How to dispose of linseed oil-stained paper towels

Should paper towel scraps with residue of linseed oil, drying medium and water-mixable oil paint in them be stored in metal containers with lids on them and disposed as hazardous waste?

The bottle of Holbein Duo Aqua linseed oil I bought says the linseed oil is combustible and says that rags soaked in the linseed oil should be stored in a metal container with water in the bottom of it.

The bottle of Grumbacher Max linseed oil I bought doesn't have a warning, but when I asked about combustibility of the Grumbacher Max linseed oil via the Grumbacher Net forum, the Grumbacher customer service technician who responded advised me to contact my local fire department because the product is combustible and should be handled safely.

Do any of you who use these linseed oils dispose of your linseed oil-stained rags or paper towels in the way advised, or do you just trash them into a waste paper basket?

no.......the warning is so'z you don't burn your studio down.

Thanks, Briun.

No, what?

The warning is to store linseed oil contaminated rags in a metal container with a metal lid.

I want to know if that's necessary to prevent a fire.

I haven't heard of any painters' studios burning, but I also haven't heard of them storing their linseed oil contaminated rags in metal cans sealed with metal lids.

Hi Tony;

Linseed oiled rags are quite subject to spontaneous combustion, particularly if they are in a warm confined space. I always rinse them in water, then tie them in a plastic bag with a bit of water in it before tossing them in the trash. I don't think the oil itself is toxic at all (in fact, isn't that what they are sticking in those omega-3-6-9 pills, along with fish oil & borage?). The drying medium and paint is a different matter - some municipalities might treat them as toxic waste (since they are) - but OTOH they are pretty inert when dry. Hence here (at least) they can be disposed of in the trash. But I do treat them just like the oiled rags.

Cheers;

Chris

Thanks, Chris.

I wonder if a plastic bag is good enough. The plastic of the bag would be flammable if the rags suddenly caught fire. I think that's why metal containers with metal lids are recommended.

Also, it seems to me that the rags could start to burn in the dumpster that the bag is tossed into,. The dumpster at my apartment building is right next to the building under an overhang, which implies to me that the building could even catch fire.

First of all, you need to look on the web at the numerous web sites that deal with artist's safety issues. Having a container that is fireproof for disposal of oily rags is a first must on all lists of safety recommendations.

As for linseed oil being hazardous waste, I don't know what different agencies would say about that but my own gut feel is that linseed oil, being a natural plant oil is non-hazardous in an environmental sense. It degrades quickly in air and sunlight and reverts to its natural constituents. It's sort of like calling banana peels 'litter.' Are they really? No more or less than leaves falling from a tree, IMO.

Some folks take it as a vitamin supplement, so how can anyone claim it is harmful to the environment - or is hazardous waste?

I put the rags on the concrete floor of the basement, many feet away from anything combustable. But I never 'soak' the rag in thinner or medium and don't understand why this happens. I use the rag to wipe off the brush when I am painting.

I have jars and jars of spent turps around that I want to dispose of properly. I think that they may still be hanging around when I die and someone else will toss them in the trash.

Turpentine-not really sure why it is a hazard outside of being flammable. There is genuine pine oil I see in pine cleaners, I know that the turpentine is distilled so I assume it is this proceess that makes it more toxic.

Jane

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no,,,you don't have to go through all that.

I think that they may still be hanging around when I die and someone else will toss them in the trash.<

Eco-House citrus thinner, which is a turpentine replacement, is biodegradable, almost odorless, and low toxic. It's made from orange peel oil. Still, I would not dump it into the sewer system. I usually filter the thinner and recycle it (using Silicoil brush cleaning tanks.). Basically, I keep recycling it until it completely evaporated. So, there is no waste. But, it's still expensive. It costs about $45 per gallon.

You can get citrus thinner from Pearl Paints or order it from the Eco-House, which is based in Canada. I once priced it, and discovered that it was cheaper to buy from Pearl Paints than from the manufacturer. Citrus thinner evaporates slower than turpentine. But, I go through about 4 gallons of citrus thinner per year.

There was a fire here some years ago - in a building having 4-5 floors, 15-20 flats, different families. A painter, working at home, had been throwing rags with turpentine/linseed oil in the ordinary carbage. I don't recall the details about the fire, but it was established that the mixture of turpentine/linseed oil was self-combustible and had caused it. I mostly clean my brushes with vegetable oils, meant for cooking, and soap - prefer corn oil and it is also cheapest - but I don't think that turpentine/corn oil could be self-combustible in the same way as linseed oil.