After a kitchen demolition, there are a few ways to go about recycling used items. Almost everything, from your kitchen appliances to hardwood floors, can be reused or recycled, and can even earn you extra cash. Plan ahead and you could give back to the environment, donate to your community, get some free money, and maybe help out a friend—all with your unwanted kitchen items. Read on to learn how, and discover which items are best to reuse, recycle, cash in or throw out.

Reuse
Obviously you will want to hold on to any appliances that are in good condition and match the theme of your new kitchen, but that is rarely the case. Plus when you’re going through with a demolition it’s likely you’d prefer to install new appliances now rather than later. However, you can look at repurposing other items in the kitchen such as hardwood floors, tile and backsplashes, and kitchen cabinets. Flooring and tile can be reused in any other room that needs an update, especially smaller spaces like bathrooms, and old kitchen cabinets make a great storage addition in garages and game rooms.

Recycle
Donating appliances and reusable items is a great way to recycle your kitchen after a demolition—and the amount of items that can be recycled is actually much more significant than what you think. A process called deconstruction is a newer alternative to demolition, which recycles the majority of your old kitchen rather than just a few major items. The difference between deconstruction and demolition is rather than doing a hack job to your kitchen and throwing the mess out in the trash, a professional comes in to take apart your kitchen and salvage any items that can be donated to charitable building projects. The cost of hiring someone to deconstruct your kitchen and demo it are practically the same, and in most cases deconstruction can be a bit cheaper since you won’t have to pay for a trash bin. Although not a significant amount, you are also able to receive a tax deduction for the value of the donated items.

Cash In
There are many companies out there that will give you money for kitchen appliances that are still in good condition. This includes ovens, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, stoves, and microwaves. Contact a local company and they will usually come remove the item from your home themselves (sometimes free of cost).

Throw Out
When reusing, recycling, selling and giving to a friend is not an option, you are left with no choice but to throw out items or materials from your kitchen demolition. When you are forced to throw anything out, make sure it is done properly. Your city or county should be able to provide you information about disposing remains from a demo, and if you are dealing with a large quantity of trash you will likely need to rent a bin or hire a pick up service.