PSA from an ex-wastewater treatment operator - PLEASE don't dump isopropyl alcohol down the drain!

As Cannabis users, many of us may use large amounts of Isopropyl Alcohol to clean our glass, tools, etc. Although it is common to assume that common household chemicals like isopropyl alcohol are harmless when dumped down the drain due to sewage treatment, many chemicals can interfere with the processes used to treat said sewage.

Municipal waste is primarily treated with the activated sludge method, which uses aerobic micro-organisms to digest organic carbonaceous waste, oxidize nitrogenous matter, and remove nutrients. VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) such as isopropyl alcohol generally have poor biodegradability and high, in wastewater, lead to high chemical oxygen demand. This can reduce the efficacy of the aeration and digestion process, and in extreme cases (such as in wastewater from industrial sources), even make traditional activated sludge treatment methods impossible.

By not properly disposing of isopropyl alcohol, you aren't going to be responsible for any major catastrophe, because let's face it, there are much bigger threats to our water table and aquatic ecosystems than cannabis users and their isopropyl alcohol. That being said, recent studies indicate that the release of VOCs from wastewater treatment plants has posed an underestimated public health risk and with fresh water becoming an increasingly valuable resource, it's best if we collectively work to protect this resource.

Information pretaining to the proper disposal of ispropyl alcohol can be found in the CDC occupational health and safety guideline for Isopropyl Alcohol available here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activated_sludge The Activated Sludge Process
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12573836 Effect of VOCs such as Isopropyl Alcohol on convention wastewater treatment methods
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24337048 Underestimated public health risks caused by overestimated VOC removal in wastewater treatment processes

Can't say I've ever dumped any isopropyl down the drain......

Same. Using it for MANY things, from cleaning bongs to cleaning my PCs, cosmetics, general disinfection. etc.
Almost daily. Never ever dumped any away. Usually you put some on a paper-towel or similar, and the towel then goes into the trash, the alcohol evaporates.
So I think the problem of dumping isopropyl alcohol may possibly apply to large-scale industrial use..but it's not something "normal" people do.

I never dumped it down a drain , i burn it or let it evaporate .. i also dont live in an area where city water is either but still....

Thanks for this. I like my glass clean, I find I get a nicer buzz and alot smoother. I don't care about the disgusting resin either so I have been cleaning my bongs eve 2-4 days for many years. I give the bong a swish with the stem then put that into the bowl to clean it with some tissue. The 99.9% ISO I get in 4 packs from Costco and it has been going down the drain for many years. I probably use 20ml per cleaning.

I use to use a product that was all natural and was just pure banana extract. Use to see these guys at fair/trade shows and cant remember the name. They would demo it removing tar, grease and stains away so I tried it out on my glass and it worked amazing. ISO was cheap and effective but the banana stuff was not so cheap but still cheaper than the stuff they sell at the head shops. I guess I wont be doing the ISO down the drain anymore...

We've all thought about distilling our own high proof alcohol....