razor disposal questions

I use a slimfast can for razor blade disposal. I is shiny and looks good on the shelf.

I use one of these from WSC:


At $1 each they are very economical. They are metal, so tossing the whole thing into the recycling bin when it's full shouldn't be an issue. They are big enough to hold a lot of blades. I don't know how many because I haven't counted.

beaker said:

Referring back to this, you are correct, the contents of plastic sharps boxes, or the boxes themselves are not recycled, but they are not landfilled either,they are incinerated. So this would mean you buying a sharps box (a new plastic product), filling it with blades, taking it to a collection point (possibly by car?) just to have it destroyed in a fuel guzzling incinerator. Ecologically this seems like the worst possible option, and is the "Problem with disposal" that I was talking about in my last post.

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I'd like to offer that incinerators are not the fuel guzzlers they are made out to be--that they are in many cases actually used to generate power and heat. The newer designs are quite environmentally friendly, and are seeing increased use in Europe, Denmark in particular. I know that some environmentalists like to vilify them, but they are not the bogeyman they are made out to be.

I put mine in a sharps container, which will be incinerated at some point.

Guys . . . I'm not trying to put anybody down here, but let's get real about the environmental issues surrounding our used razor blades.

The Number ONE hazard concerning blade disposal is to your family and yourself. If you just drop 'em in the rubbish, someone in your household (or even you) could be cut while rooting through the rubbish looking for the phone bill that you can't find or the toy soldier that belongs to your son . . . you know, the one your daughter threw away just to spite her older brother . . .

All blades that I dispose of are either contained in the back slot of the razor dispenser they were sold to me in, or wrapped in clear cellophane shipping tape to preclude their accidental contact with innocent fingers. (Used blades shipped with eBay razors by well-meaning but dumb sellers are also wrapped in cellophane tape. )

There is no evidence that used razor blades will ever "come to life" in the rubbish, cross the kitchen floor, and attack us in our sleep. The only hazard comes with the possibility of humans sticking their mitts into the trash with their eyes closed and brains disconnected. (Situation: Normal??)

Do we obsess about the sharp edge on a tin can lid?? Are we running to the hospital bio-hazard incinerator with the lid from our last can of Pork & Beans??

Once tossed in the bin, our local rubbish is taken to the "Solid Waste Transfer/Disposal Facility" (formerly known as the Town Dump) where it is then transported to a state certified landfill. There, the blades are buried deep within the bowels of a sealed trench designed to keep rubbish "monsters" safely under control. Those blades, can lids, and other items made of similar ferric materials quickly revert to their former oxidized (read: rusted) state and become part of the earth . . . unable to attack innocent victims in any way . . . unless someone is prone to digging deep into the landfill trench, in which case they will get exactly what they deserve . . .

The minimal amount of un-recyclable (disposed) plastic used in blade dispensers is a small sacrifice to pay for the inherent safety that the dispensers provide for us . . . and it is nothing compared to the amount of lost plastic involved in the use of cartridge razors, which we have all sworn off from . . .

While I firmly believe we have a responsibility (as good stewards of this earth that God has given us) to care for the environment, our personal and family safety trumps the recycling opportunity of a small bit of plastic ANY DAY!!

There is no need to go running willy-nilly like the robot from Lost in Space screaming "Danger, Will Robinson" about the bio-hazards involved with properly disposed-of used razor blades. Just make sure you and your family are safe . . . beyond that, NOBODY will ever touch them again!!!

So, screw the Sharps container, the trip to the hospital, the salt bath, the fear, and the "Al Gore" hysteria . . . just make sure your "in-house" disposal method precludes the accidental harm to you or your loved ones. Once the rubbish is tossed, it will never be touched by human hands again!!

(OK, time to take my medicine . . .)

BBrad said:

There is no evidence that used razor blades will ever "come to life" in the rubbish, cross the kitchen floor, and attack us in our sleep. The only hazard comes with the possibility of humans sticking their mitts into the trash with their eyes closed and brains disconnected. (Situation: Normal??)

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Let me guess, you don't use Feather blades, do you? Those buggers are like Daleks! They seek to exterminate all humanity!

I kid.

I keep a white metal blade bank as above in the bathroom, and I have a beer can with a slit cut in the side on the workbench for utility knife blades and whatnot.

When either gets nearly full, I'll wrap it up in duct tape and toss it in with the cans. Metals generally get shredded mechanically for recycling. They'll be fine.

Veritas II said:

I use one of these from WSC:

At $1 each they are very economical. They are metal, so tossing the whole thing into the recycling bin when it's full shouldn't be an issue. They are big enough to hold a lot of blades. I don't know how many because I haven't counted.

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I've asked before on other threads and never got an answer. Does anyone know the dimensions of these? Or at least a rough guess on how many razors they hold?

I guess i should just order one when I buy something from westcoastshaving.com to find out. Right now I'm using a soda can with a slit to store blades, but I'd rather have something that didn't look so innocent.

beaker said:

I'm in the UK, and this is the position here - it may be different in the States.

Plastic blade dispenser boxes can go in your household plastic recycling - but only if they are empty (i.e. with no blades in them).

Razor blades and disposable razors cannot go in your household recycling - they go in your non-recyclable trash, and are landfilled.

A plastic sharps box could be used, but you would have to buy one, unless you have a medical need for one, e.g. diabetic or I.V. drug user. Disposal is then a problem as you cannot throw it in your trash, or recycle bin - it's classed as medical waste, and therefore incinerated.

So basically the plastic or card blade boxes can be recycled, blades cannot.

I did have one thought though. If you use a metal blade bank, when it is nearly full, add a load of salt to it and fill with water. Leave it for a couple of weeks before you toss it. By the time it hits the landfill, the blades inside will
be rusting nicely, thus speeding the bio-degrading process.

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I just throw mine in the local recycling depots metal container (lumps of scrap steel etc. etc.) in a metal tin, (well the once I've had to do it.... LOL), guy said the stuff in there was razor shap anyways.... it all gets sorted with magnets then, melted, very little manual touching by people now...

Tom