Blade Bank - 2024 Edition - The Ultimate Reference!

[Luc]

This subject of having a blade bank isn't a new one.

There are a few options out there when it comes to used safety razor blades. I made one a while back and was probably allowed to keep it since it was always hidden in the bathroom.

There might be more ways but I think those would be the better-known options:

• Blade Bank
• Blades that have a plastic tuck usually have a slot at the back to put the used blade back in.
• Wrap the blade back in the paper and snap it in half before trashing it (I would do that if I'm traveling).
• If you have an older home, you might have a slot in the wall to send your used blades.

Having a blade bank is practical as it gives you a fast option to safely dispose of your used blades. Some municipalities have a program to recycle them but not all. In my city, safety razor blades need to be sent to the trash. My local pharmacy is not recycling them. My current blade bank is almost full. When I reach full capacity, I will seal the blade bank with adhesive tape and trash it.

I am currently looking at replacing the blade bank with a new one. I would like to avoid a glass jar (like a jam jar for example) or porcelain (like a piggy bank). Over time, it's possible that I drop the blade bank and it's not a mess that I want to pick up.

The preferred container should be metal (soup/sauce/juice tin). If one day I'm able to recycle the blades, it's going to be all metal. I can make a new blade bank but I would like to try with plastic this time.

I tried to clean an old plastic peanut butter jar (1 kg jar from Costco). In the process of cleaning the label with hot water, I melted the jar. What I liked about the plastic jar was that I could probably put 20-30 years' worth of blades (if I look at my current tin that's smaller). If the recycling program changes, it will be easy to fix something to have them recycled by taking the blades out. Also, I could see the stack growing over time.

So, I'm looking for a new vessel to carry my blades. Many of the old threads reference a .50 cents soup can. Inflation today makes it difficult to find something that cheap. The best I could come up with was a 398ml tin for 1.29$ that contains BBQ sauce. It should be fairly easy to empty/clean/re-label.

I'm a huge fan of re-using something that I am going to trash anyway.

I've seen pill bottles, beer/soda cans, candy cans, etc.

What do you have?

References:

Cheap and Easy DIY Blade Bank

A few weeks ago (when I started using a DE razor) I decided to make a blade bank out of an empty prescription bottle, and it turned out to be a success. It's a quick, easy, safe, and (if you have a bottle lying around) pretty much free way to go. There's not much to say about this: I cut a...

www.badgerandblade.com

How To Make A Blade Bank For Under 50 Cents.

After seeing a considerable number of threads recently regarding blade banks and disposing of spent razor blades I decided to show how to make a simple yet effective blade bank for under 50 cents. It is very easy, safe and ready for the recycle bin when full. There are a few that can be...

www.badgerandblade.com

3D Printed Project ( Blade Bank with Blade Use Counter )

Well, this is going to take a while, but it just might turn out to be useful, and maybe even fun at the same time. @Ron R posted a picture of his razor and brush stand/holder with a very practical built-in DIY "Blade Use Counter", and I just had to steal his idea and put it to use somewhere. A...

www.badgerandblade.com

DIY blade bank

I was looking around the internet for a recyclable blade bank, and I decided it would be pretty easy to make one from the things I had laying around the house. Let me know what you think. Thinks used: 5.5 oz Campbell's tomato juice Flat head screw driver Dremel tool use screw driver over to...

www.badgerandblade.com

Hideous blade banks

A lot of threads out there for professional, or nice home made blade banks. There's got to be an opposite side on the other end of the spectrum, right? Show us your ugly or hideous or crappy looking blade bank that, while functional - fails to meet esthetic criteria! Ugly can be defined in...

www.badgerandblade.com

An idea for disposing of blades.

Hi Folks, 18 year old wet shaver here. After shaving with my Red Personnas, I typically toss them into a jerry-rigged Altoid tin that I taped shut and cut a slit into. I once had a "shave bank," but wasn't too fond of how it looked in my shave den. I was wondering what you gentlemen do with...

www.badgerandblade.com

Blade Banks???

What are blade banks for? Do you toss them out when full? Is it because it’s quicker and easier to pitch your used blades? Since I have always purchased blades boxed with a used blade compartment, I have never understood a reason for one. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

www.badgerandblade.com

DIY bladebank with blade silhouette and/or custom label- Great inexpensive gift!

Good (Monday) morning everyone! Last week, while reading a thread about a starter setup and a question of what to do for a blade bank, I started up a conversation with AceByTerror, who created an awesome custom wrap for blade banks made from a broth/soup can. I had made a blade bank from a broth...

www.badgerandblade.com

Let's see those vintage blade banks.

I'll start. Ran across this at an antique show many years ago. Art-Deco Bakelite razor blade bank. The vendor was guessing late 1920-early 1930's mfg? Unmarked as to who made it. Have seen a few similar to it but not spot on to this one. And the ones I have found are always chipped or...

www.badgerandblade.com

Show me your razor blade bank!

I'd like to start a thread exclusively devoted to pictures of where you are storing your old used blades. I've been using the backs of the dispenser cartridges but with more blades in a cardboard box this isn't working for me. I debated the soup can homemade version, but I wanted something that...

www.badgerandblade.com

Book: Razor Blade Bank:

So I just stumbled upon this Amazon book; "Razor blade banks: An illustrated history and price guide". A 59 page long (or rather short?) book about collectible blade banks. Written by Lester Dequaine and published by the National Shaving & Barbershop Museum (1998). Collecting blade banks is...

www.badgerandblade.com

Photo journal of blade bank construction.

Some of you probably saw the thread where I showed the razor blade bank I made last week. I had a request for some action shots and I am making a second bank as a gift for Dad's Christmas so I am posting a step by step of how I made the prototype. Here is the original thread...

www.badgerandblade.com

Used Razor blade banks????

Nasty used razor blades are a problem, some plastic 10 blade affairs have the old, put the used in the back, which is fairly safe. Probably put double in the used side, and a good advert to those bin/waste guys to be careful of, OK? Now we have razor bins costing up ten dollars/pounds ffs! 2...

www.badgerandblade.com

Is a gatorade bottle good enough for disposing of safety razor blades (for someone with no kids)?

I don't have kids so I don't need to worry about one opening up the bottle and playing with the blades but I'm more worried about how the bottle would hold up when sanitation workers have to deal with it. The plastic on the bottle is sturdier than most other plastic drink bottles but not as...

www.badgerandblade.com

Do I need a blade bank?

Right now I throw my old de blades in the trash. I am thinking that might not be the best idea from a safety stand point. Do you guys use a blade bank for disposal? Is there a better option?

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[blethenstrom]

I use an empty Altoids tin. It is metal it is smallish. It hold a decent amounts of blades and when it is full I tape it shut and I can metal recycle it. Still have not filled my first can, but I have only been at it for 1.5 year so far.

 

[martym]

I use a tide pod container.
I just cut a slot in the top to slide the used blades into.
If necessary you can superglue the lid down

 

[ButterfaceX]

I am a believer of keep it simple. I utilize unsed empty item around the house. We recycle them here. I would research places that did, even if it was not convenient. They go away evert few months..
BFX
Every little eco effort matters..
(well, it least for me).

 

[ChriWilson]

I use a tide pod container.
I just cut a slot in the top to slide the used blades into.
If necessary you can superglue the lid down

View attachment 1816395

I do the same, but with a Mentos Pure gum container.

Much more manageable and easily fits under the sink

 

[jaro 101969]

I'm currently using an empty pill bottle with child proof lid..

Cut a slot into the lid .

Then put a couple drops of super glue on the bottle top and screw the lid on , you can then turn the outer lid to open or close the opening.. The super glue makes the bottom lid stay in place so you Have to rotate it to be able to add blades and after I put the used blade back in I can rotate it so the opening stays closed and keeps the blades securely in the bottle but also allows any moisture to dry out and not wind up with a big old rusty mess in the bottle..

It's simple and small enough that you can even put it into a medicine cabinet and it will be out of the way... I like the clear bottles that I can mark up because it's easy to see what's in it and not mistake it for something else..

 

[Tha Baron]

Anyone have one of these anchored to their wall?

 

[muzichead]

I keep one of these in my cabinet that doesn't take up hardly any space. It's from an alum block I purchased and just cut a slot in one end. This is actually the 2nd one in 7yrs that I'm filling up. When the 1st one was full I taped the box closed and wrote "SHARPS" on the top and bottom of the box.

 

[Lil Cooties]

I replaced my last tin (same one I've been using for nearly 9 years, and was getting quite full) with a new one in December last year, I decided to go with a tall but skinny pear juice tin because it'd take up less space under the sink.

 

[DesertIguana]

Think maybe if you wish to overkill problem of old blades. Rent Dumpster to place outside home. When you fill in 500 years, call for pickup.

 

[Lil Cooties]

Overkill? Yes, probably, but I won't need to think about it for ages, it's for more than one persons blades, plus household sharps such as utility blades etc. I think leaving extra space in a container is safer than if it was full to the brim, so I'll probably dispose of it before it reaches anywhere near the top. I don't want to be forcing a blade in either.

 

[m949]

If you look on the big river for "blade bank" something like this will pop up. But it's not cheap at $10 per container. The idea behind this is to fill the blade bank and once full throw it out in the trash for incineration. It's not very environmentally friendly though to fill a plastic container with used blades and throw that away. Where would it go? Plastic waste? Metal waste? If you can recycle just the blades, this blade bank might be an option. Just empty the blade bank and reuse it.

It really depends what your community's recycling policies are. Some places accept used blades for metal recycling. Others provide bins for biohazard waste and the next community does neither.

When I started DE shaving I asked my community management what to do with my used blades and they told me just throw it in the household trash, even though we recycle glass, aluminium, plastic, etc. I have seen the guy who handles our community waste step into the bin and compressing the waste with his feet and sometimes fishing out recyclables, which inconsiderate people threw in there, with his bare hands. How can I with good conscience throw a used DE blade into my household waste? This guy may just cut his hands or feet up doing his job. I also don't want to collect my spent blades in a plastic container which I throw away when full. That container would need to go to metal recycling, plastic to plastic, glass to glass. A real conundrum.

The solution for my circumstances is this: I keep the tuck and each individual wrapper of the blades. As I use my tuck I dispose of spent blades in a small metal blade bank (see that black container below), which can hold maybe 10-15 blades. Once the tuck is finished, I open the blade bank and carefully wrap each blade back again. Once all blades are back in their wrappers, they go back into their original tuck. I then throw the entire tuck into the household waste.

That way nobody is getting inadvertently injured when handling the waste and as our waste is incinerated only the paper of the tuck, the wax paper, and the blades themselves are burnt instead of a large plastic container. I haven't had a plastic tuck yet, but I guess I will have to throw that in the waste bin as well.

I wish I could just throw my blades into the metal recycling bin, but I have been told not do so. This would allow me to collect the blades in a larger bank and just bring them to metal recycling when needed. I just don't have a proper recycling option and therefore I had to think about a way to safely dispose of my used DE blades.

 

[Jim in NZ]

Given that blades have been in contact with tissue, a sharps container is really the best option. It's labeled as biological hazard, and they are generally designed and built to make it difficult to get to the contents. Having said that, I don't know of any cartridge shaver who uses a sharps container for dead cartridges.

 

[Invicta]

I use the plastic tucks as they can hold >50 used blades; that is > 2 years of blades for me.
If you get through a lot of blades, the drinks cans are quite good, look good and need no alterations as the blades drop straight in.

 

[abies]

I put them in an empty delabeled pill bottle and then when that fills up put them in an empty Twinings tea tin. I was just putting them in the pill bottle but then after years that filled up. I had thought about bringing it to a metal recycling place close to me but that would require a metal container; when I put them in the tea tin I realized it was nowhere near being full. It's easier to get to the bottle than the tea tin so that's why I kept using it as an intermediate step.

 

[rockrabbit]

3D printed Dragon Egg

Opens up and easy to decant into a much larger tin that I will take to recycling in.. 2030-ish!

 

[NorthernSoul]

A standard sharps container from a barber supply store was around $1.75 with coupon. I don't think I'll be able to fill it up in my lifetime.

 

[SlimGem]

I use these two blade banks. The radio-looking one has a blade-use counter. If I ever need to dispose of the blades, I'll put them in my Sharps container which I'll never fill up, but if I do. It'll get dropped off at my local pharmacy.