What To Do With An Old Lawn Mower

Lawn mowers have come a long way since the old push mowers of yesteryear. Now they push themselves, mulch your grass and sometimes even take you for a ride. If you recently purchased a new mower, you are probably eager to take it out for its first mow. But in making room for your new mower you are left wondering what you should do with your old mower.

If you are looking to get rid of your old lawnmower, try to sell it online, donate it to charity or even gift it to a friend in need. If you aren’t able to find anyone who wants it, you can try to get money for it from a scrap yard, or bring it to your recycling plant or a junkyard if no nowhere else takes it.

When you are trying to think of what to do with your old mower there are a few variables to consider. Perhaps the most important determination you need to make is how well your old lawn mower works. Naturally, old lawn mowers that work well are easier to get rid of than old mowers that are essentially broken or spent. Still, even if you have an old and tired mower that hardly works, there are still ways to safely and easily get rid of it. Here are some of the most popular ways to get rid of your old lawn mower.

If you are going through the trouble of getting rid of your old lawn mower, you might as well make some money off the deal. If you upgraded from one mower to another, but your old mower still works well, you might be able to sell it online. In fact, if you have an expensive still-working name-brand rider mower like a John Deer, you might be able to get quite a bit of money for it.

There are all sorts of sites you can try.

You can list it on sites like eBay, or LetGo. Or even try the classifieds or social media routes of Craigslist or Facebook. Make sure you are detailed and honest about the mower’s condition. This is a great first place to go when you try to get rid of your mower. You may be surprised at what people are looking to buy. Plus, it can’t hurt to try.

Pro Tip: Try listing your mower in spring or early summer. This is when people are really looking for a lawn mower, and you are likely to sell it quickly and get more money for it.

If your lawn mower isn’t selling online, or if you are feeling like being a good citizen, you can opt to donate your old lawn mower. There are many organizations that are likely to take your old lawn mower. Just like when it comes to listing your lawn mower for sale, however, make sure that you are honest about its working condition.

You should only opt to donate your lawn mower if it is in proper working order. Some c harities like Goodwill don’t take lawn mowers, but others, especially smaller charities, are happy to take them and flip them for a small profit.

If you have the time you may also want to call around to some non-profits. If you know any non-profits that you support in the area (who have lawns perhaps), see if they are in need of a lawn mower. You will be shocked how many organizations lack some essentials. If they don’t need your mower, perhaps they know an organization or person within the organization who is in desperate need of a working mower. You might not make money off the deal, but you will help those in need, and you may even be able to write it off on your taxes.

You can also go through your contacts or send a message in your family text. The odds are someone you know has a lawn mower on the fritz. Or perhaps someone who just moved somewhere with a lawn for the first time. Often the younger generation fresh out of college are in need of large expensive home items like lawn mowers, so maybe start there.

If you have noticed a friend or neighbor with a worse lawn mower than you, consider giving them a call. It can’t hurt to ask them, and if they take you up on the offer they may even offer to pick it up. If it’s a neighbor you can just walk the mower over. It doesn’t get easier than that.

If you can’t find an individual or organization to take your old mower, or if it is nearly broken, you should consider recycling it. The last place you want your mower to end up is a landfill. You don’t want it taking up space and contributing to the growing waste problem in this world. You will be happy to learn that it is fairly easy to recycle a mower.

Obviously, you can’t just throw a mower in the recycling bin. In fact, it is important you drain the oil, gas, and other toxic fluids from the mower before recycling it. The best policy is to call up your local recycling facility. See what type of preparation work you need to do on your end before dropping it off with them.

They can likely even point you in the direction of somewhere that can help you prepare your mower for the recycling facility. This process may take a few more steps than tossing it in a landfill, but it is so much better for the environment.

You might have some luck with your local hardware or a small engine mechanic. Small hardware stores, especially those who also do lawn mower repair, may take your old lawn mower to repair it and resell it. They may also use it for parts if you happen to have a popular well-made mower.

Small engine mechanics may also want to take the mower off your hands. They can take your mower apart and potentially find good use for some of its parts. Just be sure to call these places and inquire first before you show up with an old mower.

If you have trouble with the other ways to get rid of your lawn mower, one of the final options is to bring your lawn mower to a scrap yard. You might be able to get a bit of cash for the metal scraps and engine parts in your lawn mower. This is especially true if it is a rider mower.

Keep in mind that if you disassemble your mower, clean it and remove the plastic and “junk” pieces you are likely to get more money than if you bring the mower in as is. This is because it shows the value up front. It also decreases the labor the scrap yard has to do.

If you do not have a junk yard nearby, or none of the above options are available to you, your last resort is to bring the lawnmower to a landfill. This, of course, should be your absolute last resort. There are all sorts of other options when you are trying to get rid of your lawn mower. So do your best not to contribute to filling up landfills needlessly.

Similarly to Lowe’s, Home Depot does not take any old used lawn mowers. Home Depot may take back recently purchased mowers, but not a random old mower. However, Home Depot has had several promotions in the past that involve taking old mowers.

In fact, Home Depot has partnered with some eco-friendly initiatives where it takes old gas mowers and gives you credit towards an electric or other non-gas mower to help with carbon emissions. If you are looking to buy an eco-friendly route with your next mower, it is a wise idea to give Home Depot a call. See if any such promotion is occurring at the time you wish to make your purchase.