Why is AdBlue sold mostly in single use plastics?

Posted 25th Jan 2023

Something that really annoys me. Why is Adblue, a product sold on its envioronmental benefits, sold predominently in single use plastics? It makes no sense. I know there are some garages that sell AdBlue through the pumps, but they're mostly targetted for lorries and difficult for non HGVs to be able to use.

14 Comments

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26th Jan
Wait, you drive a car that needs AdBlue and you are concerned about the environmental impacts of a plastic container?
Also the containers can be recycled - they did try to address the issue back in 2017:
yara.com/new…on/ (edited)
25th Jan
Have you contacted the manufacturers to ask them?
25th Jan
Because it's not about the environment, it's a money making scheme. Same with the ulez and congestion charges.
25th Jan
I thought Adblue was a pregnancy testing kit.
26th Jan
If you are against aspects of adblue then why have a vehicle that uses it
25th Jan
I've filled up at 8-9 different garage forecourts for adblue and all have been easy enough to fill my car.

Its because the garages didn't want to invest in another pump for the limited use, now that it is getting more common then more garages are adding the pumps, but even now there is still only a small amount of vehicles which actually use adblue (compared to what is on the road). So they sell it in containers for the odd few that need it.
26th Jan
In 2017 there were 3 million new diesel cars using AdBlue, extrapilate from that. I don't know what your definition of "only a small amount" is?
26th Jan
I think AdBlue answered this already - "because it easy to do so".
It all about the economies of scale and profit. There is also the cost associated with designing a new container and having the material it is made out of approved for use. Plastic is a known quantity so there is no need to redesign the packaging or go through the costs of having a different material approved for use.
They did try different packaging back in 2017, but I believe that was dropped as it was too expensive?

yara.com/new…on/
26th Jan
There may also be a safety and liability issue. Consumers are more likely to reuse plastic containers without storing them properly. The risk of contamination is therefore high. Consumers are also better protected and likely to win in court even if they were negligent. Just a guess though. (edited)
26th Jan
Good point, and I seem to remember Adblue is very sensitive to how it's stored and transferred? I've only had to use it for one car, I vaguely remember the bottle was sealed and the instructions said it had to be emptied in one go?