How to Dispose of a Lawn Mower - 6 Great Options | House Grail (2024)

• Ed Malaker
• Last updated: Feb 19 2024

Whether you’re riding or pushing it, a lawnmower is a great tool that helps keep your lawn in good condition. However, even the highest quality machine will reach the end of its lifespan, or you might simply feel that it’s time to move up and get a new one. If you need to get rid of yours but aren’t sure what to do, keep reading as we provide you with a list of tips and tricks to dispose of your lawnmower safely.

The 6 Great Ways to Dispose of a Lawnmower

1. Give It Away

If your lawnmower is operating properly and you are just looking to get a better model, one of the best things that you can do with your old one is to give it away to someone who needs it. You may have a friend who needs a lawnmower or has one that doesn’t work too well, and this can be a great opportunity to help them out.

2. Donate It

If you don’t have any friends or relatives who need your old lawnmower, another great option is to donate the lawnmower to charity. Many churches, cemeteries, and other organizations don’t make much money and will be happy to accept a donation of a working lawnmower. These organizations may also know someone in need who can make better use of it, and you might even be able to use it as a tax deduction at the end of the year.

3. Sell It

If you are looking to make a small profit, there are several resources at your disposal that can help make it possible. For example, you can use an online marketplace like Craigslist or eBay to make the sale. You can also try the local paper or use the Facebook marketplace. If you have other things to sell besides the lawnmower or have friends who do, you can get everyone together and have a yard sale.

4. Sell the Parts

If you are mechanically inclined and know how to strip the mower of its parts, you can then put them up for sale. You can stand to make a bit of money even from a unit that no longer operates because a few of the parts will still function correctly, and someone might need the things that you have to get their own machine running again. You can use the same options for selling the entire unit to sell your lawnmower piece by piece.

5. Recycle as Scrap Metal

If you can’t think of anyone to give or donate the mower to and can’t be bothered selling or parting it out, you can take it to your local scrap metal yard to sell it as scrap. Most mowers have quite a bit of metal on them that will fetch a few bucks. You will need to remove all non-metal parts and put what’s left on a scale in the facility to see how much you will get paid.

6. Call a Junk Service

If none of the other options on this list appeal to you, the best option is to call your local garbage company or junk service to learn how much it will cost for removal. This is the only option that will cost you money, and it can get expensive depending on where you live, especially if the company needs to travel a long distance to reach your destination.

Things to Do Before Disposing of a Lawn Mower

Summary

If your mower doesn’t work anymore, you will need to strip it down and sell it for parts, recycle it, or call someone to take it away. Bigger units might have parts that will bring in enough money to make the work worth it, but smaller push mowers might not. You will need to take inventory of your parts and look up what other people are charging to see if it’s worth it. The local scrap yard might also give you an estimate on recycling it before you do the work of removing non-metal parts. If it still works, donating it is the best option because it can help someone else.

Featured Image Credit: Roman Zaiets, Shutterstock