How Can I Recycle Old Ceramic Tiles
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How can I recycle old ceramic bathroom tiles?
I have just refurbished my bathroom. The glue holding on the old tiles was so weak that nearly all those tiles not already falling off came off intact. As a result, I now have a large number of tiles which could be cleaned up and re-used?
Sue, Surrey.
Bathroom tiles are considered to be architectural rubble for disposal purposes, so not only are they difficult for an individual to dispose of, and it also seems a waste to throw out a set of perfectly good tiles.
Advertise Your Tiles
One possibility, if they were modern and of good quality or of historic interest would be to sell them to an architectural salvage company - try Salvoweb for somewhere near to you.
Another would be to advertise them on your local Freecycle website so that anyone redecorating a bathroom on a budget coud have them for free.
Donate Your Tiles
Swindon Scrapstore can use almost anything for arts and crafts with children. There are many organisations that collect items for craft and there may be one near you.
If you know of anyone who makes mosaics, they might be interested in using the tiles too, along with any attractive pieces of broken china.
Try Upcycling
If you have any particularly pretty tile you can make it into a coaster. How To Make A Coaster From A Tile. You can also use the method described here to make coasters from tiles that you decorate yourself.
Disposing of Bathroom Tiles
If you really have no other way of disposing of them, your local recycling centre should accept a small amount of domestic rubble, but always check precisely how much your local council will accept.