Hairdryers are a common household appliance. Like most other appliances, they become unusable after a few years.
Depending on the condition of your dryer, you can either dispose of it or recycle it. This article will assume that your dryer is too far gone and requires disposal.
Proper disposal is necessary because it ensures other people and the environment are not harmed.
That said, the article also provides information on recycling hair dryers.
How to Dispose Hair Dryers
Here are a couple of ways you can use to dispose of old hair dryers.
Pack the Old Hair Dryers for Transport
You must pack the old hair dryers for transport. Place the hairdryer in a cloth bag or biodegradable plastic bag.
It’s best to try and reduce your use of plastics for disposal. No safety attire is necessary when handling your old hairdryer.
However, you can wear a surgical mask if the hairdryer is particularly old.
The mask can reduce your chances of breathing in any gases that may be released.
Contact Your Local Scrap Collection Agency
The best way to get rid of hair dryers is to hand them over to your local scrap collection agency.
You should consider this step if your hairdryer is broken and does not function.
Local Scrap Collection Agencies Use Materials to Make other Goods
Your local scrap collection agency will take apart the materials from your hair dryers.
It will then use the raw materials in the production of other goods.
Consult Your Local Scrap Collection Agency on Collection
Consult your local scrap collection agency about any packaging guidelines it may have for disposing of hair dryers.
Moreover, arrange a pick-up or deliver the old hairdryer to the agency yourself.
Make Sure the Local Scrap Collection Agency Is Reliable
You should only deliver your old hairdryer to a reliable local scrap collection agency.
This way, you can be sure that it takes proper safety measures for breaking down the materials.
You can then rest easy knowing your old hairdryers are not posing a risk to the environment.
How to Recycle Hair Dryers
If you do not want to dispose of your hairdryer, you can consider recycling it.
You cannot place hair dryers in recycling bins.
However, you can get in touch with your local recycling station instead.
Locate a Recycling Station in Your Neighborhood or City
You can use the internet to locate a recycling station in your neighborhood or city.
You can also search for scrap metal recycling stations because hairdryers are considered scrap metal.
Make Sure the Recycling Station Accepts Hair Dryers before Dropping It Off
When you find a recycling station, contact them and ask them if they accept hair dryers.
It’s best to perform this step before heading over to the collection station. It can save you time and effort because some recycling stations may not accept this household appliance.
Arrange the Drop-Off for Your Broken Hair Dryer
After you acquire the necessary information from the recycling station, arrange the drop-off for your broken hairdryer.
After that, you can expect the recycling stations to take care of everything else.
Why Proper Disposal of Hair Dryers is Vital
You must educate yourself on the effects improper disposal of hair dryers can have on the environment.
That way, you will be more motivated to ensure that you minimize your footprint on the environment through proper disposal.
Scrap Metals in Hair Dryers Can Be Toxic
You should never throw a hairdryer in the garbage after it gets old and unusable.
This is because it contains scrap metals.
Scrap Metals Can be Harmful to Human Beings
Over time, these scrap metals can be toxic to human beings.
Therefore, sanitation workers are at the greatest risk. They will most likely not know that your garbage contains these substances.
So, that can put them in danger during garbage handling.
Scrap Metals Can be Harmful to the Environment
The scrap metals from hair dryers can pose a risk to the environment and other wildlife that comes into contact with them.
These metals can also release harmful gases over time, which can cause animals in proximity to the substances to get sick.
Plastics in Hair Dryers Pose a Risk to the Environment
Hairdryers contain plastics on the exterior and interior of the device.
Plastics are typically non-biodegradable.
What this means is that it will not decompose to become a part of the earth, even several years later.
Plastics in Hair Dryers Are More Resilient
Plastics in hair dryers are more resilient than most other plastics used in household appliances and other items.
These plastics are heat resistant, harder, and thicker. As a result, it will be complex and more challenging for these plastics to break down.
Therefore, the plastics will not decompose without being treated first. That is why you must contact a scrap collector or other entities for disposal instead.
Old Hair Dryers Can Release High Amounts of Carbon Dioxide
Old hair dryers can release high amounts of carbon dioxide.
This can be harmful to you, your home, sanitation workers, and the environment.
Why Recycling Hair Dryers Is Important
Your recycling station ensures that your broken and unusable hair dryers don’t end up in a landfill.
The hairdryers will stay in landfills will stay for several years before even starting to decompose.
With that said, here is why handing your broken hair dryers to recycling stations is important.
Build New Products Without Mining for Metals
The recycling station will remove the metals in the hair dryers. It will then use those metals in producing other goods.
Metals can be molded and reused. So, it makes no sense to dispose of metals that are still in good shape.
When the metals are recycled, there will be a reduced need for mining for more metals.
As a result, it will prevent the destruction of nature and help preserve habitats and the environment on the whole.
What Products Are Made from Recycling Hair Dryers
As mentioned before, hairdryers can contain various metals.
These metals include steel, copper, aluminum, or brass.
Therefore, recycling stations take these metals apart and use them in the production of products such as:
- Automobiles
- Electrical appliances
- Wires,
- Home equipment
- Construction materials
Reliable scrap metal recycling stations ensure that there is minimal metal wastage.
Other Ways to Get Rid of Hair Dryers
In some cases, you may need to get rid of your hair dryers even if they are still functional.
Therefore, you can consider these options in such a situation.
Donate Your Hair Dryers to Those Who May Need Them
You can consider donating your hair dryers to charity organizations.
Therefore, someone can still use them while they are operational instead of handing them over for recycling.
Gift Them to Your Family or Friends
Some family members or friends of yours may be in need of a hairdryer.
If you have a fully functional one that you don’t use, you can gift them yours. You can help them save a bit of money.
You also can help reduce the use of metals and plastics. This can help preserve the environment in the long term.
What to Consider When Disposing of Electrical Items
Hairdryers are considered electrical equipment.
Therefore, there are a few things you must consider when disposing of such items.
Remove All Batteries in the Device
In most cases, hairdryers will need to be plugged in to use them. This is because it uses a lot of power to generate heat.
That said, it may contain some batteries for some functions. There may also be some models with batteries present in them.
Dispose of All Batteries Separately and in a Proper Manner
In that case, you must remove all batteries from the device before disposing of it or sending it for recycling.
Batteries can be extremely harmful to people, animals, and the environment.
Therefore, they need to be disposed of properly and according to local and state laws.
Make sure to consult your local scrap handling agency about disposing of batteries in your hairdryer.
If they cannot help you, contact your local hazardous waste management agency. Make sure to follow their instructions thoroughly.
You must remember that you should not dispose of hairdryers and batteries together.
Get in Touch with Your Retailer
Some retailers also provide disposal and recycling services for their hairdryers and other electrical products.
In that case, you can contact the retailer for disposal or recycling.
Understand That Most Electrical Products Can be Recycled
Most electrical products can be recycled if they contain the following:
- a plug
- a charger
- batteries
Last Few Words
Disposing of hair dryers is a straightforward process.
A little effort on your part can help preserve the environment. Moreover, you should always consider recycling before disposal.
So, consider consulting a recycling station before a disposal agency.
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