Recycling your old kitchen is a great way to complete its lifecycle. Do it right and you may even end up with some of it in your new kitchen, since we used recycled materials in all our kitchens.
3 tips for recycling your kitchen sustainably
When it's really time to get a new kitchen, it's important to dispose of your old one in the most sustainable way. Here are three ways you can responsibly get rid of your old kitchen.
1. Sell or donate your old kitchen
Take advantage of second hand sales sites. Take some good pictures of your old kitchen and put it up for sale or donation. It can be sold as a whole or in smaller lots, like cupboards and countertops and appliances. Giving your kitchen a second life in someone else's home is definitely more sustainable than throwing it away.
If the whole kitchen cannot be reused by someone - maybe parts of it can? Functioning appliances not older than 10 years can be donated. Cabinets, handles, sinks, taps and worktops may have lots of good use left in them. Break it down in pieces that multiple people can use.
2. Repurpose your old kitchen
Find another use for your old kitchen cabinets in a laundry room, or workshop or garage space, where you have a need for storage. All you have to do is carefully take down the old kitchen and move it to a new space or spaces where it can continue to be useful. We've created a Pinterest board filled with ideas for repurposing your old kitchen.
3. Take your kitchen apart and recycle it
The average kitchen consists of 150 different parts, but they broadly fall into just a few categories. Knowing what they are and how to take your old kitchen apart makes it easier to recycle. There are different rules for recycling in each local area, so be sure to check your local rules.
Generally, a kitchen can be broken down into the following:
Metal
Hinges, handles and such should be removed and recycled with metals.
Chipboard
Cupboards and fronts that are made with chipboard can be recycled and in many instances, become new kitchens again.
Wood
Wooden worktops can be recycled into a variety of products - from building materials to gardening mulch to pulp for paper production to a fuel source.
Stone or granite
Worktops made of stone or granite can be recycled into other items for the home, or crushed and have a second life as decorative gravel.
Plastic
Remember to separate any plastic fittings or parts and recycle them separately according to the rules in your country.
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