If you are new to shaving with a safety razor, one of the issues which you should think about is the proper storage and safe disposal of the used razor blades after you are done with them. This is important because simply throwing an old razor blade in the trash bag could pose serious risks for other members of your household, for the sanitation workers who take care of your garbage disposal and for animals.
So, make sure you find a way to store the used blades and secure them, so that nobody gets hurt and no damage is done when you dispose of them.
What to do with old razor blades?
First and foremost – use a special container for your used blades. Containers vary, but the most commonly used are:
Medicine cabinet slot – he good old-fashioned way
If you still have an old fashioned medicine cabinet in your bathroom, you can use the fun and safe way to get rid of the old blades by shoving them in the razor disposal slot in the cabinet. They then fall into a razor disposal space behind the sink. The next time you will be worrying about getting rid of these old razor blades is when you are doing a renovation of your bathroom. But since these old medicine cabinets are becoming somewhat obsolete, you may need to look into other options and ways to safely throw away the old and used razor blades.
DIY blade bank
You can use an old tin can or box which you should safely seal with glue or other adhesives and leave just a slot to slide the old razor blades in. This should keep them in there safe away from the hands of your children or the mouths and paws of your pets.
You can also use a metal piggy bank, a child proof medicine bottle, a soup can, a box of mints or any other safely sealed container to throw away your used old razor blades before you give them away for safe recycling or disposal.
Sharps container
If you still don’t feel this is safe enough of an option, you can order a special sharps container which is made for used syringes, needles, scalpels and other sharp and hazardous products. These containers have rotating lids for safer use. They are cheap, safe and can store quite a bit of used razor blades.
Special blade bank
Buying or customizing a special container could take a little bit of your time and some effort, but remember that even though your used razor blade may be too dull to give you a proper shave, it is still sharp enough to cause severe and possibly fatal cuts to people, kids and animals. So, it is definitely worth that extra few dollars or minutes of your time to set up you own razor blade disposal system.
Best way to dispose of razor blades
Once you feel that the razor blades box is full, you should seal the slot safely and give it for recycling or safe sharp disposal.
Make sure you mark the box or can before giving it away for recycling. Your local disposal company or other company which handles hazardous waste will inform you of the proper procedure for sending, marking or handing in your old razor blades.
Another option for getting rid of your old razor blades is to bring the full box or can to a local medical center or clinic for people with narcotics problems, medical labs or other medical centers which have procedures for dealing with hazardous and bio waste.
Mail back disposal service: Remember to safely dispose of your container once it is full. There is a number of recycling and sharp disposal companies which even offer mail back disposal services, to make the task easier for you. Call them, or take your full container with razor blades to the nearest clinic and medical center which has special containers for hazardous waste.
