What To Do With Old Knives (4 Ways To Dispose Of Them)

When it’s time to say the last goodbye to your old knives, it’s important to do so safely.

If you are willing to put in a bit more work, you might even do a good deed and help a few people.

In this article, we will show you what can you do with your old knives and how to dispose of them properly.

What Can I Do With Old Knives?


two knife blades

The first thing you want to do is to figure out if the knives can be restored. If you think they are not usable doesn’t necessarily mean so. Rust and large chips can be mended by a knife professional.

If the blade is broken, then the knife probably won’t be worth restoring and should be safely disposed of. If you got a new better set of knives and are sure you won’t need the old ones, that are in good shape, go to the next step.

Sell Them

There is a market for old knives, especially if they are or they were high-grade. If your knives are in solid shape, consider selling them online on websites like eBay or Facebook Marketplace.

If the knives are antique or custom-made nice-looking knives like Scandinavian knives, consider contacting a shop that buys those kinds of knives. You may get a nice offer and make enough money to buy a whole new set!

There are a few shops that allow you to ship the knives for an evaluation. One of those shops is the blueridgeknives. They have a nice policy where they will ship the knives back free of charge if they are unable to make an offer.

This way, you might make a few bucks and dispose of your knives the same way. You can then get a nice discount on the new knife set.

Recycle Them

Many metal recycling companies will be willing to take or even purchase your old knives, depending on the blade material. You can easily find out the recycling centers in your area by doing a google search “metal recycling near me”.

You will be presented with most of the metal recycling centers in your town that you can visit. Be sure to secure the knives even when disposing of them at the recycling center. There will be people handling them over there, so it’s the right thing to do.

This is a recommended, environmentally friendly way of disposing of your knives. The metal will be reused, and the knives won’t end up in hands of someone on the street.

Donate Them

gifting

If your knives are in usable shape with no visible damage, you can make them a nice gift to your friends. You can even go a step further and sharpen the knives if you have a wet stone at home.

If you fail to find friends in need of some cutlery, you may try to donate the knives to a soup kitchen or a meal center. These places might need more utensils, so you might want to call them and check before you go there.

Another option is second-hand stores. You can ask them if they would like a set of knives.

Throw Them

We don’t recommend this option, as there are more environmentally friendly and humane ways of disposing of the knives described above. If you, for whatever reason, want to throw them into the trash, this is the right way to do so.

  • Wrap the knives into several layers of paper from old magazines and newspapers. If you have an old shirt or some thick cloth that you want to get rid of, this is the perfect opportunity.
  • After you’ve wrapped the knives with a lot of layers, wrap them in some cardboard and secure the wrap with a lot of duct tape.
  • Place the wrapped cardboard in a box and secure the lid with duct tape as well.
  • Now you can safely throw the box in the trash.

If you fail to follow these steps, you can cause a serious injury, no matter how old or dull the blade of the knife might be. The blade can easily find its way out of the trash bag and cause some serious injuries. Especially if you’re throwing away big knives like breaking or butcher knives. Be considerate, and do the right thing.


Conclusion


You have quite a few options on how to get get rid of your old knives.

Always remember that safety is first and that whatever you do, make sure that you secure the blades of the knives you’re disposing of.

You can make the knives a nice little gift for someone that needs them. This way, the whole disposal won’t be a boring, but fun and charitable activity.