Good Question: Can I Recycle or Fix Up Old Knives?

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?