Recycling and Reuse of Bathroom Ceramic Tiles:

Before recycling the old tiles, they will have to have any large pieces of plasterboard removed from them. The tiles can then be crushed into a powder and water added to make a slurry. The gypsum from any remaining plasterboard must be removed along with the fixative (glue used to stick the tiles to the wall). Any traces of grout can remain in the slurry as grout contains some of the components used in the original tile mix. This slurry can then be added to the vessel containing the rejected tile slurry and well agitated before being dried and crushed to a powder. This powder is then run under an electromagnet to remove any metals, and a sample analyzed to ensure no undesirable elements are present. Once this is confirmed, this powder could then be added into the processed powder, just before the tile pressing stage. Tiles can be broken into suitable pieces and used as bottom liners in flower pots. This aids in the drainage of water from the pot compost. Some tiles will have broken to form quite unusual shapes. These bathroom tiles can be incorporated in garden walls, using tile adhesive (usually plenty left over after tiling), or used as material in an outdoor mosaic. The broken tiles can also be cut into different shapes (remembering to remove the sharp edges and wear eye protection), and by adhering a piece of old denim jeans to the back of the shapes, you can create great coasters for the garden patio area.