Coat Hanger Recycling

You can recycle coat hangers. Most clothes hangers are made from recyclable materials such as metal, wood, and certain types of plastic. This means that recycling hangers is possible, but the method depends on the material. Those made from 100% of one material are easier to recycle than those of a combination.

You should only look to recycle coat hangers that are broken or badly damaged and irreparable. Any coat hangers in good condition should be reused or donated to charities or other businesses and organisations for reuse. This saves the energy and resources required to make new ones.

You can recycle plastic coat hangers, but it depends on the type of plastic they’re made from. Any coat hangers comprised entirely of one plastic should be recyclable alongside other plastic waste. Check the plastic grade and whether it’s recycled before you put it in a plastic waste or recycling bin at home or work.

If it contains a metal hook then this needs separating before the plastic can be recycled. Most plastic hangers with a metal hook should be recycled with scrap metal and in metal recycling bins.

Plastic coat hangers can’t be put in most household recycling bins. Instead, you should take them to your local household waste recycling centre (HWRC) and recycle them in the hard plastic skip. However, some local councils and authorities may accept plastic hangers. Check the plastic type and if your local authority accepts it in domestic recycling bins.

You can recycle wooden clothes hangers. They can be recycled with other wood waste, which is often chipped and converted into wood chippings for paths. It might also be mulched and used in gardens and landscaping.

How coat hangers are recycled depends on the material they’re made from. They should be separated and stored in recycling bins or containers of the same type – such as putting purely wire hangers in bins with other metal recycling. Recycling clothes hangers made from mixed materials is harder.

Mixed hangers are trickier to recycle as the materials must be separated. If you have a hanger with a metal hook but a plastic or wooden main part, place it in a metal bin or container. This should ensure the metal is removed and recycled and the other materials are sent for recycling separately.

For coat hangers made from one material, these are the common recycling methods:

• Metal wire coat hangers – old metal hangers can be recycled alongside other metal of the same type. Normally this involves separating by grade, shredding, and melting down the metal hangers before they’re solidified and reformed to make new metal items.
• Plastic coat hangers – any coat hangers made from one kind of plastic can be recycled alongside other waste of the same plastic type. This will normally be shredded, melted, and turned into pellets used to create new plastic products.
• Wooden coat hangers – purely wood coat hangers can be recycled by being chipped and screened. Then they can be used as wood chippings for paths and other applications, or ground into mulch and used in gardens and for landscaping.

Old coat hangers from any type of business classify as commercial waste. This means they must be removed from your premises by licensed waste carriers and transported to an appropriate recycling facility. Start by storing any hangers in the relevant recycling bin depending on their material:

• Metal recycling
• Plastic recycling
• Wood recycling

Arrange collection by licensed waste carriers – such as with Business Waste. They’ll remove the bins and transport them to a nearby recycling facility for sorting, processing, and recycling. Receive a free duty of care certificate that confirms the disposal method and location for the hangers for peace of mind that they’re recycled.

You can recycle some coat hangers at your local household waste recycling centre (HWRC). The hangers should be put in the relevant recycling skip based on their material. Some councils and authorities may accept certain types of plastic hangers in domestic recycling bins. Check with your local council first.

Many businesses use clothes hangers and should recycle them when they reach the end of their life. Any hangers in decent condition can be reused or donated. Those that snap or break and can’t be repaired should be recycled. These are the main industries that require clothes hanger recycling services:

• Shops – excess hangers, those returned by customers, and broken ones from the shop floor.
• Hotels – snapped and broken clothes hangers from guestrooms.
• Dry cleaners – surplus hangers and any broken ones used to hold dry-cleaned clothes.
• Charities – many charities receive lots of donated hangers that need recycling.
• TV and film studios – old hangers used for costumes from TV and film productions.

These are a few things you can do with old hangers:

• Use them at home – if it’s clean and intact then use them in your wardrobe
• Return them to retailers – certain large clothes shops and department stores will accept and recycle old hangers
• Donate to charity shops – many use them to hang up items, like any other clothes shop