Due to the limited number of non-recyclable items, vacuum cleaners are typically recyclable. Since vacuum cleaners are composed of a variety of materials, it is quite uncommon for them to be non-recyclable. Your device can be reused if it has a battery or can be plugged in. To recycle your vacuum cleaner properly, follow the directions in this manual.
Why Recycle Vacuum Cleaners?
In the past few years, people have raised the importance of recycling. Today, this is crucial enough to be an integral part of political discussion. What is the impact and benefit of recycling your vacuum cleaner on the overall situation? E-waste consists of any discarded electronic products, including vacuum cleaners. Because the service life of these devices is often shorter than before, they are becoming a real challenge. The consumption of electronic products per household has also increased significantly. It is estimated that the global vacuum cleaner market will reach US $20.5 billion in 2024.
- Reduce e-waste
Every year, every Canadian and American produces about 20 kilograms of e-waste. Globally, only 20% of e-waste is recycled. Even within the European Union, the leader in this field, they reported only 35% recycling. We should manage our e-waste more effectively. If this is not done, 120 million tons of e-waste may be generated by 2050.
- Keep the earth clean
Up to 90% of the vacuum can be recycled. Metal parts can be melted to make new equipment or parts. Plastic can also be reused as car dashboard, plant pots, and even furniture.
- Eliminate environmental pollution
When treated with ordinary garbage, the vacuum cleaner may be burned. However, vacuum is not biodegradable. Like many electronic devices, they contain heavy metals such as copper, iron, or aluminum. The toxic smoke produced by burning these metals is harmful to the environment. Over time, they accumulate in our biosphere, soil and water. These carcinogenic compounds also accumulate in the air we breathe.
- Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
Creating a new vacuum will produce a lot of carbon dioxide. In contrast, using existing resources from old devices requires less output than building everything from scratch.
- Energy conservation
Recycling also helps to save a lot of energy. A kilogram of recycled plastic can provide 34 hours of power for vacuum cleaners. Metal parts may be the recyclable part of the vacuum cleaner, saving the most energy. Generally, the amount of energy saving depends on the material used. Steel itself accounts for 72% of energy savings. In one year, the United States recycled 89million tons of general waste. This is enough to power 25million American homes every year.
Which Part of Your Vacuum Cleaner is Recyclable?
We now know that recycling your vacuum cleaner is not as easy as putting it in the recycle bin. But why should we recycle? There are many different parts in the vacuum cleaner, and a few items are not recyclable. Here are some examples of recycling parts in your broken vacuum cleaner. Metallic materials can be melted and remanufactured into different products. Other working parts, such as motors, hoses and filters, can be compatible with other vacuum. You can recycle plastic. components into other items.
Vacuum cleaners contain chemicals such as aluminum, iron, and copper. If you put the vacuum cleaner you don’t want with the rest of the garbage, when the metal parts burn, it will release toxic smoke. This problem will cause damage to the soil, water and air we live in. That’s why you have to know how to throw away vacuum in an environmentally friendly way. In addition, creating a new vacuum will release a lot of carbon dioxide. On the other hand, if you recycle, the factory can put the recycled parts into a new equipment, which will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
How to Dispose of a Damaged Vacuum Cleaner?
Remember, the damaged vacuum cleaner contains several parts and materials. There are some ways to use old parts in other machines, such as motors, hoses, roller brushes, and other accessories. In addition, some materials will melt and make another product.
The following are the operations to be performed when handling vacuum cleaners:
- First, you need to find recycling centers in your area. For instructions on how to dispose of the machine in the best way, please contact the vacuum manufacturer.
- Next, dismantle your vacuum cleaner to sell various parts.
- Finally, prepare tools such as screwdriver, pliers and other tools to separate the vacuum cleaner.
- Repair
You can try to repair the old vacuum cleaner before recycling it. Before you decide to recycle the vacuum cleaner, you may want to see what’s wrong and repair it quickly. Sometimes, the vacuum cleaner will lose suction due to blocked airway or dirty dust cup. In addition, some parts of the vacuum may affect the whole function, such as the power cord or roller brush. You can buy replacement parts from the manufacturer’s store.
- Reuse
If you try to repair the vacuum without any effect, you can remove different machine parts and reuse them. For example, if the vacuum motor is still working, you can make it into different equipment, such as a water pump or a toy car for your child.
- Recycling
There are different ways to recycle your broken vacuum cleaner to help keep the earth green.
- Recycling center
If you don’t know how to recycle your vacuum cleaner, the best choice is to contact several recycling centers for their advice. They are happy to provide you with instructions on how to disassemble different parts, such as power cords, vacuum hoses and other plastic materials. Contact different recycling centers because some of them have restrictions on the content collected. You may be surprised at how many things are made from recycled parts of vacuum cleaners, such as shampoo bottles or traffic cones.
- Landfill
You can sell metal parts to the dump for a few dollars. It may not be much, but you know it will become a huge use for other household appliances. You can find garbage dumps in industrial centers or suburbs.
However, the scrap yard only accepts metal components, which means you have to find other places to recycle the remaining vacuum. So please remember to disassemble the machine before you take it to the dump.
- Electronic store
If you buy a vacuum cleaner in a large electronic store, you may contact them and offer to recycle your damaged vacuum cleaner there. In addition, some stores will reimburse you for the cost of bringing back the old equipment for recycling.
- Sold at part price
You can sell your old vacuum cleaner for parts
Unlike the working vacuum cleaner, if your vacuum cleaner breaks down, you can’t sell the whole machine. However, you can still sell it to parts such as brushes, hoses, and nozzles. It is best to disassemble and thoroughly clean it before selling.
- Donations
Even if your vacuum cleaner stops working, you can still give it to others who may need parts. The repair shop is happy to accept your donation. Every recycling action is better than no recycling.
Is Vacuum Cleaner Electronic Waste?
On the surface, this may sound ridiculous. You may wonder whether vacuum cleaners pose a threat to the environment, and their wands will clear the mess after weekend parties or children playing at home. Well, news flash, they can. Like all other household or industrial appliances, vacuum cleaners are usually difficult to handle because they consist of several components. In particular, people often don’t know where to actually dispose of toxic wastes without constituting them. With this alone, vacuum cleaners cause nuisance to the environment. When your vacuum is broken, it is classified as e-waste or e-waste. E-waste includes any unwanted electronic products, including vacuum cleaners. If you look around your house, there are electronic devices everywhere, such as refrigerators, air conditioners, coffee machines, microwave ovens and so on. Nowadays, the consumption of household appliances has increased significantly. However, only a small part of these equipment has been properly recycled. That’s why learning how to recycle your vacuum cleaner is important to better manage unwanted e-waste and make the earth greener for everyone.