Cerritos Locksmith

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What To Do With Old Keys

You might be wondering if you can recycle keys and the answer is, yes! Many recycling facilities will take keys. You’ll have to make sure that they do not have any tags or rubber casing on them when dropping them off to the recycling facility. The keys can be melted down and used for other things. There are also some locksmith services that will take your old keys and reuse them. You can also reuse your keys. Here are some practical ways to recycle and reuse your old keys.

  • There are some known foundations that will accept keys. They will repurpose the keys so that they can use them or they may recycle them for the money to support their cause.
  • DIY enthusiasts have found useful ways to use old keys. Some have used them to create wine charms, necklaces, and bracelets. Pinterest offers a variety of diy ideas that use old keys.
  • If you have some interesting old keys, they can be creatively displayed in a frame or box.
  • You can purchase an actual frame and glue the keys around the frame or mirror for decorative purposes.
  • Use for school projects.
  • Find an artists compound and chances are that one of these creative would be happy to take them off your hands for you. While you may not have the creativity to repurpose old keys, you may be surprised to see what an artist is capable of doing with these keys. There are some who are creative but simply lack the time. As they are waiting for some time to clear up to engage in something creative, the keys continue to mount up. Instead of continuing to have the keys pile up, give them to someone that will put them to good use.
  • They can be used for fishing weights.
  • They can be put on the end of pull chains as decorative interest.
  • Old keys can be creatively used on clothes zippers and even backpacks. This is especially a good idea if you have a broken lock.
  • We have seen old keys used on giftwrapped gifts. It adds a very interesting feature to the giftwrapping.
  • The #1 way that we’ve seen old keys used (well maybe #2 with recycling being #1) is using it to design jewelry. We’ve even seen some very expensive jewelry creatively designed with old keys.
  • Christmas tree ornaments are a great way to repurpose old keys. They can be painted and decorated with glitter to make them more attractive than they are now.
  • Keys can be reused for game pieces. This is definitely true if the keys that you have are different shapes and sizes.
  • If you like wind chimes, why not use your old keys to make a wind chime. All you need are keys and fishing line to tie the keys to.
  • Use the hole in the key to stabilize a nail that you are hammer into a wall.
  • If you have enough old keys, you can fill up a jar and use it as a paperweight.
  • You can use them as a weight. Sewn into the bottom of your shower curtain, tablecloths or drapes will help them remain in place.
Cerritos Locksmith

Key Recycling

If you are going to recycle your keys you should know that not every recycling center accepts keys. Curbside recycling bins is where a lot of people will often take their old keys. However, when they try to hand them over, they are often told that they do not accept them. They may direct you to a nearby recycling center where they are sure to have a recycling bin for metal. Since recycling will pay, if you want a few buck in your pocket, check your local directory of recycling centers to find out if they will pay for your old keys. In most cases, you will have to provide them with a certain amount of old keys in order to make it worth their while. There are also some car dealerships that will accept your old keys. They may take them to prevent them from ending up in landfills.

A favorite option for many of our customers is finding a charitable organization to donate the keys to. Once they receive the keys they can then have them recycled. However, the good part is that they are paid for the keys that they recycle, which allows them to go back into their charitable organization. This is as good as you offering money to their since clearly this is something that you could have done yourself and received the money for.

If you are at a total loss of what to do with your old keys, there are plenty of great suggestions that you can find online. We love Pinterest in particular but there are other online resources. If you have old keys piling up, do something about it. If you’re not going to do anything, why not hand them over to your children or grandchildren and let them begin their savings account with the money they could earn from recycling the keys. Surprisingly, once you begin using old keys for something interesting, chances are that you’ll continue to use old keys in creative ways.

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