Drive Green, Avoid Sticker Shock

Often, eco-friendly products cost more upon their initial purchase because of increased production costs or a lower volume of products sold. It’s simple economics, and sometimes “green” is just more expensive.

However, that’s not the case with recycled antifreeze, as evidenced by a brand called MaxSafe. MaxSafe’s line is 20 percent cheaper than virgin antifreeze, with an 80 percent smaller carbon footprint.

In addition to selling recycled antifreeze, the company buys used antifreeze for recycling. Other ways the company has been able to reduce its eco-impact are cutting the water use in its antifreeze products by 50 percent and limiting energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in its operations.

The main ingredient in antifreeze is ethylene glycol, which is derived from natural gas and can be distilled and filtered to almost-new condition. Photo: Maxsafeantifreeze.com

“We sell recycled products,” says founder Gary Gunderson. “It makes inherent sense that as a company we’re totally focused on sustainability. It doesn’t matter if we sell to a small auto repair shop or a big company with a corporate fleet. We’ve got a great story to tell on how going green is about doing good and selling more.”

Recycled antifreeze is by no means a new phenomenon, and it addresses multiple environmental issues. The first is how to dispose of used antifreeze because it is the rare combination of both toxic and sweet tasting. If antifreeze is dumped down the drain or landfilled, it can poison animals and children.

Antifreeze is also made of the non-renewable gas ethylene glycol, so recycling means less of this material needs to be produced. The EPA estimates that 12 percent of antifreeze is recycled in the U.S. annually. And there’s room for growth, with a simple recycling process involving filtering out contaminants such as lead and then restoring the original properties with additives.

Earlier this year, scientific research showed that antifreeze can be produced naturally from beetle juice. The Longhorn beetle produces a protein that has proven valuable as a de-icer.