What Can You Recycle After a Home Renovation?

Renovating your home is a great way to refresh your space. However, before you get ready to throw away your old appliances and building materials, it's a good idea to consider what you can recycle after your renovation. Recycling helps to keep reusable products and materials out of landfills, and you can help others by providing them with products that are still usable.

That said, if you're getting ready to renovate your home, here are a few key things to consider recycling rather than throwing them away.

DOORS AND WINDOWS

Both internal and external doors can be recycled and reused by other homeowners, business owners, and contractors. Doors can be easily cleaned and repaired and then donated or reused in other projects. Depending on the state of the door, the wood can also be salvaged and reused. Additionally, while windows can't be as easily recycled, you may be able to donate the glass to local artists or contractors.

CABINETS

Kitchen remodels are one of the most popular home remodeling projects, which means your old cabinets could easily be reused by someone else looking to change up their kitchen's aesthetic. Up to 70% of the millions of tons of garbage produced every year can be recycled. You can either donate your cabinets to your local donation center or, if your cabinets are untreated, you can look into your local wood recycling programs and donate your cabinets to a nearby recycling plant.

WORKING APPLIANCES

If your appliances still work, but you're replacing them, you can donate them to local organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Goodwill. Many donation centers and organizations accept stoves, refrigerators, washing machines, and dishwashers that are in good condition and working order. Be sure to call ahead to ask first whether your local donation center accepts the appliances you're looking to donate.

BATHROOM FIXTURES

If the toilet, sink, and bathtub you're replacing in your home are in good condition and aren't stained, they can be easily donated to your local salvage store. Salvage stores are particularly keen on vintage fixtures, which is good to keep in mind if you're remodeling an older home.

WOOD FLOORING AND TILES

Contractors or salvage shops may be willing to accept wood flooring or tile that's clean and undamaged. However, keep in mind that not all wood flooring or tile is recyclable. Be sure to contact your local salvage shop to ask which materials they accept.

MINI BLINDS

Whether you're looking to install new shades or blinds to give your home a facelift during your renovation, you can recycle your old and unwanted window treatments relatively easily. Of course, it's important to know what type of window treatments you have before you go about recycling them. For instance, if you have mini blinds that are made of PVC, you'll need to call ahead to your local recycling center to determine whether they'll be willing to accept them. On the other hand, aluminum mini blinds are typically accepted at most major recycling plants.

WINDOW SHADES AND WOODEN BLINDS

Roman shades can't be recycled like blinds can, but they can be donated at a local clothing drop-off or donation center where they can be reused. The fabric from your window treatments can be removed from the hardware and reused for other projects.

Similarly, cellular shades can be donated to clothing donation stores because they're made entirely of polyester fabric. It's for this reason that cellular shades can't be processed in recycling centers, but they can be reused at donation centers as fabric for filler or insulation. Wooden blinds and woven wooden blinds also can't be traditionally recycled, but they can be donated as-is and reused by others looking to spruce up their spaces.

Donating your window treatments is not only a good way to reduce your carbon footprint but also to earn yourself a charitable tax deduction. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), you can deduct the fair market value of household goods, clothing, and more.

Once you've recycled or donated your unwanted window treatments and you're ready to install new ones that match your personal style, be sure to reach out to Window Treats Inc. We can help you find new custom window treatments to suit your needs, and we can even help repair your existing window treatments. For more information, contact us today.