Your cutlery collection recently got an upgrade- you are now the proud owner of the latest collection of hand-forged knives from HDMD. You wonder how to dispose of your knives that are no longer of any use to you.
Throwing away in the dustbin is too dangerous, someone might cut themselves or it may fall in the wrong hands. A lot of things may go wrong when you decide to dispose of these tools improperly.
How to dispose of knives safely:
- Donate your knives
- Send them to a recycling facility
- Send them to a local police station
- Wrap the knife securely in a cardboard, paper, bubble wrap or styrofoam, tape it and box it up, and dispose of it in the dustbin.
- Send them to a metal yard
- Resale
Now that you know the gist of how to get rid of your old kitchen knives so you can finally enjoy the razor-sharpness of your new ones, let’s discuss this matter in some more detail.
Table of contents
Can your knife be salvaged?
Wait. We know your old kitchen knives have seen too much abuse. But still, ask yourself. Can these knives be salvaged? The answer is probably yes if there are no big chips or nicks on your knife’s blade. A little rust, blunt or bent isn’t something that can’t be fixed.
If that is the case, you can use a knife sharpener and learn how to sharpen your knives in order to bring them back to life. You may also visit a knife professional who may be able to salvage your knife in exchange for a fee.
However, if you find your kitchen knife to be beyond repair or simply want to learn how to dispose of cutlery you no longer wish to use, read on.
Importance of getting rid of your knives properly
You might feel tempted to toss your old knives in the dustbin but then again, you must know better than that. Even if you believe your knives are too dull to cut through anything, they might still cause an injury to someone or something.
This is why you must properly dispose of your knives. Throwing them loose in the trash may cause injury in case someone handles your trash by hand. Many countries don’t have proper disposal systems and animals might hurt themselves while rummaging through garbage bags.
Then again, these tools may fall in the wrong hands, hurting themselves or others unnecessarily. There are simply too many things that can go wrong with the improper disposal of knives.
Are knives recyclable?
Recycling is a fast-growingfast growing industry with more and more people getting into the recycling trend. This is because people are becoming more aware of protecting the environment they live in. However, it is not possible to recycle everything. This brings us to the question: can knives be recycled?
Well, the plain answer is yes. Knives are recyclable and there are plenty of recycling organizations that readily accept kitchen utensils such as knives for recycling. So if you’re wondering how to dispose of knives, simply check with your local recycling agency, see if they accept knives and send them away!
Recycling center
Many local recycling centers accept kitchen knives for recycling. If you do not know one, simply contact the Department of Environmental Protection within your state.
Many states also have dedicated metal scrap recyclers as well. If there is one near you, simply find out the type of metal your knife is made up of, such as ceramic, stainless steel, etc. and send it off accordingly. If you don’t know for sure, a magnet test can help.
All you have to do is hold your knife close to a magnet. If there is attraction, the knife blade is made up of ferrous material. Otherwise, it is made up of non-ferrous material. Nevertheless, your metal recycler facility will take over from here.
P.S. You might even get paid for recycling your metal scrap!
Donation
Even if you can’t figure out how to dispose of your kitchen knives, keep the option of throwing them in the trash as a last resort. This is because knives, even the ones you believe are dull, can prove to be harmful to sanitation workers.
There are safe ways of disposing in the trash can, but consider other alternatives first. One such alternative is donation. While your old kitchen knives may have stopped fulfilling your cutlery requirements, they might still prove to be useful to someone else.
This is why you can always choose to donate.
Where to donate?
There are a number of places that accept knives for donations such as:
- Local shelters
- Soup kitchens
- Goodwill centers
- Local salvation army
- Cooking schools or colleges
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Dos and don’ts
- Do clean your knives and pack them first before sending them off
- Do call and check first if such a donation is required and accepted
- Don’t donate your knife if it’s completely useless
Police station
Another alternative when considering how to dispose of knives is sending them into the police station. Many local police stations happily accept your old kitchen knives, in order to make sure that they don’t fall in the wrong hands.
However, you certainly don’t want to give the wrong impression by coming in with your knives at a police station just like that. Therefore, similar to other alternate methods, make sure you securely wrap your old knives before carrying them in and handing them over.
Also, inform the police station of your arrival before going in. Even if your local police station does not accept knives, they will help you dispose of them properly.
Resale
While you are thinking of how to dispose of your kitchen knife, one method is to resell them. Even if your old knives are of no worth to you, knives of good quality, vintage knives, or valuable knives can be put up for auctions or resold on various online and offline platforms.
All you have to do is ensure that your knife blade is not completely useless. It will help if you sharpen your knife first before reselling it.
Auction houses often sell professional grade knives at auctions. Moreover, local shops, knife forums, platforms such as Ebay, online stores such as BladeHQ, are also seen to buy knives.
So what are you waiting for? Sell your old knives so you can accommodate new ones.
Metal yard
Scrap metal yards are another alternative for disposing of your old knives. There are many metal yards that pay up for knives that are useless and old. Even though most metal yards accept any kind of metal, you may earn more for some and less for others depending on the metal type.
Nevertheless, getting something is better than nothing. What you have to do is:
- Find the nearest metal scrap yard for your knives.
- Have them assess the value of your metallic goods.
- Decide if you want to sell or use some other alternative.
Regular trash pick up
If you’re looking for a convenient option to dispose of your knife, or you have failed to find a recycling center, or even if your knife isn’t in the condition of being donated, you can always put it in your recycling bin for regular trash pick-up.
However, you need to dispose it of properly regardless of how dull you might believe your cutlery tool to be.
How to do it safely
- The first thing you need to do is securely wrap the knife before tossing it away.
- Wrap the blade of the knife in several layers of newspapers, a piece of cardboard, or even bubble wrap. If you don’t have any of these resources, you can also use a piece of cloth to wrap the knife blade.
- After wrapping the knife blade with newspaper, cardboard, bubble wrap or cloth, secure it together with several layers of heavy duty tape.
- Now place the wrapped goods in a box, or a plastic or metal container. Ensure the container is closed with a lid.
- Seal the lid of the box or container with tape.
- Now, your knives are safe to dispose of in the trash can.
Dos and don’ts
- Do write “Caution: Sharp object” before disposing of your knives.
- Do blunt the knife edge before wrapping it for extra safety.
- Don’t ever toss away your knives before securely wrapping them first.
- Don’t put your knives in glass containers as they can break and further cause safety hazards.
- Don’t toss away your knives in curb-side recycling bins.
Replace your knives
Now that you have been successful in disposing of your old knives and even managed to get some money in return, it is time to replace your knives!
You probably disposed of your kitchen knives because they were unable to satisfy your cutlery desires, and you must be looking for some premium range of razor-sharp goodness if you haven’t yet replaced your old knives.
If that is the case, you can always discover our premium range of hand-forged knives here. Happy Shopping!
FAQs
How do I dispose of sharp kitchen knives?
You can dispose of sharp kitchen knives by blunting them first and securely wrapping them in cardboard, bubble wrap, or several layers of newspapers.
Where can I dispose of old kitchen knives?
You can dispose of your kitchen knives at donation centers, recycling facilities, and even metal scrap yards. Securely throwing away in the dustbin is another alternative you can consider.
Can I carry a knife to the police station, recycling center, or similar facility for disposal?
You can carry a knife to a nearby facility by having it securely wrapped up first. Also make sure that you have some sort of evidence for your intent of carrying the knife. This can be your correspondence with the police station or recycling center, etc.
