HOW TO DISPOSE OF SAFETY RAZOR BLADES

Did you know that 159.79 million Americans used disposable razor blades/ shavers in 2019? With the majority of safety razor blades being sold in multiples, we can only imagine the amount that ends up being thrown out. Having said that, how do you safely dispose of disposable razor blades? And do they belong in the garbage or the recycling bin? We take you through the guidelines for safety disposing of these popular items.

The Fate of Disposable Razors

With the amount of safety razor blades being disposed of each year, their impact on the environment has to be called into question. Due to the fact that safety razor blades are made of multiple materials, how to dispose of them is not straight forward – which may contribute to the amount of them that have ended up in landfills.

Alexandra Olson of CityNews discusses what we do know in regards to safety razor blades and their impact on the environment:

Are Disposable Razor Blades Recyclable?

With disposable razors comprising of mostly plastic, it may be assumed that they would be able to be recycled. In reality, safety razors are made of multiple materials – not all of which are recyclable.

Darby Hoover, senior resource specialist of food and agriculture at the Natural Resources Defense Council, tells HuffPost why disposable razor blades are overall, not recyclable:

…she pointed out that disposable razors are usually made of several different materials, which make them a challenge to recycle properly: There’s the handle, which often contains both plastic and some sort of rubber for grip, and the head or cartridge, which includes the metal blades embedded in a plastic frame. (Aside from the recycling challenge, the sharp blades also pose a safety risk to waste workers if they’re not disposed of properly, which is another thing to keep in mind.)

How Do I Dispose of Safety Razors?

So, if you can’t recycle them, how are you supposed to dispose of safety razor blades? While most would recommend changing over to reusable razor blades, we still need to know what to do with the disposable razors we already have.

Sophia Bennett of Recycle Nation tells us the best ways to dispose of safety razors:

A company called Preserve makes razors from recycled #5 plastic. They will accept their razors (and all #5 plastic, for that matter) through a program called Gimme 5. Whole Foods is a major partner in the initiative and has collection bins in many of their stores. If you do not live near a Whole Foods, you can mail your unwanted razors to Preserve using the address on its website. There is no charge to recycle these plastics other than the cost of shipping. Bikini Soft, which makes an alternative to traditional shaving creams, has a recycling program for razors. They mail their products in reusable cardboard boxes and include a return shipping label. You put disposable razors and your used Bikini Soft bottles in the box, affix the label and send it back to them.

If you’re still unsure about what to do with your safety razor blades or require more information, GREENBAGPICKUP.COM is here to help. We will not only pick up all dumpster bags, but make sure that everything inside of them is responsibly disposed of.

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