When your microwave breaks or you decide to upgrade what do you do with the old one? Throw it in a trash can? No, it is not recommended.
So, what do you do with it? Put it in the backyard until it decomposes? They aren’t biodegradable and you need to look for ways to dispose of them. Below are ways in which you can dispose of your microwave. From the list below, you can choose your preferred method.
How to Dispose of a Microwave
1. Recycle
The best way to dispose of a microwave is by recycling. A microwave is not the typical common waste that you dump and leave to rot.
It may contain high concentrations of lead and copper which may hazardous to the environment. Take it to a recycling shop where they can use the spare parts to make other microwaves or repair it and sell it.
Some shops will give you cash for the microwave while others won’t. Find one near you and make a call and ask the procedure you need to follow.
2. Donate the microwave
You can put your microwave into good use by donating it. Give it to people who need it. Maybe a needy family in the neighborhood.
You can also check on the net to see if there are nonprofit organizations near you that take up used appliances. Other places could be churches, schools, and children clubs.
They take donation appliances as they are expensive to purchase. Make sure when you are donating your microwave, it is working and in good condition.
If it is not working and it’s a simple malfunction that can be corrected, you can take it to the repair shop and then give it away.
4. Sell the microwave
You can sell it at a relatively lower price. You can post it on eBay or Facebook. People will be willing to buy a working microwave sold at a lower price.
Apart from that, you can search for stores near you that buy used microwaves. At least you end up disposing of your microwave and also making some cash.
5. Check with your local garbage collection agency
Putting a microwave in a garbage bin doesn’t sound right. But calling your garbage collection service provider to enquire on how to dispose of the microwave is the most reasonable thing to do if it has malfunctioned beyond repair.
Every garbage agency has its terms. Some will have one day in a year where they collect garbage appliances—others will ask you to take the appliances to their stores. And to confirm you are from that area, they ask for some identification.
6. Check in the store you are purchasing if they take old ones
Some stores sell new appliances and still have a system where they buy old ones. They use the spare parts from the old ones to come up with new appliances.
Consult from the store you are buying from if they take the old ones. That way, you can make some money from the old one and still get to dispose of the microwave in the right manner.
Before purchasing, you can research to see if there is such a store near you. That way, you can purchase from the store as you will save some cash and the hustle of finding ways to dispose of the old microwave.
7. Take it back to the manufacturer
Most manufacturers will take an old microwave as they can use the spare parts in a better way. In most cases, the manufacturers will compensate you.
Before taking it to the manufacturer, make sure you consult from the manufacturer to see if they take them back. Ask for all the details as they may have a pickup system where they come to pick the used microwave.
This will help you save on time. At some point, they will ask you to pay for the shipping fee back to the manufacturer.
You can check the manufacturer’s contacts from the instruction menu, or you can check their website. You can even see if they have such a system from their site.
8. Clean up days
In some areas, there are clean up days. This is where all residents take the things they no longer need to a central point and sell them at a lower price.
All residents give some cash to help in advertising and maybe paying for the space the sales will happen. If you are new in the area, you can ask around to see if there is such a day in the area.
At least you can dispose of the microwave well and still make some cash out of it. You also get to help someone who couldn’t afford it at the original price.
microwave isn’t badly damaged, you can read the instructions manual to see ways you can repair it. That way, you don’t need to dispose of it, and if you still want to dispose of it, you can give it for donation as it will be working.
If you get an issue that you can’t repair using the instructions on the manual, call the manufacturers to guide you through the repairing process. If your warranty is still on, take it to the manufacturer to repair it for you for free.
Conclusion on microwave disposal
Any time you want to dispose of your microwave, make sure you do it right. If you put it in the trash can, you are making work hard for the garbage collectors. With the above ways, pick what suits you best