How To Dispose of Lighters? When disposing of a lighter, the first thing you need to do is make sure that the flame has been extinguished. You can do this by blowing on it or soaking it in water for 30 seconds. Next, you will want to remove the fuel from the lighter and dispose of it separately. This can be done with a pair of pliers and an empty container, but if you dispose of many lighters at once, use gloves, so your hands don’t get burned! Finally, crush up any metal pieces left over so they won’t be recognizable as lighters before throwing them away in an appropriate disposal location!
There are many ways to discard lighters. Most of them are safe, environmentally friendly, and can be accomplished without ever leaving your home. There are purses made from lighter material–check out what’s available on Etsy, for example! For these reasons disposing of lighters is a simpler task than some may first think.
If you have a lot of awkward waste, you can always hire a skip! This is a great way to get rid of a lot of waste at once. For example, Local skip hire Solihull companies are great for helping with waste problems.
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Here are some ideas for you to try:
1) Leave your lighter at a local retail store like Walmart or Target, with no receipt or proof of purchase. These stores offer kiosks where customers can “leave” an item without knowing who left it there. The majority of these companies use the items they collect as donations, which will go to people who can use them.
2) Bury the lighter in your yard. Be sure you place it in an area that is not traveled or frequented by children or pets. You may want to encase the lighter (and its contents) inside something like a plastic 2-liter bottle if burying it out in the open.
3) Bring your lighter to a local retail store that has a “take back” program for items like lighters. Walmart, for example, recycles all sorts of products–including batteries and other hazardous materials–and includes lighters in this recycling process. Many local recycling centers also have programs where you can drop off various products to be recycled.
4) Bring your lighter to a local recycling center. Call around and ask what they will accept. Many places do not recycle lighters, so you may want to call ahead and find out if this is the case for you.
5) Chop up the lighter with an ax or other sharp object. This will destroy the lighter and its contents.
6) Take your lighter to a hazardous waste center or event in your area. Many fire departments offer events where you can discard hazardous materials like lighters for free or charge minimal fees. You can also call around and ask if there are hazardous household item collections in your community. The International Association of Fire Chiefs has a search function on their website to find these events in your area.
7) Ask friends and family if they have lighters they are no longer using. You may be surprised at what others will give or sell to you for very cheap or, in some cases, free of charge.
8) Toss the lighter into the fireplace. This will burn up the lighter but will do so in a not hazardous way to you or anyone around you.
9) Use your lighter until it runs out of fuel–the flame should then go out. Once this happens, use something like an old rag to completely wipe out the inside of the lighter, where any leftover fuel or flint remains may be found. This will eliminate any danger in the lighter when you dispose of it.
10) Place your lighter into a Ziploc bag, and seal it up tightly. Place this in another bag with either kitty litter or sawdust–you can adjust the amount of these materials to your preference depending on how much your lighter weighs. Leave the lighter in this bag for at least three days, then discard it in your trash bin. The kitty litter or sawdust will draw out any remaining fuel or lighter fluid left inside the lighter, which will get absorbed by the other materials and be eliminated from your home.
11) Remove all flammable material from your lighter. This can be accomplished by soaking the lighter in water for a minimum of 24 hours, then wiping it down with a dry towel or rag to ensure that all traces of fluid have been eliminated.
12) Take the lighter somewhere where you can safely light a barbecue grill. The flame will draw out any residual material left inside of the lighter.
13) Place your lighter inside a glass jar, along with a little bit of water. Then place this jar in a freezer bag, and seal it up tightly, so no air escapes from the bag. Leave the lighter in the jar for a minimum of 24 hours, then dispose of it in your regular trash bin. If you prefer, you can also place the jar somewhere outside (away from your home). The water will freeze to ice, which will then crack the glass jar. You may want to protect surrounding yards, or anything close by that could be damaged by broken glass.
14) Soak your lighter in paint thinner for one hour. Then, wipe off all remaining material with a dry rag.
15) Bring your lighter over to a friend’s home, and ask if you can light their barbecue grill. This will get rid of any leftover material inside the lighter.
16) Drill a hole into the backside of the lighter, right near where you put in the flint or wheel that causes it to spark. This will eliminate any leftover fuel or flint that may still be lurking inside the lighter, which could cause it to light on fire even if you’ve already disposed of it.
17) Place your lighter in a bucket full of sand, gravel, rocks, salt, or other material that is not combustible. Leave your lighter there for at least a week. This will eliminate any leftover fuel or flint that may still be inside the lighter, which could cause it to light on fire even if you’ve already disposed of it.
18) Remove the flint from your lighter, and dispose of it in your regular trash bin. The flint is generally very small, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find and scoop up.
19) Place your lighter inside a glass jar, along with a little bit of water and several drops of ammonia. Then place this jar in a freezer bag, and seal it up tightly, so no air escapes from the bag. Place the jar somewhere where you won’t forget about it for at least 24 hours. The ammonia will dissolve any remaining material left inside the lighter, which will get absorbed into the water.
20) Fill a bottle halfway with diesel fuel or kerosene, then drop your lighter into it. Leave the lighter in the liquid overnight, then remove it and wipe off all material that remains on your lighter using a dry rag.
21) Soak your lighter in a Ziploc bag filled with diesel fuel or kerosene for at least 24 hours. Then, dispose of it as you would regularly trash.
22) Get rid of your lighter by using it as a gift to someone who smokes cigarettes or cigars, just as long as you do not smoke yourself. Soak your lighter in kerosene for at least 24 hours, then wrap it up as a present and hand it over to the smoker of your choice. Make sure you mark on the gift-tag that this lighter has been soaked with kerosene, so they don’t get accidentally light on fire or try to use it.
23) Remove the fuel inside your lighter by heating it. For this method, you will need a heat gun, butane torch, or blow dryer. Please turn on the tool of your choice and place it about an inch away from your lighter for at least 10 seconds. This should release all the fluids that remain inside of the lighter.
24) Hold your lighter up to boiling water for five minutes, then dispose of it in your regular trash can afterward. Extra fluids that remain inside the lighter will get washed off by the hot water.
25) Mix up a small container full of what is known as dry cleaning fluid or kerosene, which you should be able to find at your local hardware store. Pour a small amount of this mixture inside your lighter, and allow it to stay in there for at least two minutes. Then, turn the lighter upside down and shake out any leftover fluid or dust that remains inside.
26) Place a few drops of a simple oil solution inside your lighter to eliminate any leftover material. Take a paper towel, fold it up into several different layers, and then pour some of the oil solutions onto it. Use this to wipe off all excess material left inside your lighter, then dispose of the paper towel in your regular trash can afterward.
27) Leave your lighter out in direct sunlight for three hours straight if you are trying to get rid of any leftover fluid. This should raise the temperature inside your lighter to a point where all the fluids evaporate, leaving only dust behind.
28) Add some water to your lighter if you try to get rid of any leftover fluid. Swirl the water around inside your lighter with a cotton swab, then use another cotton swab to wipe off any excess moisture left behind.
29) Remove your lighter’s fuel simply by playing a game of catch with it using a football or soccer ball. Throw the lighter back and forth between all your friends until you feel that there are no longer any fluids inside of it.
30) Dispose of your lighter by simply throwing it away in your regular garbage can. This is the easiest way to get rid of your lighter, although you should still be careful that no children or animals are around when you attempt to throw your lighter away.
FAQ’s
Q: Can you throw away an empty lighter?
A: Technically, you can throw away an empty lighter without any issues. However, if the lighter has fuel left inside of it, then it should not be thrown into your regular garbage can. This is because there are no safe methods for getting rid of leftover fluid from a lighter. Flammable items such as this should not be put into your regular dumpster or recycling bin either.
Q: How do you dispose of Bic lighters?
A: The best way to get rid of a Bic lighter is to toss it into your regular garbage can once you are done using it. However, if there are still fluids left inside the lighter, then you should take one of the methods listed here and soak your lighter in that fluid for at least 24 hours before throwing it out.
Q: Can you throw away lighters with fluid in them?
A: Technically, you can throw away a lighter with fluid in it. However, if there are still fluids inside the lighter, you should take one of the methods listed here and attempt to remove all leftover fluids first before throwing your lighter away.
Q: What to do with a leaking lighter?
A: If your lighter has fluid still inside of it, then you should take one of the methods listed here and soak your lighter in that fluid for at least 24 hours before throwing it out. Otherwise, if the lighter is leaking, you should attempt to remove all leftover fluids first before throwing your lighter away.
Conclusion
How To Dispose of Lighters? We hope you have found this guide useful. There are many more ways to dispose of lighters, but these 30 will be sure to get the job done without any hassle at all! Remember that some methods may not always work out in your favor and can cause a fire hazard for yourself or others nearby. Be safe with lighter disposal and happy lighting!
