Are you wondering what to do with your old or faulty coffee maker?
If you want to dispose of a coffee maker, there are numerous options available. You may responsibly dump it in the trash bin, drop it off at a scrap metal facility, recycle it, or give it away as a donation.
I will explore these and more options to help you choose the best way to dispose of your broken or old coffee maker.
Why Disposing Of Coffee Makers is a Good Idea
I have a couple of questions for you. Have you ever misplaced something in your house only to find it a few weeks or months later? What about the many times you couldn’t figure out why a broken gadget still sits idle in the store, and you ended up with countless faulty household items that took up significant living spaces?
Life’s too short to be staying around broken electronics. A phone with a shattered screen looks awful, and so does an old or faulty coffee maker.
They look terrible because, one, the material loss, and two, many people aren’t interested in countless repairs that follow once a crucial gadget has failed.
Gadgets you no longer use are, to some extent, considered clutter.
So, if you have an idle coffee maker in your house, disposing of it is a great step toward making your living spaces stop feeling messy.
Assuming your coffee maker has outlived its purpose, either because it’s old or defective, and you don’t intend to continue using it henceforth, grab your favorite coffee and be sipping as we discuss several disposal methods for a coffee maker.
Methods to Dispose Of a Coffee Maker
Before we talk about what to do with an old or faulty coffee maker, figure out whether you need to dispose of it or not. Once you’re comfortable with your decision to let it go, it’s time to go through the manufacturer’s instructions on the best practices to adopt if you want to dispose of your machine.
You don’t want to burn a gadget that shouldn’t burn, or you don’t want to expose your loved ones and the environment to toxic chemicals by disassembling the coffee maker unaided or without authorization.
There are several considerations when disposing of electronics, so always ensure that you see what the manufacturer has indicated in the gadget’s manual or label.
Donate
The best way to dispose of old coffee makers and any other thing you no longer use is to donate them to people in need of them.
We must move away from the old disposal method of throwing away old stuff in the trash and consider giving them out instead.
So, if you want to donate your coffee maker, ensure it’s in good condition, or at least it can be repaired if it’s defective.
You may as well consider refurbishing it before donating. The recipient won’t have to cough up extra money in repair costs.
Here’s why you should donate your old coffee maker:
- Helps the environment: By donating old gadgets, you reduce non-biodegradable wastes from landfills. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, approximately 146 million tons of solid wastes were landfilled in 2018 alone, with plastics and other materials – where electronics fall – making over 28% of this figure. Although the donation isn’t a surefire way to fix this mess, it can go a long way to make the environment better.
- It helps you: It’s widely believed that donating to deserving people is a deed that can attract good things. Donating your coffee maker will not only help you get rid of clutter, but also it will give you an unimaginable ego boost.
Talk to a waste company.
Another great way to dispose of a coffee maker is by taking it to a waste management company.
We currently have countless companies that accept small appliances like coffee makers, so all you need to do is check their websites to find out what they take.
This way, you’ll also be able to see explicit guidelines on how to dispose of your gadget this way.
Contact a scrapyard.
If the coffee maker is metallic, you shouldn’t just dump it in the home recycle bin as it may end up in the landfills.
You could also be fined for violating this rule.
Fortunately, most scrap metal yards accept coffee makers and often pick up these units from hoods periodically.
Alternatively, you may visit a yard near your to dispose of your machine. Did you know that some yards pay for scrap metal?
Return to the seller
Some states have laws that allow sellers to take back coffee makers for recycling.
However, don’t expect that just any shop would accept old units; it’s for this reason that you need to personally contact your seller to see if they can take your machine.
Also, keep in mind that returning electronics to sellers for recycling doesn’t often apply to online stores.
Recycle or dump as trash
If you can recycle your old coffee maker, please do. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, recycling a tonne of paper saves 50% of water and 17 trees! If we adopt this mentality when dealing with things that can be recycled, we can save a lot of resources.
When it comes to coffee makers, you’re lucky if yours is metallic because most recycling centers hardly accept plastic appliances.
Again, recycling a used plastic coffee maker isn’t easy because of the oil layer left behind by coffee.
Fortunately, a few recycling centers accept unwanted electronics and will make things easier for you.
If the unit is damaged beyond repair, recycling may not be an option, in which case you should throw it in the trash bin, of course, without breaking waste management laws.
Final Thoughts
There’s no need to keep a coffee maker you no longer use. Follow the disposal tips we have discussed and choose one that suits you best in your state.
Keep in mind that the best ways to dispose of a coffee maker are to donate it if it’s working or recycle it if it’s not working.
