How to Recycle or Reuse Your Kitchen Sink
Give your old sink new life by donating it, selling it or using it in another room of the house
Nicole Jacobs
June 22, 2017
Houzz Contributor. Designer and operations director at Zenno Design + Build, a full-service design, renovation and custom-build firm based in Hamilton, Canada. Nicole has been a design consultant for a production builder, and has independently overseen design, renovation and styling projects of all scopes and scales through her own firm, Nicole Jacobs Design. She has been a writer of home, real estate and lifestyle articles for over a decade.
Houzz Contributor. Designer and operations director at Zenno Design + Build, a full-service... More
If you’re remodeling your kitchen, you may have decided it would be a waste to throw away materials from the old kitchen that still have life left in them. You also may have wondered why you should use (and pay for) new materials in your new kitchen when there are so many quality salvaged materials to be had.
A simple solution to both of these issues is reusing and recycling materials in your kitchen remodel project — whether in terms of what you’re letting go or what you’re bringing in. Here are some things you can do with your old kitchen sink.
A simple solution to both of these issues is reusing and recycling materials in your kitchen remodel project — whether in terms of what you’re letting go or what you’re bringing in. Here are some things you can do with your old kitchen sink.
Option 1: Donate Your Sink
There’s a market for your old kitchen sink. Consider donating to your local Habitat for Humanity or Goodwill, which will sell your sink for charity and provide you with a tax receipt. Or you could call a scrap metal collector, who will come take your old steel sink for you (and any other scrap metal items you need to get rid of) to resell to refiners. These professionals also often buy all grades of scrap metal for resale and recycling purposes. Some will even pay you for your items, so it’s worth investigating.
There’s a market for your old kitchen sink. Consider donating to your local Habitat for Humanity or Goodwill, which will sell your sink for charity and provide you with a tax receipt. Or you could call a scrap metal collector, who will come take your old steel sink for you (and any other scrap metal items you need to get rid of) to resell to refiners. These professionals also often buy all grades of scrap metal for resale and recycling purposes. Some will even pay you for your items, so it’s worth investigating.
There also are many online recycling networks, such as Freecycle and Recycle Where, that provide direction on donating your sink and other unneeded kitchen items. These networks are free to use and are solid communities that work to keep items out of landfills and encourage communal trade of items that otherwise would just be discarded.
If your sink is porcelain, know that it has many potential uses as a recyclable material. Some states have programs that use crushed porcelain from old sinks and toilets in asphalt for building new roads. Porcelain can also be crushed and recycled right back into your home design via gorgeous concrete countertops, as in this photo. Still other companies use crushed porcelain to recycle into new tile. You may not be able to choose exactly what your old sink will be used for, but some of these recycling networks have a website search tool to direct you to drop-off locations for your used sink and other items, or they will arrange a pickup at your house.
If your sink is porcelain, know that it has many potential uses as a recyclable material. Some states have programs that use crushed porcelain from old sinks and toilets in asphalt for building new roads. Porcelain can also be crushed and recycled right back into your home design via gorgeous concrete countertops, as in this photo. Still other companies use crushed porcelain to recycle into new tile. You may not be able to choose exactly what your old sink will be used for, but some of these recycling networks have a website search tool to direct you to drop-off locations for your used sink and other items, or they will arrange a pickup at your house.
Option 2: Sell Your Sink
There are many budget-minded renovators looking for used functional fixtures. Take a photo of your sink from the original kitchen and post it on an online forum such as Craigslist or Facebook. Unless it’s a quality vintage piece that is highly coveted on the salvage market, such as the farmhouse sink pictured here, you likely won’t get much for your discarded sink. But you’ll be able to get rid of it and rest easy that you haven’t created more construction waste. There are also many people who are interested in bartering construction fixtures and materials, so you may be able to make a trade for something you’ll find more useful.
There are many budget-minded renovators looking for used functional fixtures. Take a photo of your sink from the original kitchen and post it on an online forum such as Craigslist or Facebook. Unless it’s a quality vintage piece that is highly coveted on the salvage market, such as the farmhouse sink pictured here, you likely won’t get much for your discarded sink. But you’ll be able to get rid of it and rest easy that you haven’t created more construction waste. There are also many people who are interested in bartering construction fixtures and materials, so you may be able to make a trade for something you’ll find more useful.
Option 3: Repurpose Your Sink
When you’re pulling a sink from your kitchen, there may be another place in your home where it can find a new use. Laundry rooms, bathrooms and even the outdoors are among the possibilities.
1. In the laundry room. Renovating a kitchen typically produces a remodeling domino effect — you start one project and realize you want or need to do something else. If you’re upgrading your kitchen to a countertop material that requires an undermount sink and you’ve just pulled out a functional drop-in sink, use the drop-in sink in the laundry room with a simple laminate countertop, as in this photo. It will extend its life and function, especially if there was no sink in that room before, or if it is replacing a less attractive, more utilitarian laundry tub.
Install a sink for how you like to work
When you’re pulling a sink from your kitchen, there may be another place in your home where it can find a new use. Laundry rooms, bathrooms and even the outdoors are among the possibilities.
1. In the laundry room. Renovating a kitchen typically produces a remodeling domino effect — you start one project and realize you want or need to do something else. If you’re upgrading your kitchen to a countertop material that requires an undermount sink and you’ve just pulled out a functional drop-in sink, use the drop-in sink in the laundry room with a simple laminate countertop, as in this photo. It will extend its life and function, especially if there was no sink in that room before, or if it is replacing a less attractive, more utilitarian laundry tub.
Install a sink for how you like to work
2. On the patio. This gorgeous garden bench was fitted with a lovely old sink. If you are fortunate to be able to reclaim an old porcelain or cast-iron sink from your own home, it can live a new life outside if you’re able to install the necessary plumbing. This idea can work just as well with a drop-in stainless steel sink if you build your bench to accommodate it. The great thing about having an outdoor sink is that kids won’t need to traipse through the house dripping Popsicle juice. Instead, they can wash up outside.
Photo by Rodney Dunn of Just Add Worms
3. In the garden. Who says you need a plumber to make an outdoor sink functional? Here, a recycled stainless steel sink fits nicely in this wooden island and is useful for prepping veggies picked fresh from the garden on their way to your table. Use your hose or rain barrel to fill the sink as you need water. A handy vegetable garden stand like this would also be useful for working with nonedible plants.
3. In the garden. Who says you need a plumber to make an outdoor sink functional? Here, a recycled stainless steel sink fits nicely in this wooden island and is useful for prepping veggies picked fresh from the garden on their way to your table. Use your hose or rain barrel to fill the sink as you need water. A handy vegetable garden stand like this would also be useful for working with nonedible plants.
Photo by Kelsey Coulter of Tattered and Inked
4. In a play area. Kids love playing with water, and water toys and tables are pretty popular among the younger set. They also can be fairly expensive and are not much of a must-have interior decor piece. If you have the skills, build your own water table with your old kitchen sink, as in this photo. A simple table frame is painted a pretty blue and has a shelf for toy storage, making water play as stylish and functional as it is fun.
4. In a play area. Kids love playing with water, and water toys and tables are pretty popular among the younger set. They also can be fairly expensive and are not much of a must-have interior decor piece. If you have the skills, build your own water table with your old kitchen sink, as in this photo. A simple table frame is painted a pretty blue and has a shelf for toy storage, making water play as stylish and functional as it is fun.
5. In the bathroom. You can also use an old kitchen sink in a bathroom project — remember that domino effect? The vanity in this photo makes creative use of a salvaged antique double sink on top of an old work bench. The bottom of the sink is painted out for interest and color. It’s a functional, clever and budget-friendly way to remodel a bathroom. And another sink avoids becoming garbage.
More
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How to Recycle Your Kitchen
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This is a very cool resource to have and it has me kicking myself — two of my porcelain bathroom sinks were broken during demo and I wish I'd known to donate them to a place that recycles crushed porcelain. I poked around a little after reading this article and also found that some jurisdictions even offer a rebate if you are replacing an inefficient toilet with an efficient one and will recycle a toilet for you. Don't miss that boat like I did — if you are doing demo do some online searching to see what kinds of offers and recycling centers you can find.
One thing about living in a rural area is that there aren't a lot of recycling programs, we can't even recycle cardboard, magazines etc. And no bulk when it comes to soda cans, bottles etc. You have to feed them into a machine, one bottle or can at a time. (NE Oregon) It's one of the very few things we miss about California. We do, however, like no sales tax or pumping your own gas, which is REALLY nice when it's 5f outside, plus the dog likes her cookie.