After you've chosen a new ceiling fan, you many wonder what to do with the old one or if a ceiling fan is even recyclable. Recycling helps our environment in a number of ways including reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills, improving our natural resources, and preventing pollution. When you recycle materials, they’re reused instead of needing to waste energy and resources to make new product.
With ceiling fans there are a few options you have for recycling:
- Recycle
- Donate
- Upcycle
Are ceiling fans recyclable?
Which parts you can recycle from your ceiling fan depends on the recycling guidelines in your area. Some recycling centers will take the entire fan including the blades, metal blade irons, and remote control batteries. Others have stringent recycling guidelines and take limited parts. We recommend taking your old ceiling fan to your local recycling center to see what they can recycle from your ceiling fan.
Make sure to dispose of light bulbs properly as well. Incandescent bulbs can be tossed in the regular garbage but cannot be recycled because the wire filaments they include are too difficult to remove for glass recycling. The EPA recommends checking with your local recycling center for how to recycle light bulbs that contain mercury like CFL and fluorescent bulbs.
Donate old ceiling fans
The old adage says, “Reduce, reuse, and recycle.” So, if your area doesn't accommodate ceiling fan recycling and the fan is still in good, working condition, consider donating your ceiling fan. Organizations like The Salvation Army or Habitat for Humanity can help find your old fan a new home.Find your local donation center and call to confirm if they will accept your ceiling fan. You can typically drive up to a donation center, or sometimes they can arrange to pick it up from your home.
How to recycle ceiling fan packaging
After properly disposing of your old ceiling fan, you can continue your environmentally conscious efforts by recycling the packaging your new Hunter ceiling fan came in. We continue researching new, sustainable packaging techniques, but here are a few ways you can recycle your ceiling fan packaging now.
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The box your Hunter ceiling fan comes in is recyclable. You can even double check the bottom of the box to check for the recycling symbol.
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Depending on where you live and the plastic recycling that’s offered, you can recycle all the plastic bags that the hardware comes in.
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As long as you take the staples out first, you can recycle the owner's manual included with your ceiling fan. (If you ever need to look back at your manual, you can always find it online.)
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Some ceiling fan packaging includes a pulp tray, which is 100% recyclable.
Upcycling your old ceiling fan
If you’re feeling crafty, consider upcycling your ceiling fan. Upcycling means taking the old or damaged parts of your ceiling fan and turning them into something useful like home décor pieces. A quick search of ceiling fan crafts on Pinterest will surely leave you inspired. Here are a few ideas that caught our eye:- Giant dragonfly for outdoor garden space
- Use chalk paint to turn a ceiling fan blade into a chalkboard
- Coat rack for your entryway or mud room
- Use the light glass shades as a pencil holder or a candle votive for your home office desk
- Make windchimes using the bottom of the motor housing as the base
- Spray paint the motor housing to use as a planter. The center hole is the perfect size for small plants like herbs and succulents.
- Paint the ceiling fan blades metallic and create your own sunburst mirror frame.
