What's in your garage?
Many of us have pesky clutter taking up space in the garage that we could probably stand to get rid of. There are many things in our garages that can be reused or recycled. By freeing up this space, it may also lower anxiety, as a cluttered home can lead to increased stress. Before you start trashing your items, see if you can reuse or recycle some of them.
Here are some things that can be reused or recycled in your garage:
- Power tools/Lawn tools: If your power tools and lawn tools are still working, sell them or donate them so they can continue to be used. See if your neighborhood has a tool library that you can donate to. If the tools are no longer working, see if the item can be repaired first. Check with your local repair store to see if the item can be simply fixed. If the items have reached the end of their life, recycle them! We accept most of these items at our recycle depot or we can pick them up as a bulky item pick-up.
- Motor oil: We accept motor oil curbside for recycling. All you need to do is place the used motor oil in a see-through 1-gallon container with a screw lid (such as a milk jug), and place it curbside on your glass pick-up day. Please note, it cannot be mixed with any other fluids, it must be motor oil only.
- Automotive parts: If you’re looking for a way to dispose of car/truck tires and batteries we can handle both at our recycle depot, and as a bulky item pick-up.
- Batteries: Household batteries are accepted for $1/quart. We take car batteries for no charge at our recycle depot.
- Tires: You may see tires being reused and turned into planters. This may be a creative way of reusing, but we do not recommend it. The rubber will slowly break down and release various chemicals into the environment. We can pick up car and truck tires curbside as a bulky item pick-up. Your local tire store may also accept tires for recycling.
- Bicycles: These have a long life cycle, which is great! If you’re done with your bike or your kids have outgrown them, try selling or donating them so the life of the bikes can be extended even further! If the bike is unusable, remove the tires and tubes and dispose of them in the garbage and bring your metal to the recycle depot for free. If you like to do DIY projects, check places like Pinterest where there are many ideas on how to repurpose old bikes!
Special Waste:
- Pesticides & Herbicides: A common item found in garages is expired pesticides, herbicides, and other hazardous wastes, which must be properly disposed of. While we do not accept hazardous waste curbside or at our depot you are able to safely discard it with Metro. Even though you may be tempted to dump any unused amount down the drain, this is not recommended. Wastewater treatment plants may have a hard time removing the contaminants from the water. If these containers are empty, they can be properly disposed of in your garbage.
- Paint: Wet paint cannot be disposed of in the garbage. If the paint can is empty, with less than 1” of dried paint, and that residual paint is 100% dry – the container can go in your curbside recycling. To properly dispose of wet paint, type your address into paintcare.org and find the nearest recycling center near you.
- Propane tanks: We are able to accept empty propane tanks at our recycle depot for recycling. We can also pick these up curbside as a bulky item pick-up if needed.
We hope this has helped with how you can reduce the extra clutter in your garage! If you're unsure of what to do with an item we didn't list, please contact us.