Cordless drills are handy tools; as long as they work, they serve various purposes. However, you might consider getting a new drill once they start to wear out. On the other hand, maybe you just want a better drill than the one you have.
What to do with old cordless drill is always a fair question. As you can probably tell, throwing it in the trash is not a good option. So let’s discuss what options you have when getting rid of or repurposing that old cordless drill.
Can’t I Just Throw it Out?
It’s not uncommon for people to throw their old drills in the garbage when they’re done with them. However, this isn’t a good idea because various components will damage the environment.
Although it’s undoubtedly not eco-friendly, the drill itself might not be a huge issue. Yet some of the drill’s electronic components and heavy metals shouldn’t be thrown in the trash. However, the more significant problem is the battery.
Batteries, especially when they get old and break open, can damage the environment. Therefore, if you want to get rid of an old drill, you should recycle it and follow proper procedures. This is the first thing that we will cover in the following section.
What to Do With Old Cordless Drills
There are four main things you could do with an old cordless drill, so let’s look.
1. Recycle the Drill
If you have an old drill that is not working anymore, the best option might be to recycle it by taking it to the proper recycling location. Before you recycle it, remove all the drill bits. The drill bits should still be good, and you can keep them for future use. Look for the closest electronics recycling center.
On a side note, if you can’t find anywhere close to you, Best Buy has a dedicated electronics recycling program. Once you have found a suitable recycling center for electronics, you can just drop it off and forget about it.
2. Donate the Drill
The next option is to donate the drill. You obviously don’t want to donate a drill that doesn’t work anymore; people who take donations don’t want your old and broken garbage.
However, some places will welcome the donation if you have some lightly used drills or drills in good condition. One of the best places is Habitat for Humanity, a program that builds houses for underprivileged people; they can always use more tools.
Remember, whether a power drill or otherwise, it needs to be functional and safe to use when you donate something. There are many centers and programs, so look for one closest to you.
3. Sell the Drill
If you’re not much into making donations or are very tight on cash and can use every dollar, your next best option is to sell the drill.
Of course, just like donating a drill, you can’t sell an old and broken drill. The drill must be reasonably functional, good condition, and safe to use.
However, keep in mind that new drills, especially midrange models, aren’t that expensive. Therefore, when you sell your drill, you won’t be able to charge much; don’t expect to get much money for a several-year-old drill.
However, a few dollars are better than nothing. You can try doing a yard sale, creating flyers, using Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Craigslist, Kijiji, or other social media markets. This way, you can get a few dollars back to purchase your next drill.
4. Repurpose the Drill
You can repurpose an old drill. Below we have a few possible uses for an old power drill. They might be a little bit out there, but still viable nonetheless.
- Attach the spool of a kite to your drill’s chuck and use the drill to wind and unwind that kite string with great speed. It can make flying a kite a bit easier.
- Repurpose a drill for food preparation purposes. For example, you could fit a metal whisk into the chuck and use it to beat eggs. You could also look up a tutorial on how to cool down your beer cans using a power drill (yes, this is a real thing). You could even repurpose a drill to crush ice or scrape out a coconut.
- Attach a brush or sponge to the drill and use it as a high-powered cleaning device.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are various things you can do with an old drill—you can sell, donate, repurpose, or recycle it.
