Got an old lawn mower that you want to dispose of? You’re probably wondering whether you can recycle it.
In this guide, we’ve discussed whether or not you can recycle your lawn mower in the UK. We’ve also looked at where you can dispose of your lawn mower in general.
✅Key Takeaways:
In the UK, you can recycle your mower for free at your local recycling centre.
You can also take advantage of council schemes for lawn mower disposal or scrap metal facilities.
If your lawn mower still works, consider selling it or giving it away on a local marketplace.
Table of Contents
🤷♂️ Can Lawn Mowers Be Recycled In The UK?
Yes, you can recycle a lawn mower in the UK. In fact, recycling is the easiest and most responsible way to dispose of an old lawn mower.
Take your mower to your local recycling centre for household waste, which should have a “general” or “bulky items” bin for waste that can be separated and sorted by employees. This is usually the best option for lawn mowers, which have a variety of plastic and metal components.
Some recycling centres have an “electronics” or “electrical waste” bin that you can put an electric or battery-powered mower straight into. If you have a cordless mower, make sure to recycle the battery separately.
You could dismantle your lawn mower beforehand and dispose of the separate components in the right bins, but this isn’t an essential requirement at most recycling centres.
If you’re not sure whether your local recycling facility takes lawn mowers, contact them in advance before you make the trip.
💸 Is There A Fee For Recycling Lawn Mowers In The UK?
No, there’s no fee for recycling lawn mowers or other lawn equipment in the UK, as long as you recycle at a household recycling facility. You can simply show up at the facility, dump the mower in the designated container, and leave. The only expense is the cost of fuel to drive there.
Fee-free recycling of household goods means that more people are likely to properly dispose of their unwanted items. Imagine how much waste would end up being fly-tipped if we didn’t have recycling centers taking unwanted goods for free.
🤔 How Should You Prepare A Lawn Mower For Recycling?
The exact steps for preparing an old lawn mower for recycling depend on the mower type you own.
If you need to recycle a petrol mower, put on a pair of protective gloves and start by draining any remaining fuel and oil from the mower’s petrol tank and engine. You can do this by running the mower until it’s out of fuel or using a siphoning method. Next, remove the spark plug to prevent it from accidentally igniting during transportation and processing, before disassembling the mower as much as possible.
If your mower is electric, you technically don’t have to do anything to your mower – you can take it straight to your recycling facility and put it in the waste electrical and electronic equipment bin. However, it’s helpful to disassemble any plastic removable parts and separate these materials into appropriate recycling categories.
Related: Do Electric Lawn Mowers Use A Lot Of Electricity (UK)?
If you have a battery mower, remove the battery and put it in the designated recycling bin separately.
You can consult with your local recycling facility to understand their specific requirements and drop-off instructions.
🗺 Where Can I Recycle My Old Lawn Mower Petrol And Oil?
If you’re recycling an old mower with a petrol engine, can recycle your oil and fuel at the recycling centre, in the dedicated fuel and oil boxes.
You just need to put the fuel/oil in a separate container (rather than leaving it in your mower).
Related: Are Petrol Lawn Mowers Going To Be Banned In The UK?
🧐 What Are The Other Options For Lawn Mower Disposal?
Can’t recycle your old lawn mower? There are a few other options that you can consider:
♻️ Council Recycling Schemes
Most councils have recycling collection schemes for certain large, bulky items and white goods. Lawn mowers are often an item that your local council will collect, as long as they’re in good working condition.
Recycling your lawn mower with a council scheme means you’re not contributing to unnecessary household waste, and many councils work with local charities, so you can potentially give your lawn mower a second life while helping to fund a charitable organization.
Check the website for your local council to see if they offer a junk removal service for recyclable goods, and to confirm whether or not lawn mowers can be collected using this scheme.
🗑 Scrap Metal Skip
You could also take your mower to a scrap metal recycling facility, with the option to earn a bit of cash from your efforts.
However, we don’t recommend this lawn mower disposal process to most people because there’s very little scrap metal value in a mower, and you might actually get charged a handling fee due to the inconvenience of scrapping a single mower.
If you do want to take your mower to a scrap metal skip, it’s better to dismantle it yourself first, and then take only the metal parts to be scrapped.
🛂 Unofficial Scrap Metal Collection
A few neighbourhoods still have rag-and-bone men – aka. unofficial scrap metal collectors who drive through the local streets at the same time every week, looking for unwanted metal goods to collect.
If you know your local rag-and-bone man’s collection time, you can leave your lawn mower in front of your house at the right time, and they should collect it.
Make sure your rag-and-bone collectors have a waste carrier, broker or dealer license and are legally allowed to transport and dispose of household waste.
💰 Selling The Mower
If your old mower still works and you’re only getting rid of it because you’ve bought an upgrade, you might be able to make some cash by selling it.
Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree are great places to find local buyers for your lawn mower, eliminating the hassle and expense of arranging postal delivery.
If you’re not bothered about making money and you just want your old mower gone, you could list it for free and help someone in the local community.
🏁 Final Word
Lawn mower recycling is one of the easiest methods of proper disposal – but it might not be best for your situation.
Many old lawn mowers are recycled needlessly. Unless your mower is broken, we recommend trying to sell it, give it away, or donate it to charitable organizations before you resort to recycling. You may as well give your lawn mower a new life with somebody else, as long as it’s still safe to work and operates as intended.
In the market for a new lawn mower? You might want to check out our top 7 tips for finding the best deals on lawn mowers in the UK.
FAQ
Can I put a lawn mower on a skip?
Yes, you can put your lawn mower on a skip for recycling. For instance, if you’ve hired a general waste skip to clear out your house, you could put a lawn mower in this skip. But if the skip is a specialized skip (for rubble or soil, etc.), you won’t be able to put your old lawnmower in it.
Do scrap men take lawn mowers?
Yes, scrap men take lawn mowers (including working and broken lawnmowers). Make sure to remove the petrol from the fuel tank before leaving your mower out for scrap metal collection. Even better, partially disassemble the mower and remove the plastic housing and other non-metal parts, since scrap men only want your metals.
What’s the best thing to do with an old lawn mower?
The best thing to do with an old working lawn mower is to sell it or give it away to a neighbour/friend/charity. If your mower is broken, the best method of lawn mower disposal is recycling at a local household goods recycling centre.