How to Dispose of Knives Safely

The knives are the most important tools of any kitchen. However, every tool has durability, and kitchen knives also have a particular shelf life. When the moment appears, you certainly admit that you just need to get rid of those old knives and have a new one. So, how to dispose of knives safely? Basically, the disposal of knives is one of the most important things of concern.

Firstly, you have to decide whether you should fully get rid of your knives or not. Moreover, when disposing of your knives, you ensure about the safety precautions. In that case, the following steps can help you.

Steps on How to Dispose of Knives Safely

To know how to dispose of knives safely, check the following steps:

Step 1: Wrap the knives

When you are going to dispose of kitchen knives, wrap them properly. Otherwise, anyone may get hurt by these knives. There are some common methods to wrap the knives:

Wrap with a newspaper: Take a normal piece of newspaper. Wrap this paper around the knife’s blade. After that, ensure that all of the blade edges are completely covered. However, it’s a good idea to leave the handle uncovered so that anyone can handle it properly. Then, tape the newspaper sheet in place safely.

Wrap with cardboard: You can wrap your knife with cardboard also. But, you have to consider adding an extra layer of cardboard when disposing of your knife. Then, place it in another cardboard container or old shoebox before throwing out.

Try bubble wrap: If you want to throw your knives away, bubble wrap is the best option. This bubble wrap can safely coat the knife’s blade. Thus it can prevent accidents and injury during the disposal of your knives. However, you should wrap the knife’s blade in a few layers of the bubble wrap. Then, you can use tape to keep it in place securely

Use of other materials: If you don’t have any bubble wrap or cardboard, you can use old clothes, or any other material to wrap the blade easily. Just wrap your knives in a few layers of your chosen materials. Then if necessary, use some tape around the selected material to keep it secure.

Tips:

Make sure that you wrap the knife securely to avoid injury
Don’t leave any part of the blade exposed.

Step 2: Select a safe disposal method

Recycle Your Knives: When you’re sure about that your knife has ended its life of using then you can consider recycling it. Maybe there are some parts of your knife that are still in a good condition i.e. the handle. This can make good recycled materials. So, simply wrap your knives properly and drop them off at your local recycling center.

Safely Dispose of Your Knives: If you don’t like the recycling process, then you can dispose of them safely to get rid of them. But you need to ensure the safety first. Then you can drop them in the general bin or throw it away.

Tips

Ensure that there is no chance of anyone getting hurt during the disposal.
Know your local law about the disposal of the sharp thing in the general garbage.

Step 3: Sell it for scrap metal or donate it

If you can find out what type of metal your knife is made of, you can sell it for scrap metal. Most of the knives are made of iron, steel, or some mixed metals. You can look online for the process to know if anyone is interested in purchasing your knives for scrap.

Otherwise, you can check the yellow pages and make some phone calls also. On the other hand, this may be effective also if you want to donate your old knives. Even if the blade of the knife is dull, someone may want to buy it to sharpen and reuse. So, you can check the local businesses to find out if they take old knives as donations.

Tips

Figure out the material of the knives.
Make sure about the condition of your knives if you want to donate.

Final Verdict

At a moment, your kitchen knives may get older and not used for cutting or chopping anymore. But your bin may be another person’s treasure. So, you can donate them also. If not, you can simply follow the above steps on how to dispose knives safely and complete your knife disposal.