5. Canva - Exercise Equipment

How do you dispose of broken exercise equipment when you can’t haul it yourself?

Having a large, unwanted piece of exercise equipment like a treadmill or elliptical can take up a huge chunk of space in your home and be an even bigger problem, especially if it’s broken or outdated.

Whether you bought a new exercise machine as an upgrade or it just doesn’t work anymore, you’ll need to properly dispose of your broken exercise bike or treadmill.

Best Disposal Options for Broken Exercise Equipment

Taking your broken exercise equipment to the dump, leaving it behind a dumpster, or lugging it down the driveway and dumping it at the curb are probably your most tempting options right now. On the other hand, there are many other methods of disposing of exercise equipment that are more eco-friendly – and won’t result in costly fines and fees.

Recycle Broken Exercise Equipment

When you throw your broken exercise equipment in a dumpster or trash it on the curb, it eventually ends up in a local landfill. Home gyms and other exercise machines contain materials that pollute the air, water, and soil in the area they are dumped. Since exercise equipment isn’t naturally biodegradable, it will sit in a landfill and pollute the Earth for hundreds of years.

When you recycle your broken exercise equipment instead, valuable materials like plastic and steel can be salvaged and reused in the production of new products and materials.

When broken exercise equipment is recycled instead of hauled off with your bulk garbage pickup, you help create jobs, boosting the economy by millions of dollars every year.

You might be able to have your old gym equipment hauled away for recycling by your curbside recycling service. If they do offer pickup service for recycling, you will have to call ahead and make an appointment for a special pickup. However, you should know that recycling services will charge a fee to pick up bulky items like an old or broken pilates machine.

If your regular garbage service doesn’t offer special collections for recycling, you can usually find a recycling collection event in your area. These are sometimes held a couple of times a year, but you will have to find a way to haul your exercise equipment so it can be recycled.