What To Do With A Used Water Filter?

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Used Water Filter

Using a water filtration system brings many benefits. We all want clean water with improved taste, smell, and exclusion of contaminants. Generally, water filters require their cartridges to be changed regularly.

As more people decide to use household water filters to purify water, questions will arise about what to do with used water filters. Looking into filter recycling methods, you will find some water filters that can be more easily recycled than others. In many cases, some form of reusability can be implemented so that not all those leftover cartridges end up in a trash can. Drink filtered water from Waterdrop; this filter removes harmful substances from the water.

Cleaning A Water Filter

Depending on the preferred type of water filter used, the option to clean it is a viable one. Sediment filters are usually ones that can do well with regular cleaning. By washing them after a time of use, their lifespan can be prolonged.

A filter using activated charcoal as the main method of cleaning water can, in some capacity, be refreshed. The activated charcoal itself is what needs to be replaced, so opening the cartridge and replenishing it is the way to go. Activated charcoal can be bought or made by drying and processing coconut shells at high temperatures. Moreover, pitchers and jugs are made entirely of plastic, so there should be no issue in attempting to recycle them.

Recycling Water Filters

When deciding how best to dispose of replaceable items such as water filter cartridges, some situations call for just recycling. Brita water filters are easily the most straightforward to recycle as many collection points have been set up with recycling in mind. Ever since 1992, Brita has developed a scheme of recycling their cartridges in an attempt to reduce plastic waste caused by discarded filters.

Other brands like ZeroWater offer some other benefits with their recycling scheme. Upon filling out a recycling form with relevant information and sending it with cartridges to be recycled, customers get a 10$ coupon for their next purchase. This approach motivates people to be more environmentally friendly and reap the rewards of a voucher for their trouble.

Inline filters that go on the main pipe are also easy to recycle. The body is made with polypropylene which can be widely recycled. It’s generally cut up into pellets to be reused as a different type of plastic item. It may be a good idea to remove the filtering media from the cartridge so that only the plastic remains without the activated charcoal inside. Attempting this would not be easy, however. This is simply an option for whoever adamantly wishes to recycle their water filters.

Some sources propose to dump the activated charcoal in your garden forming a gravel path. Doing this will only restore filtered dangerous substances back into the soil, so it is advised against it.

Repurpose And Reuse

Recently the demand for face coverings has increased exponentially and has inspired many to make their own at home. Some creative people have designed a way to use activated charcoal from filters as a layer inside the mask.

Taking out the charcoal from the cartridge is only one step. The charcoal itself needs to undergo some extra cleaning before it can mesh inside a mask. Usually, this can be done by placing the cartridge, with the charcoal still inside, in a mixture of distilled water with dishwashing liquid. Soaking it for somewhere between fifteen to thirty minutes and shaking it regularly to loosen debris and residue. Then it needs a good rinse with distilled water. At this point, it can be replaced in the filter to be used again for a time. Cleaning it like this may work a few times, but at a certain point, it will have to be replaced with a new cartridge.

Taking out the cleaned charcoal, if it is easy to do, can then be replaced into a cloth satchel and integrated with a face mask. This is by no means standard procedure but may work in a pinch.

Do It Yourself Recycling

Many of the plastic cartridges using a water filter may not be accepted at recycling centers. If this is the case, and you don’t want them to end up in landfills, there are alternatives to using them at home yourself.

A collection of cartridges can be glued or tied together to form a honeycomb-like tray used for the seedling. Compared with regular store-bought seedling trays, one made out of old cartridges will be a lot sturdier and won’t break when it is time to take the plants out and replant in the garden.

Bird feeders can also be fashioned out of old water filter cartridges by stacking a few on top of each other, gluing them together, and drilling a hole at the bottom for access.

All in all, whatever form you decide to use to dispose of old water filters should be within your reasonable means.

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Preeti
Preeti Shah is a person who loves checking out different styles and designs of houses. She took interior designing in college and is practicing in the field of home improvement for five years now. In her spare time, she is usually searching the web for interesting and fascinating home designs.

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