I’ve been saving old blades for several years now and am wondering what to do with them. I used to wrap them in duct tape and just toss them, but then I started storing them in a plastic jar. I really don’t want to just toss them and have them cutting someone up at the landfill. I thought about asking my doctor to include them with his sharps, but since his is considered biohazardous waste, he probably wouldn’t want mine adding to his cost.
So what do you guys do with yours?
If you have a piece of styrofoam you can stick them in that, then tape them into it and it will keep them from poking anyone. You can also, if they aren’t to bad, re-sharpen them with some sandpaper and save a quick buck. 
Toss them. I doubt the people at the landfill worry about “sharp” objects as there are sharp objects all around! If you want, put them in a plastic jug (like an empty laundry detergent bottle) and dispose of them that way. That’s what I do with my diabetic syringes.
Or you can just encase them in lead, cover them in concrete and bury them in your backyard. YMMV. [;)]
Gary
Ha! I have a little block of stryofoam with every blade I’ve changed since I started back in the hobby, in 2013. I guess one of these days I’ll have to toss them. When the day comes, taping them up in the block is a good idea, thanks.
You can store them in an old aspirin bottle or medication bottle, then peel off the label and throw it in the garbage after you’ve collected enough to fill it.
I tape hem up and toss them. I guess I could tape them and put them in a jar and toss them that way as a back up. If you are “lucky” enough to live in an area with sharps containers in public restrooms; you know for all those “diabetics”; you could dump them there.
I tape them up and toss in trash. I could care less where it goes from there. Not my problem. We pay enough for garbage fees and city issued garbage bags we have to pay for.
Or you can just encase them in lead, cover them in concrete and bury them in your backyard. YMMV.
Gary
Great idea that’ll do for me
I use an old metal black pepper can. When it gets full I’ll tape it up and pitch it.
I got that idea from another modeler here on the forums.
[dto:] I peel off the label from my BP med and toss it once it’s full.
i guess none of you guys have metal recycling bin along with your garbage pickup like we do here in Ontario, Canada as that is where i dump mine?
I do here but never thought of that. They are picky at what you can drop in the recycle bin. For example they don’t want clothing hangers, metal or plastic or even plastic bags.
i even recycle the metal box of desktop computer power supply minus everything in the box if the power supply is to be scrapped.
here we get 3 bins for recycling, paper/cardboard, metal/plastic/styrofoam & food waste.
Thanks everyone. To the landfill we go then.
In a sense I do a limited amount of recycling myself. I have a scalpel and three X-acto handles on my bench. The handles are all different so I can tell them apart. I put my newest blade in one knife, passing the old one down to knife #2, and the old blade from that down to #3. I use the scalpel for decals and other soft stuff. X-acto #1 is my main cutting blade. I use #2 for cutting PE, and #3 for seam scraping. That way I get a lot of use out of each blade before it goes in the trash. Around here they don’t want very small stuff in the metal recycle so I stick them in something and put them in the trash.
Drink coffee? A coffee container would make a great sharps container.
Well this is how I do it at home and how we are doing it here at my work:
Take empty METAL paint can. 1 litre or so works fine.
Make “coin slot” to the lid
Close the lid tightly
Drop used blades, needles etc. through the coin slot.
When the can is full close the slot tightly with small piece of tape.
Put the whole can to metal recycling.
That keeps all the sharp objects in and you don´t put any inappropriate material to metal recycling like you do if you use plastic or glass can.
My wife uses 20 litre metal paint cans when she tosses away old springs, nails and staples from dissembled upholsteries [:D]
I re-use my blades like Don does, rotating them through brand-new use, then a long life as a utility blade. I haven’t had to throw any out yet. I use cough drop or breath mint tins to store them in my tool box. But the collection can idea is a good one.
This topic reminds me of the razor blade slot built into medicine cabinets, back in the day. I don’t know that anyone ever filled one up, but I know of some folks who were renovating an old house and found the stash of old blades when they removed an old medicine cabinet.
Hi cwalker3 ;
I very seldom throw them away .At least till I get my use out of them .I will resharpen them with a jig I made long before that re-sharpening tool came out .I will usually resharpen them twice .
Than I Put on my safety glasses on and inside a large glass bowl turned upside down I break them up with Vise-grips then , to the landfill . Tanker - Builder
I always just dull up the edge with a file. It only takes a few seconds to make the blade no sharper than a butter knife.