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Ah summertime, hooking up the sprinkler for the youngsters to run by way of, washing the canine within the yard, filling up the watering can from the hose. But after dragging the hose out of the storage, a few of us may discover it has cracks, holes, or leaks. You can attempt to restore them, but when that doesn’t work, you may be questioning, “What do I do with the previous hose?”
Unfortunately, the choices for recycling are principally non-existent, due to each the hose materials and its form. Most hoses are manufactured from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyurethane (PU), often known as #3 and #7 plastics for these aware of the plastic resin ID codes. These are two of essentially the most tough plastic resins to recycle.
If you bought a costlier hose, it’s possible manufactured from artificial rubber, the fabric used to make tires and equipment belts. While there’s an amazing market (and demand) for tire recycling, a lot of the choices for shoppers to recycle them are automotive restore retailers, retail shops, and family hazardous waste (HHW) packages, that are unlikely to just accept your hose.
Even essentially the most accepting curbside recycling packages received’t need your hose attributable to its form. It will simply jam the equipment on the materials restoration facility (MRF), just like plastic bags do.
Landfill Alternatives
So, with no sensible recycling choice, your subsequent greatest hope is to maintain your hose out of a landfill. Here are just a few ideas:
- Conduct some DIY hose repair to repair any leaks.
- Donate it to a second-hand retailer like Goodwill, which might make minor repairs and resell the hose (name first to confirm acceptance).
- Upcycle your hose right into a doormat or door decor.
- Using a utility knife, reduce off the ends of the hose, that are usually manufactured from steel, like brass; you’ll be able to then recycle these metal pieces at a scrap steel recycling facility.
Other Hose Considerations
With restricted eco-friendly disposal choices, extending the lifetime of your hose is further vital. The very first thing to contemplate is paying a little bit further for a rubber hose when shopping for a brand new one. Rubber hoses are sometimes manufactured from recycled materials, so although you may need a troublesome time recycling, at the very least the fabric within the hose could have had a earlier life.
Additionally, rubber hoses are extra immune to kinks and holes, and hoses manufactured from PVC have been found to contain lead and phthalates, which might leach into the water (suppose twice earlier than letting children drink from the hose). Just like artificial Christmas trees made of PVC, taking the inexpensive choice could expose your family to guide.
If you reside in an space topic to harsh winters, carry your hose inside earlier than snowfall to protect its life. Since water stays within the hose when you flip off the tap, preserving it hooked up through the winter may additionally increase the chances of frozen pipes.
Feature picture by RyanMcGuire, Pixabay. Originally printed on November 7, 2018, this text was up to date in July 2021.
