4 Ways to Recycle Old Plates

Posted on 23/01/2024

How to Recycle Old Plates

After years of heavy use, plates get worn, scratched, and broken. You favourite sets end up mismatched and eventually new plates replace the old ones. Simply because your crockery has outlived its original purpose it does not mean it should just be tossed into the waste disposal unit. Plates can be recycled into many handy things, from spectacular wall art to brand new serving accessories. Broken tableware can even be incorporated in beautiful mosaics, instead of deemed useless ending up in the junk disposal bin. Find out how to turn your old dishes into stunning new items.

Plate Mirrors

Your house clearance left you with a pile of chipped or cracked platters? Fear not! You can easily transform them into gorgeous decorative mirror frame.

1.    Measure the perimeter of the central part of the platter and cut the mirror accordingly.
2.    Add a thin layer of glue on the outer edge of the mirror.
3.    Put the mirror in the centre of the plate and press down. Let it sit overnight.
4.    Fasten a plate hanger at the back of the dish.
5.    Use a hook or nail to hang it.
6.    Arrange with other wall art and hang the mirror platter on the wall.

Mosaic Table Top

Don’t be too quick to call the clearance company and to throw away the broken plates. You can actually use them to make a beautiful mosaic table top.

1.    Separate the broken plate parts into big chunks, good flat pieces, and tiny bits.
2.    Attach the pieces to the table top by using tile adhesive. Start by placing the larger pieces on the edge and add some big pieces in the middle.
3.    Then push the chunks down until they sink into the cement. If some of your pieces don’t fit, just crack them to get the perfect size.
4.    Fill the gaps with grout and grout float.
5.    Wipe off the excess and let it dry for a day.
6.     Finish up the plate mosaic by applying a wipe-on sealant.

Tiered Trays

This is a quick and easy project suitable for both children and adults. The DIY tiered trays are a cheap alternative to the expensive serving accessories and a great way to utilize the old plates destined for the junk disposal unit.

You will need random porcelain plates with different size, painters or masking tape, cake tier hardware, ceramic or tile bits, power drill, pen or pencil and a ruler. Let’s get started.

1.    Turn the plate over and use the ruler to find the centre. Mark it with a piece of tape.
2.    Drill a hole in each plate with a special ceramic bit. Bonus tip: put a roll of tape under the plate to elevate the plate and to prevent damaging the surface underneath.
3.    Once you are done drilling the holes, assemble the tires by using the hardware.
4.    If you feel that one of the tires is a little unstable, stick rubber or cork stoppers on the bottom.
5.    Fill it with delicious desserts and enjoy!

Bird Feeder

If you have a bowl and dish that no longer belong to a certain set, don’t immediately think about waste disposal; transform them into a crafty bird feeder. Luckily, you don’t need a whole lot of supplies and it will take no time to do it. The tricky part of this project is drilling the holes because the bowl and the plate may crack. To avoid that, pick a block of scrap wood and put it directly under the place you are drilling.

1.    Find the centre of the plate and the bowl and drill a hole.
2.     Once you drilled the holes in centre of the dishes, you need assemble the pieces.
3.    Put a washer fastener on a large carriage bolt and bring up the bolt trough the bottom of the bowl.
4.    Secure the washers around the bowl with glue. You should tackle it in the following order – washer, glue, bowl, glue and washer.
5.    Thread a nut few inches down, where your dish will sit.
6.    Put the plate on the nut and then thread under nut. The dish should sit between two nuts.
7.    Place another nut and washer on the bolt.
8.    You will need two pieces of nylon cord 2 feet long each.
9.    Start by making a simple overhand knot with each cord piece. Proceed by tying a crown sinnet knot over the washer’s top.
10.    Make a loop that will serve to hang the bird feeder and with the remaining cord tie a knot around the base.
11.    Fill the bowl with bird seed and hang outside!

As you can see, you shouldn’t just chuck old plates into the garbage disposal bin. If you have some spare time, turn your waste into useful and pretty household items! Otherwise, you should probably turn to clearance services to take them off your hands.