- 1Check whether the guitar is playable or repairable before taking it apart
- 2Contact a local music store, repair shop, school, or music nonprofit about donation or parts reuse
- 3Remove batteries from active pickups, built-in tuners, preamps, or other onboard electronics
- 4Remove strings carefully, coil or bundle them, and use an instrument-string recycling program when available
- 5Separate removable pickups, preamps, tuners, pots, jacks, cables, and other electronics for e-waste recycling
- 6Recycle bridges, tuners, screws, strap buttons, and other clean metal hardware as scrap metal where accepted
- Local music stores and guitar repair shops
- School music programs and community arts nonprofits
- Instrument donation nonprofits and community reuse programs
- D'Addario Playback/TerraCycle instrument-string drop-off or mail-in programs
- Certified e-waste recyclers for pickups, preamps, tuners, pedals, and cables
- Scrap metal dealers for strings, tuners, bridges, screws, and other clean metal hardware
Do not put a whole guitar in curbside recycling. Guitars are mixed-material products made from wood, metal, plastic, adhesives, finishes, and sometimes electronics. Playable or repairable instruments should be donated or repaired first; unusable electric and acoustic-electric components should go to e-waste or battery recycling programs.
Reuse has the greatest environmental benefit because it keeps the instrument, wood, hardware, and case in service. When a guitar cannot be reused, recycling strings, clean metal parts, copper wiring, pickups, and small electronics can recover useful materials and keep batteries, soldered components, and treated finishes out of regular trash and curbside recycling.
- Repair setup issues, replace strings, or swap broken hardware before giving up on the instrument
- Donate playable or repairable guitars to schools, shelters, youth programs, or community music groups
- Sell or give away parts instruments to repair shops, luthiers, makerspaces, or hobbyists
- Repurpose unusable bodies or necks as art, display pieces, or practice repair projects
Accepted
- Electric guitars, bass guitars, acoustic guitars, and acoustic-electric guitars in repairable condition
- Parts instruments with reusable necks, bodies, pickups, tuners, bridges, knobs, or cases
- Steel, nickel, bronze, nylon, and coated instrument strings through string recycling programs
- Pickups, onboard preamps, tuners, and small guitar electronics
- Instrument cables, power adapters, and related electronic accessories
Not Accepted
- Guitars with leaking batteries or severe chemical contamination
- Moldy cases or instruments with heavy pest damage
- Loose lithium batteries mixed in with the instrument, case, or accessories
- Painted or finished wood placed in yard waste or paper recycling
- Whole guitars placed in curbside recycling carts
Estimated value: $0-$500+ depending on brand, condition, and parts; repairable guitars are usually worth more as instruments than as scrap
Donation
- Local school music programs
- Community arts centers and youth music nonprofits
- Music stores or repair shops that accept parts instruments
- Hungry for Music
- Save The Music donation resource list
- Batteries in active pickups, preamps, tuners, pedals, and wireless systems
- Lead solder and small circuit boards in pickups, preamps, and related electronics
- Solvents, finishes, and adhesives in the body and neck
- Nickel, steel, bronze, or coated strings with sharp ends
Can I put a guitar in curbside recycling?
No. A whole guitar is a mixed-material item and should not go in curbside recycling. Donate, repair, part it out, or take electronics and metal pieces to appropriate specialty recyclers.
Are guitar strings recyclable?
Yes, through specialty programs. D'Addario Playback, powered by TerraCycle, accepts many kinds of instrument strings and clippings. Do not put loose strings in curbside recycling because they are small, sharp, and likely to tangle in sorting equipment.
What should I do with an electric guitar that no longer works?
Ask a repair shop whether the pickups, tuners, bridge, neck, or body can be reused. If it is not repairable, remove batteries and route pickups, preamps, pedals, cables, and other electronics to an e-waste recycler.
Can acoustic guitars be recycled the same way as electric guitars?
Acoustic guitars usually have less e-waste, but they still contain mixed wood, glue, finish, plastic, and metal. Donation, repair, or parts reuse is usually better than material recycling.
What should I do with batteries from active pickups or guitar accessories?
Remove batteries and recycle them separately. Lithium-ion and rechargeable batteries should not go in household trash or curbside recycling; use a battery drop-off, household hazardous waste program, or electronics recycler.