Power tools should never be put in your recycling bin at home. Some recycling companies accept electrical products for recycling. In some parts of Australia, councils have drop-off points for certain kinds of electrical products including power tools. Call the recycler or the council in advance to check if they will accept the product you want to recycle.
Warning!
Many power tools contain batteries which are a hazardous waste item. Power tools that contain batteries are a fire hazard and should never be put in household recycling or garbage bins. If possible, remove the battery from the power tool and drop it off for recycling at designated battery collection points.
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How to reuse power tools
If it’s in good working order, consider selling or donating the power tool so it can continue to be used. This is a far better environmental outcome than recycling the power tool, as it ensures the precious materials and resources used to make the product are kept in use at their highest value.
You can use online marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree to pass it on to a new owner, or you can donate it to your local Library of Things or Tool Library.
How to recycle power tools
Currently, Australia doesn’t have a national recycling scheme for electrical products. However, many commercial recyclers will accept power tools for recycling (use the directory on this page to see if there is one in your area). Call the recycler in advance to check if they will accept the product you want to recycle.
Some councils offer e-waste recycling events or collection points where you can drop off electrical products including power tools. Check with your council in advance to see if they will accept the type of power tool you want to recycle.
If you are not able to find a recycler or a collection point through your council, unfortunately, you may have to put the power tool in your garbage bin. You should only put power tools and other electrical products in your bin if you can remove the battery. Batteries are a fire hazard and should never be put in household recycling or garbage bins. If you cannot remove the battery from the power tool, call your council for advice.
Why should I recycle my power tool?
Power tools, both rechargeable and plug-in varieties, are classified as e-waste (electrical waste), which is the fastest growing waste stream in Australia. Recycling power tools enables the recovery of various metals and plastics and helps prevent toxic heavy metals from leaching into the environment via landfills.
A typical power tool contains a range of materials including iron, steel, aluminium, copper and various plastics, which can all be recycled. Sending power tools to landfill contributes to environmental problems such as the non-sustainable use of resources and the contamination of groundwater caused by toxic metals leaching into the soil.
Power tools that contain rechargeable batteries are particularly dangerous, as the batteries contain highly toxic metals such as nickel and cadmium. These batteries are classified as hazardous waste and should always be removed from the power tool and recycled separately. Some recyclers will accept both the power tool and the battery, however, if they do not accept batteries, they can be dropped off for recycling at designated battery collection points.
What happens to the power tool when I recycle it?
E-waste recyclers disassemble the power tools and sort the materials for recycling. If there are problems identifying and separating materials into specific types, the complete tool is shredded by more conventional methods and only metals are recovered. This can be a problem with older tools where materials have not been coded or identified.
The nickel-cadmium batteries are sent to an approved recycling facility where the nickel, steel and cadmium are recovered. The recovered metals are made into other products, while the cadmium can be returned to battery manufacturers to create a fully closed loop recycling system.
