03/15/2019
Recycling Your Window Treatments
At Windo VanGo serving the greater St. Louis area, our customers often ask us what they should do with their old treatments once they’ve upgraded. These days, with landfills getting more and more crowded, it’s always best if we can avoid adding more. That’s why we encourage our customers to do something other than throw their old treatments away. Read on for some ideas!
Notes on Recycling
Because of some of the materials and processes used in making certain window treatments, not all parts of all coverings are accepted at recycling facilities. One of the easiest things to do is, if your old coverings still work, donate them. You could try Habitat For Humanity Restore, Salvation Army or Goodwill Stores, or friends or family. Otherwise, the most recyclable of the window treatments are aluminum or metal blinds. Because most urban areas already have infrastructure in place to recycle metal, all you have to do with your aluminum blinds is give them a quick clean, remove all strings, and free the slats from the headrail. Then drop them off at the nearest scrap yard.
Creative Ideas for Old Window Treatment Materials
If your wood or woven wood blinds have been stained, painted, or treated or your faux wood blinds have PVC in them, they can’t be recycled. Similarly, if you have honeycomb shades, they’re typically made from polyester, which is already produced from recycled materials and can’t be recycled again. Try to figure out creative ways to upcycle the materials. For example, make a planter out of the slats of your plantation shutters. Cut away any fabric from your shades and donate the usable parts to a donation center or a nearby school for crafts. For all treatments, if there’s metal hardware, you can drop it off at the scrap yard as described above.
Additional Resources
If you’re still having trouble figuring out what do to with your old blinds and shades, use online resources, such as Earth 9ll, to find a recycling option near you.