Your house, no matter how sturdily built, needs regular maintenance. That may be as simple as patching up a hole on the wall to as complex such as replacing all the shingles of the roof. Maintenance schedules and expenses are things that you need to incorporate in your budget as a homeowner.

Maintaining your plumbing system is among the most important parts of your house maintenance. Without regular maintenance, your faucet gets stuck, your drain overflows, or worse, nasty stuff from the sewer line may backflow.

Maintaining your plumbing system may require removal and replacement of defective parts. But what do you do with those old parts? You have the option of either throwing them away or storing them into a soon-forgotten bin in the back of your garage. Or, you can do what’s best for the environment and recycle them. This article will show you how.

Recycling Plumbing Fixtures

According to the latest recycling and waste generation statistics, the US produces 3 times more waste material than the global average. The problem is that a lot of waste materials are not recycled. In fact, research has shown that US infrastructure does not lend towards recycling as a viable option for many households. In addition, the ban on exporting waste and the reluctance of other countries in accepting imported waste meant that municipal solid waste in the US is either burned up in an incinerator or ends up in a landfill.

When replacing your sink, installing a brand-new bathtub, or remodeling your kitchen, you most likely would end up gutting out old pipes and dismantling plumbing fixtures. That pile of aged junk may then end up in a landfill or incinerator. However, you may be surprised that you can actually find a second life for these old fittings.

Clean Up

Before doing anything else, rinse out the old fixtures with water and detergent. This helps get rid of dirt, dust, sediments, and other debris. Without the thick coating of gunk, you’d be surprised at just how some parts look quite new, presentable, and usable.

Do wear a pair of laundry gloves though. You don’t want the smelly, slimy, dirty, and disgusting stuff on your hands. Gloves will also protect you from any caustic substances that may have been left on the fixtures. Let the fixtures air dry.

Sort

With all those years of being filled with water, grease, debris, and other materials best left not described, it’s inevitable that most of the fixtures can’t be reused. Set aside totally rusted metal pipes, cracked PVC pipes, or pipes that are totally filled up with grease. These can’t be used anymore and must be sent to your local recycling center.

Keep for Spare Parts

If you can, disassemble the fixtures and use them as spare parts. For example, you can unscrew the spigot from an old pipe and clean out the old thread seal tape. As long as the O-ring and the gate valves are undamaged, you can keep the tap in your storeroom, ready to be used if another faucet in your home breaks down.

Shorten

Often, it’s better, more cost effective, and less labor intensive to shorten a plumbing fixture rather than replacing it with a new one. Let’s say there’s a leak in your garden hose and the damage is near the nozzle. Instead of buying a new hose, simply take off the nozzle and cut off a part of the hose an inch or two after the hole. Reattach the nozzle, and the hose works like brand new albeit a little bit shorter.

Repurpose

There are times when a plumbing fixture can’t be used as originally intended. Steel pipes may have been rusted beyond repair. The cracks on those PVC pipes may be too big to seal. Your garden hose may have become too brittle. It’s time to throw these away, right? Well, maybe not. You can still use these by repurposing them. For example, old steel pipes can be welded together to form a trellis. You can use this trellis in your home garden to support the vines and shrubs that you’re growing.
Large PVC pipes can be sliced open, each half becoming a flower box or a box garden for your seedlings. Or they can be attached to the side of your gazebo to form rain gutters. Smaller PVC pipes can be cut up and used as practice weapons for your stick-fighting class.
Those who do metalwork can weld broken faucets, copper pieces, and pipes to create sculptures, mobiles, chimes, and other abstract artworks. Oh, do you know that there are actually craftsmen who turn metal nuts into magnificent rings?

You can check out other YouTube videos about household art and life hacks. The list for repurposed plumbing fixtures is endless; the only limit is your imagination.

Make an Outdoor Feature

Don’t throw away that old kitchen sink. Have a handyman reinstall it in your backyard. Now you have an outdoor sink where you can wash dishes after a barbecue party, clean dirty hands after tending your plants, or connect a garden hose to the tap to fill up your inflatable kiddie pool.

Give It Away

You may be on the verge of throwing away your old sink, toilet, showerhead, or bathtub. Before you do, ask a neighbor, colleague, relative, or friend if he needs it. The benefit is twofold - you can get rid of the fixture you no longer need, and the other party can save money. You can also sell them in a garage sale; just make sure you clean it up and it’s still in good condition.

Another way to recycle plumbing fixtures is to donate them to a charity or non-governmental organization. With their income relying on donations, your old but still usable fixtures will be a boon.

Many items in your household can be recycled or repurposed. Old plumbing fixtures are just some of these items. Simply check out some life hack articles or videos for ideas on how to give your throwaway items a second life and help ease off the environment’s burden.

Guest Contributor: Lillian Connors