You may even wish to replace a lawnmower that still works with a newer model.
However, you can’t just throw a lawnmower in your household waste for obvious reasons.
This means that before you get rid of your lawnmower, you’ll need to learn how to do so safely and efficiently.
Many people end up keeping old, broken lawnmowers in their garage for years because they don’t know how to dispose of them in the proper way.
To help you avoid getting into this inconvenient situation, we’re going to be outlining the 4 best ways to dispose of your lawnmower in today’s guide.
4 Lawn Mower Disposal Methods
Garbage Collection (Petrol Mowers Only)
As we mentioned earlier, you can’t just throw a lawnmower in the bin.
Not only will it not fit, but it’s actually illegal to simply throw away an electric lawnmower because this is not the correct way to dispose of electrical appliances.
However, if you have a petrol-powered lawnmower, you may be able to arrange to have it collected curbside by your local waste management company.
Usually, you will need to pay a collection fee, but considering the time and effort it would take to transport your lawnmower to other waste management locations, it might be worth it for you.
If you don’t want to pay the collection fee, you also have the option of bringing the lawn mower to a waste management company yourself.
However, bear in mind that certain transfer stations won’t accept free scrap metal and might ask you to pay a different kind of fee in exchange for accepting the lawnmower.
Whether this fee is more or less than the collection fee will depend on the specific company.
It’s also really important to make sure that you drain any fuel and oil out of your lawnmower before having it collected or bringing it to waste management.
The lawnmower won’t be able to be processed if it has fuel or oil in it, and the fee won’t cover the process of draining it, so this is something you’ll have to do yourself.
Recycling/Scrap Metal
A more environmentally friendly alternative to simply throwing away your lawnmower is to recycle it or scrap it.
These are different processes, and which one your mower will be eligible for depends on what kind of machine it is.
Electric mowers will need to be dropped off at your local recycling centre.
You should check whether the centre accepts lawnmowers before attempting to drop it off.
Note that unlike regular waste, there usually isn’t a collection service for this kind of recycling, so you’ll probably have to bring the mower to the location yourself.
However, petrol-powered mowers can’t be recycled in the usual way, so you’ll need to give it to an auto parts retailer who can turn it into scrap metal if you’d like your mower to be recycled.
Before you can give your broken lawnmower away as scrap metal, though, you’ll need to do a few things to get it ready for the process.
Just as you would before throwing away a petrol-powered mower, you must drain out the oil and put it into sealable containers so that you can dispose of it safely.
Alternatively, you could give the oil to the auto parts retailer as well since some of these retailers accept oil, too.
Make sure to also remove any plastic components attached to your mower since the auto parts retailer won’t want these.
This can be a difficult process, but as long as you have some pliers and a saw, you should be able to do it without too much trouble.
Plus, you may even get some money from the retailer as compensation for your work.
Giveaway/Donating
As we touched on earlier, there will be times where you may wish to replace your lawn mower even if it isn’t broken.
Mowing the lawn can be a strenuous task, and a newer, lighter, more efficient lawn mower can make it easier.
If you want to get rid of your old lawn mower that still works, you should consider donating it to a charity that accepts machinery, or even to a charity organisation that’s in need of a lawnmower.
Of course, if you’re going to donate your lawnmower to a charity, you should make sure that it’s in good condition and working order.
Please pay attention to your chosen charity’s method of accepting donations. You can look this up on the charity’s website.
While some charities accept curbside donations, others can be negatively impacted by this.
Alternatively, if you know someone who’s in need of a lawnmower (a neighbour or friend, for instance), you could ask them if they would like your old one.
Again, make sure it’s in good enough condition for someone else to get decent use out of it.
If you don’t personally know anyone who would take your lawnmower off your hands, there’s another option: leave it out on the curbside (preferably with some kind of shelter so it won’t get wet) and a ‘for free’ sign on it.
Hopefully, someone will see it and take it for you.
Selling
If your lawnmower is in good enough condition, you might also want to consider selling it. There are many ways you can do this, from car boot sales to online platforms.
When selling a lawnmower that has been pre-owned, you must be upfront about any areas of damage or any ‘quirks’ it might have.
For example, if it’s dented or scratched in ways that are difficult to see in photographs, mention that when advertising.
If you choose to sell your lawnmower online, you should specify whether you’re prepared to deliver the machine or whether you would prefer for buyers to come and collect it.
How NOT To Dispose Of A Lawnmower
Just as there are several good ways to dispose of a lawnmower, there are plenty of practices you should avoid at all costs.
Here are some things you should never do when disposing of a lawnmower:
Not Draining Oil
We’ve mentioned several times that it’s important to drain the oil out of a lawnmower before recycling it or throwing it away. Please remember that this is not an optional part of the process.
If you attempt to recycle or throw out a lawnmower without removing the petrol or oil, you could end up with a large fee.
However, that’s really not the point – throwing away lawnmowers full of petrol or oil is terrible for the environment, so please don’t do it.
Illegal Disposal Methods
When there’s no easy or free way to dispose of your lawnmower, you might be tempted to throw it away on the side of the road or in other secluded areas. However, this is a really bad idea.
Not only do these kinds of illegal disposal methods contribute to littering, but if you get caught doing it, you could be fined hundreds of pounds or even serve time in jail depending on the extent of the littering (for example, if you don’t drain the oil and end up polluting the environment in the process).
Not Recycling Electric Mowers
Remember that electric lawnmowers can’t be thrown away in the same way as petrol-powered lawnmowers.
That means that if you have an electric lawnmower, you need to either recycle it, donate it, or sell it.
Trying to throw away your electric mower rather than recycling it could result in you being handed a hefty fine, and even if you don’t get caught, you’ll be making extra work for people at the waste management facility, which isn’t fair.
So, please recycle your electric mower properly when the time comes to dispose of it.
Misleading Advertisement
There’s nothing wrong with selling your old lawn mower if it still works, even if it has a few quirks from years of use.
However, there is something wrong with misleading potential buyers about the condition of your lawnmower.
If there’s an issue with your lawnmower that might put some people off buying it, you should be upfront about this, whether that’s through pictures (if it’s a visible issue) or a written description.
Even if you give it away for free, if it doesn’t work properly, the recipient will have to spend time, energy, and possibly money getting rid of it themselves.
Final Thoughts
If you want to get rid of a broken lawnmower, you can either recycle it or throw it out depending on whether it’s electric or petrol-powered.
If your lawnmower still works, you can donate it, sell it, or give it away.
Please drain any oil from your mower before disposing of it in any way, don’t try to throw away an electric mower, and never dispose of your lawnmower through illegal practices.
Also, be honest about the condition of your mower if you try to sell it.
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