Stale Beer Disposal—Do It Right or You Might Be Fined

Does stale beer require hazardous waste disposal? (You’d be surprised.) Check out the following Q&As.

1. Does stale beer require hazardous waste disposal?
2. Do household amounts of stale beer require hazardous waste disposal?
3. Do you have to toss stale beer?
4. What are the transport and disposal requirements for stale beer?
5. Where can you get advice about unwanted-beer disposal?

Does stale beer require hazardous waste disposal?

Although beer is not technically a hazardous waste, it is a nonetheless a regulated waste, subject to municipal and provincial wastewater and environmental regulations. Beer is brewed with yeast and contains alcohol—if there’s enough of it, proper disposal planning is critical to avoid sewer violations, surcharges, or environmental impact. Consider:

• Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). Materials disposed of into water bodies or systems will decompose. Decomposition requires oxygen. Different substances consume more or less oxygen than do others. The metric for this is called Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD). Too much high-BOD waste can create an oxygen shortage that kills aquatic life: from microorganisms to fishes. (The EPA will not be amused.)
• Total suspended solids (TSS). Remediation of excessive suspended solids (per Clean Water Act standards) requires treatment or removal—probably both—and is expensive. (In Texas, two small breweries were each fined $5000 for their TSS peccadillos.)
• pH levels. Adding beer (and its attendant yeast) into a water body or system will affect pH levels, consequently making its acid or base levels inhospitable to important biota. (You so don’t want to do that).

Do household amounts of stale beer require hazardous waste disposal?

Well, it depends. If your “household” is the Rogers Centre after a Leafs game, then yes. If it’s your Aunt Marge’s bungalow in Moose Jaw, probably not. But if you’re running a bar, restaurant, or curling club with a lot of leftover brew, you’re in the danger zone.

Generally, how much beer you can pour down your drain with legal impunity has to do with your facility’s overall septic system. But if your drains go directly into the municipal sewer, you should carefully follow all proper wastewater disposal requirements. I.e., notifying and receiving permission from your local government or wastewater treatment agency—and making sure you get expert advice.

Do you have to toss stale beer?

You can recycle all kinds of stale beer. Not to drink, but it can be distilled and the alcohol used to make other products (e.g. hand sanitizer). But getting your beer to an industrial distillery presents a waste transport challenge, albeit one that might be easier to solve than disposal—but you should get expert advice about applicable environmental laws. (See Q. 4)

Meanwhile, the Brewers Association down south offers these tips for emptying kegs when disposing of beer:

• For both safety and economic considerations, it’s better to push beer from kegs with compressed air rather than CO2.
• If using CO2, do so in a well-ventilated area, monitoring to keep concentrations at safe levels (under 1,000 ppm).
• Use appropriate personal protective equipment (especially eye and hand protection).
• Larger drain hoses (1/2″ ID) will decrease drain times.
• Adequately secure hose drain-ends to prevent flailing.
• Do not exceed a keg’s working pressure while emptying it.

What are the transport and disposal requirements for stale beer?

The disposal of stale or expired beer in Canada involves a complex regulatory framework that varies by jurisdiction and disposal method. (Of course!)

While there are no specific federal “transport requirements” exclusively for stale beer, you must navigate multiple layers of environmental, wastewater, and waste management regulations.

Commercial establishments such as breweries, bars, restaurants, and sporting venues cannot simply pour large quantities down the drain. This is because the organic compounds in beer—including sugars, alcohol, and yeast—can disrupt wastewater treatment systems and harm aquatic ecosystems.

Provincial and municipal regulations govern liquid waste disposal through wastewater systems. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) oversees pollution prevention under the Fisheries Act and associated regulations, including the Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations (see source).

Also, municipal water authorities typically require businesses to obtain permits before discharging significant volumes of expired beer into sewer systems.

(N.B. Breweries seeking excise duty refunds on destroyed beer must maintain detailed documentation of the disposal process.)

significantly by location, making local compliance research essential for any business disposing of expired beer.

Where can you get advice about unwanted-beer disposal?

The fragmented nature of Canadian waste management—with federal environmental oversight, provincial regulations, and municipal wastewater rules—necessitates that you consult with any number of environmental rule makers to secure appropriate discharge permits within & across any number of agencies.

Don’t go it alone. Instead, work with a professional waste management company that will ensure you’re in ongoing compliance with the large & dynamic plethora of federal, provincial, and municipal mandates.

That would be us.

And remember, when it comes to stale beer, it’s better to be safe, compliant, and slightly obsessive-compulsive than to be fined and environmentally shamed. Eh?

Get expert advice today!