Are picks recyclable? (e.g. the common ones in tortex, nylon etc.)

Gear
#1

Might seem an odd question, but it seems a bit of a waste to me to throw away picks in the “normal” rubbish - also because after discovering CTC I’m wearing them out pretty fast :smiley:

Does anyone know which ones can be recycled in the normal plastic bins? (I’m thinking of the standard materials like tortex, delrin, nylon and so on).

EDIT: I realise the answer may well depend on the country/region (I for example live in the UK). But I think it could still be useful to share whatever info we have on here.

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#2

I’m just guessing but I’d say yes

Also, I bought a bunch of the Steve Clayton acetyl picks a couple of months ago. These things can take a beating. And they feel like silk gliding over the strings. Lol

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#3

have you tried the carpet trick? Scrape the ragged edges across your carpet. Most of the standard picks will buff into smooth edges after a bit of elbow grease

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#4

No idea.
I’ve a box with old one that are done.
Nowadays I play ‘Big Stubbies’ and I lose them usually before they’re done (which seems to take years).

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#5

I guess there are really two parts to this question: 1) Is the material one of the materials that can be recycled; 2) Does the recycliing facility you’re dealing with accept them.

Edit: See in your edit that you already acknowledged this. Leaving my post in place because I love the sound of my own typing. :smiley:

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#6

Wait your wear picks out? They are supposed to disappear into the ether never to be seen again. The only exception are boutique picks and those never wear out.

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#7

I think it depends on the country you live in. Here in Mexico… Is not so common.

What about re,-shaping them with a file or sand paper and re-use them? I tried with Jazz III sometimes work sometimes doesn’t. But shouldn’t be a big deal right?

Some companies are selling now handmade picks which maybe is too much… maybe :slightly_smiling_face:

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#8

Well I can only speak for Germany, but the problem behind that question is universal. Real recycling is only possible if you can determine what material it is made from and it should be one of the basics like Polyethylen or Polypropylen. For that reason, packaging materials that take part in the so called “duales system” in Germany have to wear a sign, defining what material it is made from. These materials can be reused. Packaging material, that doesn’t have this sign can be reused for low-quality uses. We usually produce brown plastic park benches from this “unknown” plastics. A big part of the plastics given to the recycling system is burned, or “thermisch verwertet” (thermically reused, euphemism) in Heatplants, which is not as bad as it sounds, as plastics are made from oil, which gets to a large part burned for energy reasons anyway, so this is just a detour.

So if you throw those picks into the “Wertstofftonne” (recycling bin) it will end up as some low-quality product or it will be burned.

You could try to melt them and cast new ones by yourself :wink: But alway non-mixed (except for color, that shouldn’t be a problem), as long as you don’t want UlTorNylex-Picks :wink:

On the other Hand, as a dedicated shredder, take your old picks and glue them to a canvas, producing nice pictures. Or glue them to a beat up guitar body and cover it with some kind of resin… thousands of ideas come to mind :wink:

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