If you have changed to cable, streaming services or an antenna recently and are left with a satellite dish, then here are some ideas. The Dish Network or DirectTV satellite dish is a massive structure that is not only intrusive but also becomes completely useless if the service is terminated. Instead of allowing your dish to gather dust or thrown it under the bin, here are some ideas about how to reuse or recycle your satellite dish.
Turn It into a Decoration
An old satellite dish can be adapted for use in outdoors and one of the most preferred methods is to use it for decoration. The plain white dishes may not be impressive, but it is not hard to turn a satellite into a decoration of your yard or an accent of the house’s facade.
Some ideas include:
- Paint it a bright metallic or other desire color to give it a distinct look. Stencils and patterns also make a boring dish look interesting.
- One can place flowers, small plants like the succulents, or even small bushes at the bottom of the dish to make the piece of dish look like a beautiful garden.
- Turn it over and use it as a birdbath or a fountain pedestal. This water catching shape also assists in the collection of rainfall.
- Place the solar powered garden lights around the perimeters in the compound to light up during nights when people are outside.
- Prop the dish against a wall or a fence and can be used to hold pots of flowers or simply as the support structure for creepers.
- It is advisable to hang wind chimes, lanterns or other decorative items on the LNB arm.
There are countless ways in which the elements of the satellite equipment can be repurposed and make interesting additions to your garden. The shape as well as the aluminum material makes it very versatile fit for any design.
Create a Satellite Greenhouse
Yet another idea of how to repurpose your satellite dish is to turn it into a small greenhouse instead. The dish shape helps retain heat while the aluminum reflects sunlight down to your plants.
To make a satellite greenhouse:
- Wash the dish and make certain that no remnants of the mounting canisters or other mounting equipment are present.
- Ensure you have a flat surface if you are putting the greenhouse directly on the ground. Patio pavers work well.
- Position the dish to face the sun with the tilt in order to increase the amount of light admitted into the house.
- Construct a frame using PVC pipe, wood or other materials that will form the basic framework of the greenhouse. Place a clear plastic sheet over the open end of the dish to cover it up. The pointed end should be left open to ensure there is enough room for air to flow through.
- Consider installing a small door or a door-like opening so that you can easily access your inside environment of the greenhouse.
- Place plant containers, trays or beds inside and use the form of a satellite dish to concentrate sun light on your plants!
Because of the metal shape and the direction of the satellite dish greenhouse, the seedlings and plants can be nurtured. And it also prevents pests from getting in your garden!
Craft It Into Art
People have also not left the owners of old satellites idle and have devised ways of turning them into artwork and functional objects. If you fancy yourself a handyman or a lover of do it yourself projects, look at your satellite dish as a giant piece of aluminum upon which you can unleash your artistic flair.
Some transformed satellite dish art ideas:
- Press designs and textures on the dish surface to create a decorative metal wall hanging.
- Arrange the dish in slices or shape and weld into sculptural metal trees, flowers or abstract designs for display.
- Cover the dish surface with a mosaic or collage using paint, glue or rivets and attach tiles, mirrors, marbles or sea glass for decoration. After, it can simply be hung outside or inside the house.
- Model parts of the dish into different bowls, vases, umbrella stands or any other useful items with the help of ferrous tools.
- The audience should create their own wind chimes using cut pipes, triangles and different shapes hanging on the LNB arm. Introduce beads to add aesthetic value to the gown.
Donate Your Dish
If you find that repurposing the satellite dish is not feasible, then you should consider donating the item instead of disposing it. Hardware stores, scrap metal yards, schools, junior colleges, artists, groups and other organizations many times will take the old satellites for the metals or for art projects.
You can also place your unwanted dish in the list free of charge at the community exchange websites and networks. I assure you, there is a high probability that someone you meet in your neighborhood could be interested in getting that old satellite from you. Perhaps, interested takers can even be sourced from social network where a picture of the dish can be posted.
Some specific places worth contacting:
- Makerspaces/ work shops or creative re-use centres in the local community
- Community theaters, schools, and colleges with the theater department
- Scrap yards and drop-off centers for metals
- Community gardening social networks and associations
- Retail stores like ReStore of Habitat for Humanity
Proper Disposal of Satellite Dish
If you are incapable of repurposing your satellite or donating it to others, ensure that you do so responsibly. Standard curbside pickup services accept satellites in certain cases but most do not because of the aluminum and any other parts that may still be in the satellite.
First of all, it is necessary to make a phone call to the local waste management authorities to clarify about the possibilities of satellite recycling or bringing them to the nearest centers. Certain communities organize themselves to have occasional e-waste collection events, during which you can dispose your old satellites and other electronics properly.
If no community recycling exists then you will have to take your used satellite to a local metal recycling center or scrapper. They can tear and reduce the parts into reusable particles instead of the dish occupying space in a landfill.
However, before recycling the satellite dish, be careful to dismantle any hazardous components such as the LNB arm and integrated circuits. This ensures that non degradable products such as hazardous chemicals and electronic wastes do not end up in the environment waste disposal systems.
In Conclusion
Old satellites are not going to need to be immediately thrown away now that you no longer require satellite service. Before coming to the actual process of disposal, one can use it around the house again, make something new, or give the dish to someone else who needs it.
Taking a creative approach makes waste minimization possible and prevents satellite dishes from ending up in landfills today after millions are changing services. But even with much effort, the equipment need not be scrapped but can be recycled to work again in a new organization. And washing your used dish also saves money that you could have used to buy new decorative and functional pieces.
So before you decide to get rid of your satellite provider and throw away that dish, consider some ideas on how to turn that equipment into something productive. You would never imagine what sort of wonderful invention or how useful that basic aluminum dish can be!
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