If you’re thinking of purchasing or selling ceramic plates, it’s important to understand that they can be harmful to the environment.
Due to their artistic beauty, they’re a perfect decorative item for collectors. However, if you want to keep them beautiful for years to come, you need to care for them properly.
So, how do you dispose of ceramic plates?
The best way to dispose of ceramic plates is with the help of a recycling center or landfill.
First, you should pick out any food scraps or other objects that aren’t ceramic. Second, you should put the plates into a cardboard box.
Then, take the box to a recycling center or landfill. Finally, you should tell the attendant that the plates are ceramic so they can handle them properly.
But you should take away any plates with decorations, since these can’t be recycled or thrown away in a landfill.
Why Don’t Most Recycling Centers Accept Ceramics?
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Most curbside recycling programs do not accept ceramics because they are not made of paper or plastic.
Centers do not accept this type of material because the presence of ceramics can cause other recyclables to jam in machinery during processing.
Sneaking your broken ceramic plates in with other glass waste creates additional problems for recyclers because it reduces the quality of the final mix that they create from collected materials.
Why Should you Avoid Dumping Ceramics in Landfills?
Ceramics, despite being made of naturally occurring minerals like clay, still contain organic contaminants like bisphenol A (BPA) which can be dangerous to the environment if released into the environment.
Ceramic manufacturing involves firing, which consumes a lot of energy and creates a lot of pollution when done on a large scale.
So, putting ceramics that could be recycled or used again in a landfill leaves a big carbon footprint and makes global warming worse in a big way.
During the firing process, gases and fumes are made that can pollute groundwater and make the air in nearby communities unhealthy to breathe if they are not kept in check.
When these gases are let out into the environment, they can also pollute the soil around a landfill and threaten the natural habitats of animals that live there.
During the glazing process, toxic lead compounds can also be added to make the final product more durable and attractive to the eye.
Dumping ceramics into landfills can lead to these chemicals leaking out over time and contaminating the soil and water below the ground.
The fire and glazing process significantly reduce the lifespan of most types of ceramics, which means that they will break down quickly when exposed to the elements in a landfill.
How to Dispose of Ceramic Plates
Professional Recycling
If your local recycling facility does not take ceramics,
You will discover that most communities will have at least one professional waste management company that will take your unwanted dinnerware and other broken crockery pieces.
You may either check your phone book or contact a local waste management service to find out how they accept old ceramic tableware.
These websites provide a search function that will help you find the nearest company to your home.
To make your search easier, look for recycling centers that also accept other recyclable items like glass and plastic so that you can combine multiple items into one trip.
Most likely, these are companies that do nothing but pick up trash from homes and businesses in your area.
Display Your Prized Plates
Chipped plates may no longer be safe for everyday use, but they can be beautiful decorative pieces in your home and garden.
Display your ceramics with other decorations in your dining room or garden to make a beautiful centerpiece for any room in your house.
By displaying them, you are less likely to damage them and keep them in pristine condition for longer before they need to be disposed of properly.
Home Improvement Projects
You can also handle the disposal of your chipped plates yourself by reusing them as material for other home improvement projects.
Collect all of the ceramic plates and other glass products from your home that are no longer functional or attractive to use as raw materials for other DIY projects.
The ground pieces can then be used for home landscaping projects, such as making bricks to build garden walls or pathways in your garden.
You could also use the chipped pieces as raw materials for mosaic art projects that will add unique character to your home.
Wear gloves and a mask when working with broken glass to keep yourself and others from getting hurt.
Organize a Garage Sale or Exchange
A garage sale is a great option if you have a number of items that you want to dispose of at once.
Inform your neighbors in advance and invite them along to your sale so that they can also get rid of any unwanted items that they no longer want in their homes.
Donate Your Ceramics to Friends, Family, and Thrift Stores.
Because one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, you might make a few bucks selling your old plates and bowls to friends, family, and thrift stores in your community.
Allow your friends, relatives, and even neighbors to take the old dishes off your hands for free by organizing a swap party at your home.
Taking your unwanted ceramic plates to a thrift shop is also a good way to get rid of them.
Thrift stores sell clothes and other household items that people donate to them. Most of the time, they do not charge for this service.
You are not only removing unwanted ceramics and recyclable items from your house, you are also making some money for someone else to keep their household goods out of landfills.
Give Them to Your Neighbor
If you want someone else to benefit from your old dishes but don’t want to pass on your plate collection, you can arrange to give them away to neighbors, friends, or relatives.
Tell your neighbors that you would like to donate to charities near them and that you would like to enjoy using your plates as well.
Ideally, your ceramics should be in good condition, not broken or damaged in any way.
Also Read: Can You Recycle License Plates?
Final Words
If the landfill is your only option for getting rid of old ceramic plates and bowls that are no longer functional in your kitchen, then you will have no choice but to throw them away in your regular trash pile.
Make sure your chipped materials are separated and put into a separate trash bag so that you can avoid contaminating other household waste in your household bins.
Remember, ceramics are not processed by landfills the same way that glass products are, so it’s best not to include them in your garbage when trying to protect the environment.
The best way to dispose of your old plates and bowls is to donate them to friends or family members, sell them at a garage sale, or exchange them for other items with your neighbors.
Finding a different way to use ceramics instead of throwing them away will make sure they are recycled and used again as useful things instead of being thrown away as trash.
