How to Safely Recycle Old Razor Blades

Recycling isn't always as easy as owning the right bin and taking it out to the curb on the correct days. Many everyday items can't be processed with regular recyclables, which leads to some people throwing them out. Razor blades fall into this category, but you don't need to toss the old ones in the trash when you purchase a new pack. According to Public Goods, you can make your shaving routine more eco-friendly by bringing your used razors to a recycling center.

Your local recycling center is a great place to bring hazardous or hard-to-process materials that can't go in your recycling bin at home. Many places in your community, like fire stations, hospitals, and pharmacies, are equipped to collect these trickier recyclables as well. You can use the online tool Earth 911 to search for collection centers by zip code and material type.

Unlike old cellphones or magazines, a few months' worth of razor blades can be hard to store and transport. Razor banks are specially made for disposing of the items safely. When the box starts to get full, you can drop it off at your local recycling center and start filling a new one. Some pharmacies even have containers for sharp disposables they're willing to give out for free. If you want to be really thrifty, try making your own razor banks using items you have at home. An empty mint tin is ideal for keeping old blades secure until it's time to recycle them.

Many plants are only equipped to process one material at a time, which means razor blades that can't be separated from their plastic handles or cartridges are even harder to recycle. Gillette addressed this issue by teaming up with TerraCycle to launch their own razor recycling program. You can use TerraCycle's online map to find drop-off locations near you that accept blades, razors, and rigid plastic packaging. If there's no participating center in your area, you can ship boxes of old shaving equipment by requesting a tracking code through your TerraCycle account.

With a little extra effort, you can recycle many of the items that most people throw away. Here are dozens of things you didn't know you could recycle.

[h/t Public Goods]