How to Recycle a Microwave Oven

Written by: Rose Kivi • Edited by: Niki Fears
Updated Jul 31, 2009 • Related Guides: Search Engine | Recycle

Think environmentally conscious when it comes time to dispose of your microwave. There are several options for microwave oven disposal to choose from besides the trash dump.

Giving it Away

If a microwave oven is still in working condition, the best thing to do is to give it a second life. A working microwave oven can be given

Microwave - Image Credit to http://www.flickr.com/photos/adspackman/

click to enlarge

away to friends or family or donated to a charity.

A working microwave oven can be left in the front yard with a free sign on it. Usually a microwave oven with a free sign will get picked up by a person passing by within a short period of time. It is best to include on the sign that the microwave is in working condition, to assure that it will be picked up.

Giving a microwave oven a second life serves two purposes. It keeps waste out of the trash dump and saves another person the money of buying a new microwave oven.

Recycling Options

If a microwave oven is not in working condition, it can be recycled. Call your local trash disposal company to find out if they recycle microwave ovens. If they do not, ask them if they know a place that does. If your local trash disposal company can not help you, go to Earth911.com. Earth911.com has a search engine that allows you to search for microwave recycling centers in your area. You can also search for recycling centers for various other items in the search engine.

If you are unable to find a local recycling center through your local trash disposal company or through Earth911.com, there are a couple other choices that you still have. Some places take broken microwave ovens and either repair them or salvage parts from them and recycle the leftover parts.

Check with local home appliance repair shops to see if they take broken microwave ovens. Sometimes, home appliance repair shops will repair broken microwaves and resell them, or if unrepairable they will salvage parts out of the broken microwave and recycle the leftover parts.

Another option for broken microwave ovens, is to donate it to Goodwill Industries. Check with your local Goodwill about their policies regarding broken microwave ovens. Many of the Goodwill stores give broken microwave ovens a second life by repairing them and offering them for sale in their stores.

wylie Feb 20, 2011 8:41 AM

microwave recycling

Well for the most part then what i read is that m/w are not recyclable! BUT the lamest thing i read is to take a broken nonworking m/w to Goodwill. NO they dont fixem to resale them. Ridiculous. Gw wont take broken or real worn furniture even. Take it apart for parts (there is metal!), or as above, use as storage.

dave Dec 23, 2010 1:41 PM

micro recyle

Transformers from microwaves can be fabricated into spot welders for the DIY guys. most info on various web sites

John Mcgall Nov 19, 2010 10:38 PM

Follow up to old comments

Ha! vermon proof, not so sure about that. I was reading a tech repair journal where a microwave stopped working. The guy opened it up, guess what was inside.. a rat, it was shorting out the capacitor. It was practically blown up to pieces, no idea how it got in their but you can't put anything past a rat.
I wouldn't recommend opening a microwave. The voltages on the capacitor can take weeks to dissapate, and WILL kill you. Electronics is all about what is easier to do. They do not consider the dangers it presents in high voltages or toxic chemicals, so unless you're prepared, get a job at mcdonalds. you'll make more in an hour than what it takes to open a microwave up

T. Gray Aug 19, 2010 7:52 PM

Microwave ovens

Im a former Navy Radarmen, and a microwave is essentially the same thing as a radar. There's nothing all that harmful about them when they are dead, they are easy to deconstruct and a lot of useful parts can be taken from them.

Why recyclers are so all fired picky about them is nuts. All the big hullabaloo from environmentalists about recycling, then when you try to take something in, the first thing they throw at you is a list of all the no no's. Hopefully someday, some sanity will appear among all the madness.

Blavel Jan 27, 2010 3:15 PM

microwave recycling?

I'll be putting my microwave which doesn't work very well along side the dumpster since no one has any reasonable suggestions. And I have been breaking my hump looking for options so it's a done deal. Hopefully in the future there might be some kind of landfill project or something where they can take things like that apart and recycle whatever they can from them. Hopefully things will be more sensible and practical than the they are now.

Rose Kivi Aug 4, 2009 6:52 AM

Response to Allan Wells

What a cool and creative idea!

Allan Wells Aug 4, 2009 6:49 AM

A friend of mine picked up a number of old microwaves outside homes on our local council cleanup day. He uses them as storage units for non-perishable food at his bush holiday cottage as the ovens are vermin proof. He reckons they beat wooden pantry hands down.

Rose Kivi Jul 9, 2009 4:07 AM

Response to Clifton Eggers

Great tips Clifton!

Clifton Eggers Jun 29, 2009 1:59 AM

Microwave oven article

Howdy,
I am "that guy" who pulls over when I see something re usable in someone's trash. It is a bit of a hobby of mine. I hate to see anything go into the landfill before it's time when it can be used to build a radio, guitar pickup, or any other crude electronic device.

I microwave is a great source of parts. Many recycle centers won't take a microwave because of a semi hazardous material in the capacitor of some of the old microwaves. The same capacitor can be sold on ebay for $20. Just make sure you do a quick read up on how to safely remove a capacitor to avoid electric shock. Everything else is relatively harmless. There are some really powerful magnets in the magnetron that kids might enjoy playing with. They are really easy to remove. Happy salvaging!

How to Recycle a Microwave Oven

Giving it Away

Recycling Options

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