How to Dispose of Slime? 4 Right Ways!

Slime is a very popular product that people have been using for a while now.

Children use it as a toy while some use it as means to control their stress and anxiety.

Just like everything else, it is important to understand and know how to dispose of slime in a responsible manner.

This article will talk about different methods that you can use in order to dispose of slime.

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How to Dispose Of Slime

Here are a few methods that you can follow to dispose of slime that you may have on hand:

Cut it up into Small Pieces

Throwing out a large chunk of slime in the garbage can be harmful to the environment as it will make any other trash content stick to it.

Not only will this create a mess, but it will also cause trouble for any garbage collection people that handle your trash.

So, the best thing you can do in this scenario is to cut the slime into small pieces before throwing it out with your household waste.

Contact a Local Recycling Center

Local recycling centers in your area can help you dispose of several different kinds of items.

So, if you have any kind of slime that you want to dispose of, a recycling center operative might be able to tell you where to take it.

In most cases, they will ask you to bring the slime or the remaining liquid to them.

Some recycling centers take things off your hands for free, while some charge a minimal fee.

Contacting a local recycling center is a good idea because these people are equipped with the necessary knowledge in disposing of such items.

Use it Up as Much as You Can

It is very normal for slime to deflate and shrink in size.

As you play around with it, layers keep coming off either because of the moisture in your hands, or any other surface that you might be putting the slime on.

Therefore, the more you use your slime, the smaller it gets.

If you want to stop your slime from getting smaller, you should always store it in its original container when you are not playing with it.

This will stop it from drying out and losing it elasticity.

Getting proper use out of your slime will help you dispose of it as well.

In the end, you will only be left with a small piece of slime to dispose of compared to a bigger piece.

Donate it

If you have a lot of slime on your hands or are mass-producing it for a YouTube video, you can always donate it.

Either look for children in your own family and friends who might enjoy slime, or you can contact a nearby school.

You can also track down an orphanage, or a children’s welfare center, that might accept these kinds of toys and sensory things.

Slime can be very educational especially for children on the younger side.

Donation is the perfect solution especially if you have a big batch of slime at your disposal.

What you can do is cut it up into smaller pieces and make small boxes out of it. This way it is easier for you to distribute it among children and other interested parties.

Things to Not Do While Disposing Of Slime

Even though slime is not a hazardous material, it is not wise to dispose of it irresponsibly. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Do Not Toss Slime Down the Drain or the Toilet

If you decide to wash slime down the drain or your kitchen sink, you will pave the way for bacteria buildup.

There can be many kinds of mold and bacteria that can start to grow in your sink because of the slime.

Not only does it start to smell, but it will also clog your pipes. Even if the slime dries out over time, the running water in your sink or drain will inflate it repeatedly.

Therefore, keeping it out of sinks, flushes, and pipes is a good idea.

Be Careful of the Ingredients

If you wish to make a batch of slime as a science project, try not to use any hazardous or non-biodegradable materials in the recipe.

PVA glue is definitely biodegradable, but substances such as foam beads, glitter, or any other charms usually go into slime recipes or not.

So, if you want to make your slime fancy, you may not be able to send it off to a recycling plant.

However, basic slime recipes made from PVA glue can be easily disposed of through the trash.

The slime that contains borax and alcohol can be slightly hazardous compared to other simple recipes.

You should be very careful and make eye contact with these hazardous chemicals because they can make your eyes flush out with water.

Other than this, keep borax and alcohol slime away from children and pets. If your children use this kind of slime, make sure they wash their hands with water and soap.

If you have non-biodegradable slime, you should try your best to re-purpose or use it instead of throwing it away in the trash.

Up-Cycling Slime

Most slime jars available in the market are reusable and recyclable.

These craft items have a great shelf life which means that you can use them for a significant amount of time. Even if you do not wish to use the slime again in its original form, you can use it to hold craft items.

Some particular kinds of slime can be turned into clay figures.

If you have slime that you will no longer use, you can glue it onto a phone case to make it pretty and shiny.

Transparent slime can also be turned into a calming jar to help you with any stress or anxiety-related issues.

Popular toys such as Barbies, video games, Legos, and slime are not biodegradable. This means that you cannot just toss them in the trash.

So, in order to be responsible you should always try to repurpose or reuse slime or at the very minimum dispose it in a thoughtful way.

Repurposing Slime

Slime doesn’t have to be wasteful because you can repurpose it very easily. Most slime jars and containers can be recycled or reused around the house.

You can store any other craft items or stationary in them.

These containers are either food grade or cosmetic grade, making them safer to use than the other containers available in the market.

You can easily determine this by checking out the number on the bottom of the jar or container.

This will help you decide whether the container is recyclable or safe to carry other items. Once you have that determined, you can utilize the plastic jar or container whichever way you like.

Fixing Your Slime

There are many cases in which slime dries out and becomes rock-hard. Instead of throwing it out, you can do a few things to restore the elasticity in your slime.

All you have to do is heat it up and knead it properly.

The more you knead it, the more you will bring back the elastic nature of the slime. Other than this, you can also use shampoo, foaming hand soap, hand sand days, hair gel, or liquid gelatin to make your slime as stretchy as it was when you first touched it.

The moisture found in these products can help you achieve the texture you want. You can also use a pot of hot water to make your dried outline stretchy again.

Not only will you be reusing a product that you already have, but you will also save yourself from the hassle of disposing of it.

It is important to try and use our toys as much as we can. Throwing out your slime at the slightest inconvenience will not only waste your money, but will also waste resources.

This eventually becomes harmful to the environment because these things build up one after the other.

Wrapping Up

Slime is a very fun activity that people cherish as an art form around the world. It has a unique ability to provide people with a therapeutic sensory experience and fun all packed into one.

Whether you are young or old, slime is something that anybody would like to use from time to time.

However, you have to keep in mind that you have to play a part when it comes to saving the environment.

On one hand, you can love and witness the pleasure slime brings to you or your kids, but at the same time dispose of it thoughtfully as possible.

This way, you are not only thinking about the planet, but you were also thinking about other people who work in the waste management industry and handle your trash on a daily basis.

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