There’s nothing more refreshing for your doors than replacing old door furniture with new, but how do you dispose of old door furniture properly?
The likes of door handles, door locks, door knobs and door hinges are all essential parts to ensure a well-working door, and like everything else that’s functional in your home, they will need replacing eventually to refresh appearances or ensure working order. Take a look at our guide on how to replace door hinges for help.
The most eco-friendly and sustainable way to dispose of door furniture is to recycle it, repurpose it or reuse it, meaning it’s spared from landfill sites and won’t damage the environment.
Today, we’re explaining how you can safely dispose of your old door furniture, as well as offer some nifty ideas for how to repurpose and reuse it.
Recycle
We all know how important recycling everyday household waste is, but recycling other household items such as door furniture and other scrap metal is equally as important when it comes to looking after our planet.
Metal is 100% recyclable, permanent and can last forever, meaning it can be recycled over and over again throughout many different uses. This is why it’s so important to recycle instead of simply throwing away to the landfill, as unnecessary amounts of metal mining and production harm the environment.
As well as this, recycling scrap metal can benefit your pocket, as many recycling centres and metal scrap yards will take your old pieces of metal in exchange for cash. It’s thought that UK landfills contain up to £360bn of unharvested valuable metals, so it’s always worth taking it to a metal recycling centre or scrap yard before you throw it out.
Brass is one of the most vitally important metals to recycle, as it is key to the sustainability of the metal due to its zinc and copper alloy properties. Brass door handles, door knobs and accessories can all be recycled, helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the metal, protect the environment and allow new brass materials made from 100% recycled brass be made with a lower environmental and economical cost.
Take a look at your local metal recycling locations’ websites for information on what types of metal you can take, and roughly how much they’ll pay you for it.
Repurpose
If you think your door furniture is in too good of a condition to recycle yet, or just think it has an attractive appearance that would look good staying in your home, repurposing it instead of throwing it out is a good way to give it a second life.
Here are some ideas of what you could do with old door handles and door knobs:
- Use them as towel/coat hooks
- Turn them into jewellery or tie organisers
- Hang photos from them and put them on your walls
- Create cork holders
- Decorate pet and birdhouses
- Feature them in the garden as decorative pieces
- Add them to serving trays as stands/feet
Reuse
Upcycling is a great way to get a new lease of life out of your furniture and accessories without breaking the bank or cashing out on expensive items.
30% of us simply throw away old furniture, but this doesn’t have to be the case if you can reuse materials to make older items look attractive and more favourable.
For example, using old door knobs as cabinet and drawer knobs is a great way to add character to dull units, or swapping door furnishings from one door to another can instantly boost the appearance of a door.
Cleaning old door furniture or painting it a different colour are other good ways to save on replacements and can make the world of difference when it comes to easily maintain good appearances.
For more help with upcycling, have a read of our guide.
Correctly disposing of old door furniture not only helps protect the environment but benefits your pocket as well.
Browse our full range of door handles and door knobs toda to find the perfect replacement for your doors.
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