftover white spirit to its original container. Then, you can carefully throw it away in a hazardous waste container around your neighborhood.
Since many communities don’t have these containers stationed nearby, this isn’t always possible.
Therefore, using one of the disposal methods mentioned above would still serve you better. Good luck in disposing of the white spirit!
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