In the twenty-first century, there are many threats to the safety of our environment. Air pollution, land pollution, and water pollution are increasing, and humans are at the receiving end.
Climate change is a primary example of how humans suffer for the inactions of humankind. However, if we will be sincere, the twenty-first century has also witnessed an increase in environmental awareness.
Many are now aware of recycling. They have come to identify it as one of the ways of maintaining a safe environment. Hence, the question, are mirrors recyclable? The answer is in the negative. No, mirrors are not recyclable.
Why? Keep reading. We’ve got the answer to your questions.
Can You Recycle Mirrors?
We know how much you love possibilities. And we respect that. But, we will have to disagree with you this one time. So, let’s be clear, while you can do all things, recycling mirrors isn’t one of them. You simply can’t recycle mirrors.
There are compelling reasons that appeal to logic in support of this position. When a mirror breaks, for instance, the reflective coating makes it very hard to carry out a successful recycling process.
Since the purpose of recycling is healthy disposal of whatsoever you want to do away with, we have some tips. Your unrecyclable mirrors can be taken care of without desecrating the environment. Below are some tips for doing that.
1. Dump In The Trash Bin
So simple, right? Your old mirror can be dumped in the rubbish bin for sanitation officers to deal with. Make sure you don’t mix things up and drop your old mirror in the recycling bin.
2. Wrap Broken Mirrors
This is an alternative way to get rid of your mirrors, especially the broken ones. Kindly wrap it in cardboard, brown paper, newspaper, or any other suitable alternative. After that, indicate that such a wrapped item contains sharp objects. This guides the sanitation workers to exercise caution in dumping them.
3. Take It To The Landfill
To get rid of your old mirror, you could take it to the landfill in the neighborhood. Since there’s usually a landfill within reach, you are not at the mercy of disposal officers. You could drop it by yourself. This helps you to ensure that no unsuspecting person is harmed by the content of your waste bin.
4. Sell Your Mirrors
Put your mirrors for sale to get rid of them. You should be aware that almost everything can be sold – even the old stuff. Just clean off the dust on your abandoned mirrors and sell them to an antique shop. You could take it there in person or sell it online.
5. Gift Your Mirrors
Your old mirrors may be useful to someone else; gift them. These people might need your old mirrors to equip their salon store or for personal use. In some cases, it doesn’t have to be old. The cracked mirror you want to dispose of is useful to others.
6. Creative Exploration
Have you heard the saying, when life throws a lemon at you, make lemonade out of it? We’re sure you have. Apply the same reasoning here. Since there’s nowhere to recycle your mirrors, use them to create beautiful crafts, artworks, etc.
Can You Put A Broken Mirror In The Recycling Bin?
By now, we’re clear that recycling mirrors are a difficult thing to do. We have advised you about suitable alternatives. Now to decide if you can put a broken mirror into a recycling bin, we might need to consider what a recycling bin does and what it’s all about.
As the name connotes, a recycling bin is a kind of bin you separate to dump materials you’re about to recycle. It is different from where you drop other wastes like nylons, pizza boxes, and the likes.
In many households, it is kept in a totally different place from the rubbish bin to avoid a mix-up. Precisely what distinguishes a recycling bin from a rubbish bin is the purpose attached.
Therefore, should a broken mirror not recyclable be dumped in a recycle bin? The answer is No. Broken mirrors should be carefully taken to the landfill if you have time in your hands. If not, pack the broken pieces into a newspaper or cardboard and dump them in the waste bin.
You would have successfully protected yourself and others from harm by packaging broken pieces.
However, you can be right to keep broken mirrors in the recycling bin for a while. If you keep them there to manage space in the rubbish bin for the time being. You then must ensure you don’t forget it and take it to a recycling station.
4 Simple Ways to Reuse Old Wall Mirrors
Mirrors are fantastic items you can’t do away with. They give you a reflection of yourself. But this is only to the point where they are still intact and not broken. There might be times where the mirrors are no longer in use. It could be that it is broken or that you have bought a new one, and the old one no longer interests you to use.
In this case, the first thing that comes to mind is to dispose of the mirrors. This may seem like the right and easier thing to do. But is this really the best of things?
To be honest, disposing of your mirrors is not the best. Instead of disposing of them, you can put them to creative use.
Putting your mirrors to other creative uses means you get to reuse them and still be proud of the old mirrors in their new status. The problem, however, is not about reusing them. It is more about how to do this. We understand that this is a problem, but we do not intend to leave you to it. That is why we have researched the various creative ways you can put your mirrors to.
Follow-through below to learn about these creative ways.
1. Fence Design
If you ever think that there is no more use, you can put a broken thing too, then you have not had experience with a broken mirror.
Broken mirrors are only in different pieces. They still function properly in their little way. What you have to do to use them is simple.
For your fence, you will need some hand gloves, glue, and a brush. The hand gloves are needed so that you do not mistakenly put yourself in the process of trying to fit a mirror to your fence.
Before anything, ensure that your fence is free of dust, grease, or water. This is important because their presence will dent the quality of your work.
With your brush, you will apply some glue to the back of the glass and some glue to your fence. After this, give it some time to dry a bit. About two minutes should be enough. This time lag is important so that the gum could hold the mirror to the fence.
Once you are sure enough time has passed, you can then begin to glue the mirror to the fence. Ensure you space the mirrors in a way that gives your fence some great design. This way, you would be able to witness the great beauty of your wall.
2. Make A Jewellery Stand
One thing you might not know is that even if your mirror is broken and seems useless, the mirror frame is not. You can always convert the mirror frame to a jewelry stand. But how do you do this?
Follow us to know more.
To make your mirror frame into a jewelry stand, you will only need a perforated net. The first thing to do is to remove the broken mirror. Then replace the broken mirror chamber with the perforated net.
You can make do it with some tiny nails. These nails would help you to hold the perforated net in place.
If you love to see your things get colorful, you can get some paints and design them. The perforated net is where you will be able to hang your jewelry. Particularly, your earrings would go best in this part.
3. Make A white Board
You don’t have to spend money on whiteboards before you can have one. If you have an old mirror, you go or to go. The only thing stopping you from having a whiteboard is not knowing how to make one. Well, check below. You will find out how to this.
For the whiteboard, you will need a mirror whose frame is still intact. If the mirror is already broken, you can still use it. All you have to do is cut out a board that can fit the size of the frame.
You will need some small nails to hold the whiteboard to the back of the frame. Before this, though, you may need to have painted your frame. This, however, depends on whether you want it to look astonishing.
After painting, you can attach the whiteboard to the back of the mirror frame. With this, you would have made yourself a new whiteboard. And now, you have an extra board to teach your kids what they might want to learn.
4. Make A Picture Frame
You can use your old mirror to make new picture frames for you and your loved ones. This is a fantastic idea if you have a group family photo. Making a picture frame doesn’t have to be difficult if you follow the instructions below.
Because it’s a picture frame, you will need to beautify the mirror frame with paints. This means you will paint all the necessary materials that would allow you to do the painting. You would also need glue to hold the photo to the back of the mirror frame.
You must, however, be careful. so that the glue would not splash to the picture or portrait and make a mess of it. This means you have to be watchful while applying the gum.
After painting and doing all other things. The last thing is to deal with is the picture. You will need to add a little glue to the edges of the photo or portrait. We believe the portrait should be on paper, so you would have no difficulty with the gum. After application, you can glue it to the back of the frame. This makes you a new picture frame.
To make it last longer, you can use a flat plank at the back of the picture. This will serve as an automatic shield for the photos in case there’s going to be a tear.
These are just a few things you can do with your old mirrors. We hope you try these things out and see how they look. We have no doubt that you will like them.
Conclusion
Mirrors are one of the best things you can have in your home. The thing, however, is that they don’t last forever. Aside from the fact that they are fragile, they may no longer be of good use to you.
When this is the case, instead of disposing of them in a way that will cause harm to the environment, you can adopt the things we have spoken about in this post. They will properly guide you in dealing with your mirror in an eco-friendly way.
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