Landscaping Equipment Can Be Recycled
If you simply want to be rid of your old equipment, but don’t want to contribute to the waste stream, having a professional junk hauling firm pick them up can be a true eco-friendly option.
Lawn mowers and other landscaping equipment can be broken down into metal and plastic parts, cleaned free of gasoline or other substances and recycled industrially. This includes appliances like lawn mowers, leave blowers, wheelbarrows, hedge trimmers, edgers, weed trimmers and even chainsaws. While it’s not exactly a landscaping tool, even your old barbecues can be picked up and recycled!
There can often be other types of metals in an old tool. The question often comes up regarding what types of metals actually can be sold for scrap. Non-ferrous metals, such as copper, aluminum, brass, stainless steel and bronze, generally bring more money at scrap yards. While ferrous metals, like steel and iron, are not as valuable, the scrap yards will still accept these metals for recycling.
The website at Earth911.com notes that,
“The most common metals accepted by scrap yards include copper, steel, aluminum, brass, iron and wires. But your local scrap yard may accept additional metals for recycling and give you cash payouts for your scrap metals. Call a few scrap yards in your area ahead of time for a list of scrap metals they accept for recycling”
If you choose to sell your old equipment and tools as scrap metal keep in mind how scrap is purchased by the scrap metal reclamation companies.
Scraping Your Old Lawn Mower
If none of the above options will work for you, you might be able to sell the parts of your lawn mower to a scrap metal dealer. Lawn mowers are made with parts that often contain valuable metals such as aluminum and steel. Most scrap metal dealers buy mowers and pay out based on current market prices, which can fluctuate daily.
You wont make as much money off of your old lawn mower at a junkyard when you sell it as one piece as you would were it broken down into the individual parts and pieces.
So, unless you have the time and know-how to take apart your mower, you may want to think about trying to sell it to a local small engine mechanic instead. Youll probably get twice as much for your old mower when you sell it for parts than you would taking it to the scrap yard.
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Option : Scrap Your Broken Lawn Mowers For Parts
This can be profitable if you know what youre doing and you have a popular model. The idea is that you take your lawn mower apart and sell the parts individually to people who need them for repairs. This requires some technical knowledge and quite a lot of time! Generally, its going to be easier to sell it whole or take it to a scrap dealer.
If you do decide to do this, youll need to take off all connecting wires, seats, tubes, tanks, and tires. Even the collection bin will need to go. You want to be left with a metal skeleton and a bunch of parts. You can then sell what you can, get rid of the few pieces that cant be recycled, then give the rest to the scrap dealer.
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What You Should Know About Recycling Old Lawn Mowers
Does your garage have an old lawn mower, edger or other unwanted landscaping tools just taking up space? When you have a broken or obsolete lawn mower and other landscaping appliances, you know that getting rid of them can be difficult, uncomfortable, and dirty.
Lawnmower and Landscaping Equipment Disposal
Your old landscaping equipment probably lasted you for years. But, at some point, tools break down or perhaps youve upgraded to something bigger and better. Possibly you’ve even decided to throw in the towel and hire a professional landscaping firm.
In fact, upgrading can be a smart choice on a number of levels. Newer models of lawn mowers and other landscaping and gardening tools are more efficient and less harmful to the environment than many of the older tools still being used in American homes.
For example, it’s been calculated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that a gas powered lawn mower produces as much volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides emissions air pollution in one hour of operation as 11 new cars each being driven for one hour. In addition, it’s estimated that an average of about 54 million Americans mow their lawns, using 800 million gallons of gas per year.
According to the EPA, one gas mower spews 88 pounds of CO2 along with another 34 pounds of other pollutants into the air every year. Multiply this by 54 million lawn mowers and that’s approximately 5% of the total air pollution produced in the US every year.
Selling your tools
Intro To Recycling Old Lawn Mowers
But first, can you recycle a lawn mower? Its hard to know since recycling anything other than everyday paper, plastic, metal, and glass can be a bit of a mystery.
Because lawn mowers are generally made of metal and rigid plastic components, they are, essentially, recyclable. But, put simply, having an old lawn mower recycled is a little more complicated than chucking it in the blue bin.
Before we go any further into lawn mower recycling, its important that no matter what you do with your old lawn mower, you must make sure it is completely drained of oil and gasoline.
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Sell The Mower As A Scrap
If your lawnmower is totally damaged sell it as scrap. But before selling it as scrap, separate the metal stuff which has not yet been completely damaged. Clean the metal stuff. Because you can earn extra money from the buyers for that dirt free part.
And itâs time to know how to sell a mower as a scrap. Letâs have a look.
What You Can Do With Unusable Equipment
There is still a way to make some money from your old, but unusable, landscaping equipment. Whether it’s an edger, leaf blower, hedge clippers, weed trimmer, snow blower or a lawnmower, there are materials in them and on them that can be sold.
Sell it as scrap metal
The fact is, you might be able to sell these items to a scrap metal dealer. According to Hunker.com,
“Most buy mowers at scrap metal prices that fluctuate daily in accordance with the market. You won’t get as much as if you parted it out, but engines and some decks are made with aluminum castings. Junkyards usually pay aluminum breakage prices, which is more than they pay for plain steel, for a mower sold as a unit.”
According to a post on Scrap Metal Junkie, scrap metal buyers are one option:
“Old lawn mowers and small engines are a great source of scrap aluminum and steel. Unfortunately, it is far too time consuming to take a whole small engine apart to separate into non-ferrous metals . The trick for those of us selling them for scrap metal, however, is getting a fair price for the value of the metal.”
However, they go on to point out that small engine mechanics are often a far better source for selling your old powered equipment, even if they aren’t currently running. According to the post you will be able to make two or three times more money by selling a lawn mower for parts than you would if you sold it to a scrap yard.
1. Separate the metals
2. Separate the non-ferrous metals
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Buy A More Efficient Lawn Mower
Even the most efficient gas lawn mower is bad for the environment. If you are ready to buy a new lawn mower, consider choosing a manual lawn mower. Mowing your lawn manually wont create any pollution although it will take a bit more effort!
Additionally, because there are fewer moving parts, a manual push lawn mower should have a considerably longer lifetime than a gas lawn mower. Plus, there are fewer plastic parts, so theyre easier to recycle once they do reach end of life most of it will be scrap metal that cant be recycled.
If youve got too much grass to consider a manual lawn mower, an electric lawn mower might be the right choice. Cordless options enable you to use them even on large lawns, and they cause considerably less pollution than a petrol mower. This option is even better if youre getting your energy either direct from renewable resources or use an energy supplier that focuses on renewables.
How To Get Rid Of A Broken Lawn Mower
There are plenty of ways to get rid of a broken lawn mower. Although this task may be inconvenient for some, its something thats naturally bound to happen. As a lawn owner, youll definitely face this situation sooner or later as you go on in your mowing routine. Whether your lawn mower just got broken or youre planning for an upgrade, like buy a new one or hire a professional mower, this guide has got you covered.
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What To Do With An Old Lawnmower
There is a point when your Lawnmower starts to malfunction and at times completely stops working. You realize that it has been too long using that machine, and its time for an upgrade. While considering upgrading, you also ask yourself what to do with your old machine. It would help if you got rid of that to have a space for your new machine. Luckily there are various things you can do with your old Lawnmower.
What to do with an Old Lawnmower:
- Method 1: Recycling a Lawnmower
- Method 2: Donate it to a charitable organization if it works
- Method 3: Sell it if it works
- Method 4: Gift it to someone in need
- Method 5: Get a junk removal service to pick it up
Various reasons could motivate a person to shift or upgrade to a new lawnmower. One such reason is that the old lawnmower has an antique engine that does not work correctly anymore, even after many repairs. A bad functioning engine can also be harmful to the atmosphere due to certain gases production and makes the machine less efficient.
We will discuss various other reasons and signs that force a person to upgrade the equipment but first, let us discuss methods one can adopt if he decides to dispose of his old Lawnmower.
Contents
Removalist Services Will Help You Carry The Lawnmower
There are instances where the recycling plant does not offer carriage services, and you have to take the lawnmower to the recycling plant but have no means of doing so. The best option for you in this scenario is hiring a removalist service. A removalist service is a commercial enterprise of transporting goods from one place to another.
Therefore, if you find yourself in such a situation, just hire hauling services. Apart from transporting the old lawnmower to the recycling centre for you, rubbish removal services are beneficial in numerous other ways.
Some of the benefits of hiring a hauling company include:
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What To Do With Old Petrol And Oil From Old Lawn Mower
If youve gone the either the recycling or scrapping route, youll need to ensure that all oil and petrol are sufficiently drained from your lawn mower . Once youve drained your mower, youll be left with containers of oil and old petrol.
What are you supposed to do with these? Can you reuse them?
Like most things, oil and petrol both have a shelf life and an expiration date so if youve drained them from your old mower, the odds are theyre no longer any good to reuse. Both of these liquids are flammable and can pose safety risks to you and to the environment, so it is vital that you dispose of them responsibly too!
Most household waste recycling centres will have a collection point for fuels such as these, so this is probably the best place for you to unload them. Make sure youve stored them in suitable containers and that theres no chance of any leaks happening during transit as this could be dangerous for you.
Finding A Good Firm To Take Your Old Equipment For Recycling
Junk King offers appliance disposal and recycling for all kinds of landscaping equipment and to recycle appliances like lawn mowers can take this burden off your shoulders. We even go a step farther with scrap metal pick up.
Take back the space in your garage. Dont let old lawn equipment rust in the yard. Call the junk removal pros for appliance pick up!
Were just as proud of our high marks for customer service as we are for being the greenest junk haulers. Junk King has been rated the best in North America for customer service, and you can see why from our customer testimonials.
Were fast, friendly, and amazingly efficient. If you want trained professionals who show up on time and in uniform then you need to hire Junk King.
Make an appointment and well provide an upfront estimate with no strings attached. Just show us the lawnmower and landscaping equipment and any other trash you want disposed of, and we quote you based on the volume of space the junk takes up in our truck. Our crews our not only efficient and friendly, but they are fast, as well!
Well take your old or broken landscaping equipment off your hands and make sure it gets recycled or disposed of responsibly. Just give us a ring at 1.888.888.JUNK .
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How Can I Make My Lawn Mower Faster
They include
When To Upgrade Your Lawnmower:
Suppose your lawn is not getting the proper trimming because of a faulty lawnmower its time for an upgrade. A lawnmowers lifespan can range up to 10 years, but its more dependent upon the climate one lives in and the average usage of the Lawnmower. Following are a few signs which are when visible in your machine, you need to upgrade it.
- Transmission issues: If your old Lawnmower has transmission issues, its better to buy a new one as changing transmission is costly.
- Engine problems: If your Lawnmower shows engine problems, its better to upgrade as its expensive to replace the motor, but this affects the machines efficiency.
- Out of warranty: When your Lawnmower goes out of warranty,its better to upgrade as repairing expenses are enormous.
- Damaged crankshaft: If the crankshaftgets damaged, the machine stops, and thus upgrading is better than a costly repair.
- Environmental issues: If your Lawnmower is old and a hazard to the environment, its better to buy a new environment-friendly version.
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How To Dispose Of A Lawn Mower
One of the things you should consider when disposing a lawn mower is to do it based on your preference. This way, you wont be stressing over it if you cannot commit to the level of difficulty your chosen disposal choice has. Go for a way thatll give you minimal stress and one that suits your budget, time, location, and energy.
However, take note of some important points before deciding for a disposal option for your old mower: Some areas or states may have special rules for disposing old mowers due to environmental concerns. You may want to contact your local waste manager to ask for possible disposal options. Also, never put your old lawn mower on the curb as youll get fined for doing so. Putting your broken mower on the road poses safety concerns for drivers in your neighborhood.
If your lawn mower uses gasoline, you should drain it first before throwing it. Oil residues and dangerous fuel are bad for lawn mower disposal. Keeping the oil creates leakage that may seep through catch basins and water systems of waste disposal centers. You dont want to bring chemicals or pollutants into the environment. Other option is to look for a professional to do the oil draining instead of doing it by yourself.
What Is The Highest Paying Scrap Metal
The Three Best Metals To Scrap
- Aluminum. Aluminum is the most common type of non-ferrous metal.
- Brass. Finding brass can be tricky but also one of the most rewarding metals to scrap.
- Copper. Copper is in high demand at scrap yards and youll earn the most money by finding and scrapping copper.
- Quick Tip.
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Lawn Mower Pickup & Disposal Sites
Many areas will have junk disposal sites available that will take used lawn mowers and other garden equipment. Just do a quick search for junk disposal for deposit sites near you. There are also probably a dozen or so people in most areas that are willing to take old lawn mowers so they can restore them and put them back in use. Best place to find these folks is probably on Facebook and just ask your friends who is willing to take on an old lawn mower project. I did that and found out my next-door neighbor likes to fiddle with small engines. He took my old mower and got it running again. He offered it back but I already had my new reel mower.
