How to Dispose of a Toilet? – 5 Popular Ways

Written by

Paulk Webb

FACT-CHECKED BY

Freddie J. Hagopian

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how to dispose of a toilet

When replacing a toilet, you don’t only choose to put effort into choosing a new one. You have to think about how to dispose of a toilet.

Indeed, we cannot just throw away a toilet, as we have to be responsible for safe disposal.

Depending on your preferred method, you can contact a local recycling center, solid waste disposal company, or recycling group.

Simple disposal of a toilet is through curbside disposal but you have to follow the guidelines. Other options are recycling, donating your toilet, or renting a dumpster.

The options are all good so picking one is not easy. Read on to find out which works best for you.

Ways to Dispose of a Toilet

dispose-of-old-toilets

1. Donate a used toilet

Surprisingly enough, instead of disposing of a toilet, you can donate your toilet, sink, and other bathroom appliances to a charity.

Indeed, you have to make sure that they are still functional, without stains and chippings. This is likely your option if you only want to renovate your bathroom and upgrade your toilet.

Contact a charity organization in your neighborhood. Also, you can go to Habitat Restore, as their Habitat for Humanity program accepts toilets and other household appliances.

2. To solid waste disposal companies and recycling centers or group

If you don’t have any idea where to dispose of a toilet, getting in touch with the right people or group is a wise move. You can either contact them by phone or by sending them a message on their website.

You can reach out to Republic Services Toilet Disposal, as it’s an expert on the proper way of recycling and waste disposal. Aside from this company, you may get in touch with waste management toilet disposal in your area.

You may also take your used toilet to the recycling center if it accepts porcelain. When a local center does recycling, you have to contact them, and one of the members will discuss it with you.

In the UK, taking chipped, cracked, and old toilets to a recycling center is common. HWRC, or Household Waste and Recycling Center, takes care of used toilets. It has regional offices in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales.

3. To landfill or transfer station

It’s not a bad idea to send your old toilet to a landfill. However, not all cities have it, so better research before proceeding with your plan. A transfer station is another option. It’s a place where the segregation of trash from landfills around the city or state is done.

4. Curbside Disposal

There are scheduled curbside disposal in most cities, just like the practice in Columbus, Ohio. You’ll have to call the 311 Service Center and check if there’s a pick-up schedule. It’s a common practice in the state of New York.

It’s also important to research the guidelines, so you don’t just put a toilet in the trash. The schedule of pick-up and instructions vary from city to city. For instance, you have to dispose of old toilets between 4 pm and midnight before the pick-up day in NYC. The same goes for curbside disposal in Boston.

Curbside disposal of toilets is allowed in Toronto too. It’s done during the regular day of garbage collection and not the recycling collection schedule.

5. Renting a dumpster

You may put a toilet out for garbage if it’s only one unit. Hence, renting a dumpster is not practical if you only need to get rid of one toilet.

But it’s a struggle when toilet removal is a part of a huge home project that gives you a lot of things to dispose of.

Aside from toilets, you may need to let go of your dresser and vanity. In this case, you may rent a dumpster. A 10-yard container is sufficient for bathroom renovation, and it’s also good if you have to get rid of toilets from several bathrooms.

It may be similar to curbside disposal, but since you pay for the service, you don’t need to wait too long and adjust to the guidelines. You can set the schedule based on your preference.

Toilet Recycling

Recycling a toilet requires ideas that will make this valuable fixture after its removal from the bathroom. I’ve seen toilets crushed into powder for water filtering, but not everyone can do it. A DIY project sounds fun! But before you proceed, you must clean and sanitize the old toilet.

Furthermore, you may need to disassemble the toilet as the internal components differ from the toilet’s porcelain body. Sometimes, you can just recycle the toilet bowl by yourself and throw the components together with the toilet brush in the trash.

There may be no recycling center that accepts porcelain, a material used to make toilets, in your area. You can recycle a toilet with patience and resourcefulness by considering these ideas.

  • Making a seat or chair

You can turn used toilets into a seat or chairs by gluing a seat and painting it.

  • Decorating the garden

You can grow a flower or some plants in it too. It can be a decorative pot in your garden by painting or adding colorful tiles or glasses to create a mosaic. You may also shatter the bowl and use the pieces to create a pathway.

Though it could be technical, you can use it to make a waterfall in your garden. You have to place the bowl over a rock slab and in the middle of a pond. The water can be pumped from it to the pond.

  • Turning it into a canvas

The toilet seat or lid can be converted into a canvas where you can paint. Of course, make sure you clean and prepare the surface first before choosing the right painting tools that work.

  • For pets

Save some money and make an old toilet into a fish bowl or tank. Making it into a fish tank requires plumbing skills, though. It can also be turned into a drinking bowl after cleaning and sanitizing it.

FAQs

disposing-of-a-toilet

Does Home Depot recycle toilets?

Home Depot can dispose of your old toilet as long as you buy a new one from them. You have to pay extra for it. But there’s no exact information if they recycle toilets. They only give assurance of taking care of the disposal for you.

Are there toilet disposal fees?

There are toilet disposal fees if you hire a company to dispose of a toilet. That’s why it would be great to look around for toilet disposal companies and choose the one that charges fairly.

Conclusion

Learning different ways how to dispose of a toilet can enlighten you on which one works best for you. If it’s just one toilet, you can donate it to organizations that need it. You may also send it to the landfill or transfer station. A single toilet can be taken care of by a recycling group.

When you need to dispose of a toilet and other bathroom fixtures, it’s best to hire a dumpster. You may also check the system of curbside disposal in your area. Also, you can let a waste disposal company take care of it for you.

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