Can I Scrap Or Recycle My Old Lawn Mower?

Chances are if you've made it here, you probably have an old lawnmower on hand and you are wondering how to get rid of it, whether you can make any money from its metal parts and if scrap metal yards will take them on. 

Well, you can actually recycle mowers and also scrap them if you wish, however, the scrapping process is a little time intensive but can make you some cash if you do it properly. You can also dispose of your lawnmower in a few other ways you might not have considered such as by donating it.

To figure out the best way to dispose of your old lawnmower, we've shown you how to scrap your mower in the best way possible below, as well as how to get rid of it without having to take it to a dump if you wish. 

Can I Recycle An Old Lawn Mower?  

One of the most common questions about disposing of mowers are if they can be recycled, and the answer to that is yes, they can, a matter of fact, recycling your mower is much more environmentally friendly than just dumping it as junk. 

Recycling facilities will break the yard equipment down into its metal and plastic parts then make use of the disposal, rather than you contributing to the main waste stream.

However, before taking your lawn mowers old model to the recycling centres, you need to make sure it is free of gasoline and safe first which will get on to later during explaining the disassembly process. 

How To Scrap Your Lawn Mower 

If you want to scrap your mower for its scrap metals and get the most value possible out of your pieces of metal on your mower, then you need to spend time separating each type of metal into different parts rather than just presenting it as plain steel. 

You can achieve this by separating the metal into ferrous steel and non-ferrous metals and by disassembling the lawn care equipment properly.

It is possible to find scrap metal buyers that will take this type of metal or simply take it to a scrap metal skip where they will do a metal item count and a quote for lawn mower metal.

Disassembly Process

Before we can get into separating common metals in your lawn mower, you must disassemble the whole lawnmower properly first so as the scrap metal appliance can be easy to handle and dispose of. 

We have listed out the essential steps to take your old/broken lawnmowers apart below.

• Step One - Run the mower until you have used all the leftover fuel in its tank or use a siphon hose to draw the rest out if you don't want to waste fuel, then unplug the spark plug on your petrol lawnmowers engine and tilt it to the side. 
• Step Two - When tilting the mower, ensure the carb is facing up in the air and remove the blade from the lawns mowers deck by loosening the bolts, put this blade with the rest of your metal junk. 
• Step Three - Using a putty knife you can take any lawns debris off from the lawn equipment cutting deck to stop lawn equipment rust then drain any excess unwanted lawn mower oil into a pan, you can take this oil to local hardware for disposal. 
• Step Four - Undo the bolts on your lawnmower then take off the tyres, the hubs that hold these tyres in place are valuable metal, so you might need to saw the tyres off if they don't come off easily, you should avoid doing this on lawn tractors tyres however as they could explode in your face. For plastic hubs just dispose of them via recycling.
• Step Five - Depending on the models of lawn mower you are dealing with, you can then take off the handle and remove any metal parts, adding to your scrap pile, you might need to pull off some cables too.
• Step Six - Unbolt the engine from the lawn equipment, separate metal parts and plastic parts into different piles, you can simply cut off or pull off plastic housing and parts such as air filters which are not valuable.

Scrapping Process 

Now you have disassembled your lawn mowers body into its main metal and non-metal parts, you can begin sorting through the quantity of metals and breaking large pieces down into smaller parts for proper recycling and scrap metal pick. 

We have explained how to separate and dispose of these metal components below. 

• Step One - You can figure out which types of scrap metal you are dealing with by using a magnet, non-ferrous aluminium will not stick to a magnet and is worth good scrap yards prices, so separate your metals using this method. 
• Step Two - Also divide your non-ferrous metals/aluminium parts into clean aluminium pieces and dirty types of metals from the engine, or types of metal that are attached with magnetic ferrous metals. 
• Step Three - Once you have sorted your scrap metal skip into non-ferrous metals, ferrous metals and dirty metals, you can take it to metal reclamation companies or scrap yards and get a price for your metal by weight. 
• Step Four - The rest of your lawn mower removal parts should be taken for recycling or by a junk removal service, it's best to look for eco-friendly disposal options for these parts and figure out what can be regular appliance disposal among your household waste and what needs proper disposal such as tyres.

How To Dispose Of Old Mowers Without Scrapping 

If you don't want to take your model to a lawn mower removal service and you are not fussed about giving it to a scrap metal dealer, then there are a few other ways to get rid of your lawnmower which you might not have considered. 

We've listed a few of these ways below to get rid of your old mower. 

• Give it away - It might be worth asking an old friend or a neighbour if they want your mower rather than taking it to a metal recycling centre, this is a great way to get rid of your junk and benefit someone else at the same time!
• Sell it - Even if you have old kinds of lawn mowers with little life left in them, it could be worth putting it on eBay or craigslist as many people are willing to buy an obsolete lawnmower for parts, you could get a lot of money if you are selling a well-maintained and usable lawn mower too.
• Donate it - Believe it or not, some donation centre options would take an old lawn mower in as long as it is still working, this could be great if you are looking to upgrade your model and want to avoid taking it to the scrap yards. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Disposing Of Old Mowers

How much are scrap metals from a lawn mower worth? 

Scrap metals from your lawnmower will be worth different prices according to the weight you have of additional metals, scrap metal prices will differ according to the condition of the junk too.

Are there junk removal service companies in the UK for mowers? 

Yes, there are many metal appliance recycling pick up services and junk removal company options in the UK that will come and pick up your lawnmower and dispose of it if needed, just ensure you drain the mower of fuel and oil beforehand for safety reasons.

How long should a lawn mower last?

This all comes down to how you take care of lawn mower equipment and maintain it, a high-quality well-taken care model could last you ten years, while some lower quality ones could only last you five years.

Last Words 

To conclude, there are many ways to get rid of your old lawnmower, whether you want to sell it for scrap metal, use lawn mower recycling pickup services or sell it for scrap metal for some quick cash. 

Always disassemble your lawnmower beforehand by draining old gas and oil before giving it to a junk removal company and dispose of these chemicals correctly.