How can I dispose of old kitchen knives? I bought a set of knives a couple of years ago and they have since dulled and rusted. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to just throw them in the garbage. I would normally try to make do with them, but I received a better set of knives as a gift recently and kind of wanted to clear out my kitchen drawer.
- Malaika
Malaika, we think this is a great opportunity to recycle or donate the knives - perhaps to a friend who is just setting up her kitchen, or to a thrift store charity. We assume they're steel, and not stainless steel (from the rusting) - so why not scrub them down and have them sharpened? If they are sharpened and clean, they would make a good donation item, and it would keep them out of the landfill a little longer!
If they are in really bad shape, though - totally unusable - we would wrap them securely in several layers of newspaper and trash bags (to keep any sharp edges from poking through) and pitch them.
Any other thoughts on recycling or donating?
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If you don't want to pass them on to someone else, perhaps paying to have them sharpened beforehand [a great suggestion, though], you can ask a cutlery place to dispose of them properly.
view Terry B's profile
I used some of my old knives in the garden.
view mads78's profile
Salvation army will appreciate them I'm sure!
view drikfan's profile
I keep an old chefs knife in my garden bucket.... it is great for cutting root balls when dividing perennials and other gardenly tasks.
view Alice's profile
salvation army can be picky about what they'll accept. i've had them say no to a couch with a rip in a cushion, and my grandfather had them refuse a washing machine because the gentle cycle didn't work.
Goodwill, or smaller charity/thrift shops, will usually accept and sell just about anything of value.
that being said, you should know where the money will go when they sell your donated items. i donate only to secular, local-minded charities.
view stereophonik's profile
One person's garbage is another's treasure. You can bring them to me; I will sharpen them and donate them to a soup kitchen if they are halfway decent. I'm the Samurai Sharpener at the Chelsea Market.
My summer hours are: every other Saturday noon to 6 PM.
After Labor Day: every Wednesday and Saturday, noon to 6 PM.
212-942-5228
margery@ix.netcom.com
view margery's profile
Thanks for the great suggestions. I wish I could save them for my garden, but alas, my teeny NYC apartment doesn't allow for much more than a flower box (and I don't even have that). Hopefully Margery can fix them up and put them to good use.
view Likey's profile
I thought carbon steel is meant to rust and look funny after a while, that's why its better than stainless steel - its softer, so the blade can be sharpened to a finer point, which makes it easier to cut things. Its not pretty tho!
PS. I very much like the sound of a Samurai Sharpener!
view tin_angel's profile
I have the same problem with a variety of used sharps in my house, sewing needles, knitting needles, X-acto knife blades, various other sharp items. What I do is save a strong soda bottle or a strong Tupperware-type box to put them in, depending on the size, mark it SHARPS very clearly and when it fills up, seal it with heavy plastic packing tape and put it in with the other garbage.
The environment is not bettered by this and I agree that donating them is the best thing, but sometimes things aren't salvageable . . . and at least this way I believe no one is going to get an accidental slice handling my garbage.
view jfwlucy's profile