How to dispose liquid mercury

iWish

iWish

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I discovered a bottle of liquid mercury in an old garage. It weighs about 2 kgs and is contained in a glass bottle mixed with water. Obviously the mercury is just sitting their at the bottom.

I have know idea what to do do with it. Any advice?
 
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iWish said:
I discovered a bottle of lead in an old garage. It weighs about 2 kgs and is contained in a glass bottle mixed with water. Obviously the lead is just sitting their at the bottom.

I have know idea what to do do with it. Any advice?
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Take it to your local angling shop.
 
iWish said:
I discovered a bottle of liquid mercury in an old garage. It weighs about 2 kgs and is contained in a glass bottle mixed with water. Obviously the mercury is just sitting their at the bottom.

I have know idea what to do do with it. Any advice?
Click to expand...

how does one just discover such a thing in their garage?
 
You'll have to contact a waste disposal team they normally have a hazardous waste department.

My aunt used to be a chemist so I just gave stuff like that to her and they'll either list it in their waste or use it.
 
Out of interest why would it be in water?

I recall as a kid we had a sizeable chunk of mercury we played with as well and it didn’t seem to bother anyone.

Of course it was all over when someone dropped it and it split into millions of little pieces and attached every little metal filing you didn’t even know was there.
 
Steamy Tom said:
how does one just discover such a thing in their garage?
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The 80’s weren’t that long ago.

You’ll be amazed what you find has been hoarded in garages as I recently discovered moving my parents’ house.
 
SauRoNZA said:
The 80’s weren’t that long ago.

You’ll be amazed what you find has been hoarded in garages as I recently discovered moving my parents’ house.
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^This

People had all sorts of surprising stuff from uranium coated glassware to toxic materials.
 
If you're in Joburg I'll gladly take it off your hands :)
 
Segg said:
If you're in Joburg I'll gladly take it off your hands :)
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I’m in Pretoria
541abd72a5245c51f0e71363072db8cb.jpg
f5ec12a5a6b9f7074761347e7af430f7.jpg
. Picking this stuff up now I just realised it’s weighing a lot more than I thought. I’d say 5 to 6 kgs.
 
iWish said:
I’m in Pretoria
541abd72a5245c51f0e71363072db8cb.jpg
f5ec12a5a6b9f7074761347e7af430f7.jpg
. Picking this stuff up now I just realised it’s weighing a lot more than I thought. I’d say 5 to 6 kgs.
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Jeez that is a **** load.

And yes the weight is surprising every time for the volume.

Still wonder what the water is meant to do.
 
Mercury is toxic so needs to be handled with care. Saying that, when you drop a large amount of it from a distance of about 2 - 3 meters the splash it makes (in sunlight) is spectacular.
 
SauRoNZA said:
Out of interest why would it be in water?

I recall as a kid we had a sizeable chunk of mercury we played with as well and it didn’t seem to bother anyone.

Of course it was all over when someone dropped it and it split into millions of little pieces and attached every little metal filing you didn’t even know was there.
Click to expand...

In high school the tards also used to play with liquid mercury and disperse it all around classrooms. It is readily absorbed into the skin and many of the ill effects are long term to kidneys, brain, reproductive system and so forth. Supposedly.
 
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