At least once a week, someone emails me asking, “How do I recycle
blinds?” Being the Super Sleuth that I am, I decided to take a more in-depth look at our options, because recycling can be complicated if you’re attempting to getting rid of something other than computer paper in an eco-friendly way.
My first attempt at “research” was a Wikipedia search because, as Michael Scott would say, “anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject so you know you are getting the best possible information.” He was wrong in this case; Wikipedia turned up nothing on how to recycle blinds. Not even so much as a placeholder page. Moving on.
My second attempt was a Google search. I came up empty-handed again, but was drawn to one particular link: Ecocycle.org. Upon further investigation, I learned that Ecocycle has an entire section on their website dedicated to educating people on how to recycle hard-to-recycle items. They even have a Boulder-based center for dropping off these items called CHaRM (Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials). Bad news: I found no information about how to properly recycle blinds here either.
I gave them a call and was connected with Kate, a recycling expert if there ever was one. Kate gave me a lot of helpful information:
Aluminum blinds – Aluminum blinds are the easiest to recycle. Recycle mini blinds and aluminum components pretty much anywhere. Call up one of your local scrap metal dealers to have these taken off your hands and make a little money while you do it.
Wood blinds – Though wood blinds seem perfectly recyclable, they are not. Most wood blinds are treated with a chemical sealant and various types of paint. Wood recycling is most often turned into mulch for gardens and farms. The chemicals used to treat wood blinds, while safe for the home, are not safe for vegetable-growing. Double check to see what types of chemicals have been used to treat your blinds before you drop them at your local center. If they have not been treated, they can safely be recycled.
PVC (fauxwood, verticals) – These are not recyclable.
Draperies – Most recycled textiles are turned into industrial rags. This is a great use for your old draperies, should you decide to get rid of them. Contact the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) to find out how to turn your old drapes into something useful for someone else.
While I was sad to learn that some of our most popular products cannot be safely recycled, there are plenty of other safe, smart options for getting rid of your window blinds in a responsible way.
Habitat for Humanity is always in need of home items like blinds, shades, shutters, and draperies. Find out if your city has a Habitat for Humanity ReStore, which are outlets that accept donated home goods for resale. The even-better news is that if you do donate or recycle window blinds, then take a picture or video of yourself doing so and send it to us, we’ll give you 10% off your purchase at www.jsl-blinds.com. If you’re not familiar with Blinds for Clunkers, click the link for more details.
One of hundreds of customer-submitted Blinds for Clunkers photos
And, of course, if you’re trying to make a buck or two, post them on Craigslist or eBay. If you’d like more information, shoot me an email and I’ll see what else I can dig up
