Air filters have been among the most sought-after household appliances for many years, even before the outbreak of coronavirus. When it comes to buying a reliable air purifier, one of the best products in the market is AirDoctor. This product is widely favored by a lot of buyers because it packs tons of amazing features.
The AirDoctor air purifier has three different filters; they are pre-filter, Gas/Trap/VOC filter, and an UltraHEPA filter. Under normal conditions, the Gas/Trap/VOC filter should last for 6 months, while the UltraHEPA filter should last for about 12 months before replacement.
When replacing your AirDoctor filter, you need to be careful with the way you dispose of the old filter to avoid messing up your indoor air quality. The best way to replace the filter is by carefully removing it from the purifier and gently placing it inside a plastic trash bag without shaking it.
Is it okay to recycle an AirDoctor filter? What is the best way to dispose of an AirDoctor filter? What do you do with a used carbon filter? These and more are the frequently asked questions that you’ll find answers to as you read through the rest of this post.
Can AirDoctor Filters Be Recycled?
There are three different types of AirDoctor filters. So, before going ahead to address the question above, let me start by talking briefly about what AirDoctor filters are all about.
Types of AirDoctor filters
The AirDoctor air purifier is one of the best products that you’ll find in the market. The purifier is available in different models. The Pro version of the purifier has three different filters. The first one, known as pre-filter, helps to remove larger particles, such as animal hair and dust, from your indoor air.
The second type of filter in the AirDoctor purifier is the Gas/Trap/VOC filter. It utilizes two different types of media; the first one helps to remove odors and gas, while the other one is there to eliminate formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds in the air.
That’s not all; the AirDoctor purifier also comes with a high-quality, professionally designed UltraHEPA filter system. The filter is specifically installed to help you remove harmful substances and achieve quality indoor air.
The AirDoctor’s UltraHEPA filter system is designed to trap and remove 100 percent of harmful substances, such as tobacco smoke, animal dander, formaldehyde, and mold spores, in your indoor air. The filter can remove particles that are about 0.003 micrometers in size – that’s 100 times more effective than the regular HEPA filter, which could eliminate particles of 0.3 microns.
AirDoctor Filters Aren’t Recyclable: Here’s Why
There’s no denying that the AirDoctor’s Carbon/Gas Trap/VOC filter is made of activated carbon, which can always be recycled. However, due to health & safety reasons, this filter isn’t designed to be recycled or reused. Instead, the Carbon/Gas Trap/VOC filter is specifically designed to be used for about 6 months. After that, you’re advised to replace the filter with a new one and dispose of the older one.
The AirDoctor’s UltraHEPA filter is designed to be used for only 12 months. After that, what’s next is disposal and replacement with a new filter.
That said, the bottom line is that both the Carbon and UltraHEPA filters aren’t designed to be recycled. They should be carefully removed from the HVAC system, packaged in plastic bags, and gently dropped in the garbage, rather than recycled.
The AirDoctor filters look recyclable, but another thing you should be concerned about is the toxic particles collected? This also explains why it isn’t appropriate to recycle AirDoctor filters.
How Do I Dispose of an AirDoctor Filter?
The AirDoctor filters are expected to be replaced after a certain period. For the UltraHEPA filters, the time of usage before replacement is 12 months. As for the Carbon/Gas Trap/VOC filters, users are expected to replace them after 6 months of continuously using them.
After replacing a filter, one thing you need to do to the old filter is to dispose of it safely – but what is the best way to do that?
- Place the old filter in a plastic bag
After removing the old filter from your AirDoctor system, the very first thing you need is to contain it. This is important, as it’ll allow you to trap all the harmful substances, such as dust, in one place, preventing them from escaping and messing up the quality of your indoor air.
The best way to contain your old air filter is by using a plastic trash bag. Of course, you need to get the bag ready before removing the old air filter from the system. As soon as you remove the filter, immediately drop it inside the plastic trash bag.
- Avoid shaking the filter
When dropping the filter into the plastic trash bag, you need to avoid shaking it. Dust and debris can easily be unsettled. As such, by slightly shaking the filter, you could be releasing the dust back into your indoor air.
As you already know, AirDoctor filters are capable of trapping and eliminating various harmful particles in your surrounding air. These substances could be as small as 0.0003 microns in size, which is pretty much invisible to the human eyes. By shaking the filter, you might end up releasing these particles, unknowingly, into your indoor air.
- Seal the plastic bag properly with tape
Tying the drawstrings on your plastic trash bag is effective for closing the openings on the bag. But you need to understand that this approach alone isn’t effective to contain the footer and keep the dust and other harmful substances trapped. Here’s where the need to use tape comes into the scene.
By using good tape (duct tape is reliable) on your plastic trash bag, you’ll be able to properly seal it, preventing dust, debris, and other gaseous substances from escaping into the air.
- Take the plastic trash bag out of your home
Once you’re sure the plastic trash bag has been properly sealed with duct tape, the last thing you need to do is to take the bag out for proper disposal.
There are tons of reasons why it’s not ideal to have the already sealed plastic trash bag stored inside your home. What if the bag ended up being punctured? If this happens, dust, gas, and debris may escape back into your indoor air, which is pretty bad for your health.
So, after properly sealing the plastic trash bag, ensure to take it outside and dispose of it inside your trash can.
What Do You Do with a Used Carbon Filter?
Activated carbon filters are small pieces of carbon, which have been treated to be very proud. These pieces of carbon are either in granular or powdered block form. Activated carbon filters have a large surface area; this explains why they are effective for filtering and trapping several different harmful particles, such as allergens. To be precise, a gram of activated carbon can always achieve a surface area over 500 square meters or higher.
Carbon filters offer tons of amazing benefits; you can use them to eliminate harmful contaminants in your indoor air, which could cause severe health issues, such as asthma and heart attack. These filters are also effective for trapping and removing unwanted gases and odors in the air.
Here’s how activated carbon filters work below:
- First, contaminated air is allowed to flow into the filtration system.
- From there, the air will pass through the activated carbon filter. In this case, adsorption will take place.
- After that, the air will come out of the filter as purified.
Based on manufacturers, carbon filters can always last for about 3 to 6 months before replacement. Once you’re done using the filter, the best you can do is to consider disposing of the filter. One of the best places to take your used carbon filter to, for disposal is an approved landfill.
However, before disposing of the old carbon filter in any approved landfills, you need to check your local code. This way, you’ll get a better idea of how to dispose of the filter. You can also check with your laboratory safety officer or local waste management & biomedical waste service providers to know exactly how to dispose of the used carbon filter.
Sources
https://www.airscience.com/briefs/briefnum/26/carbon-filter-disposal
https://www.factorydirectfilters.com/c/dispose-air-filter
https://www.qualityairfilters.com/blog/are-air-filters-recyclable/