What To Do With Your Old Lego Bricks

Do you have a bunch of LEGO pieces that are mixed up in containers that are taking up valuable space in your house? Well, this blog is just for you! Here are some of the best ways that other Lego fans have made the most of their huge loose collections!

Give Your Old LEGO Bricks to Friends or Family

This is a perfect opportunity to get a niece, nephew, son, daughter, friend or even foe into the LEGO hobby.

Unfortunately, my level of imagination likens the same as a piece of wood, give me a bag of LEGO and I will be able to make a wall, may be even a house with no roof...  but there are a lot of people out there who can take a bunch of LEGO bricks and turn them in to something amazing.

If you didn't know these types of builds are called LEGO MOCs, otherwise known as "My Own Creations".

Let's be honest LEGO is not a cheap hobby to have either, most people will be ecstatic to be given some for free! 

Charity Shops Always Need More Stock

If you do not have anyone to give your old LEGO bricks to and you aren’t looking to make a profit from passing it on why don’t you bag it up and take it to a local charity shop?

There are various charity shops around that would love to take your old LEGO bricks off your hands. 

It doesn't matter which charity you pick, they are all for a good cause at the end of the day. If you did have a charity in mind that means a lot to you, now you can do your bit by donating your old LEGO bricks.

Some Charity shops in the UK that come to mind are:

• St Michael’s Hospice
• Age UK
• Oxfam
• British Heart Foundation
• Age Concern

Some Charity shops we know of in the US are:

• Goodwill Industries
• Salvation Army
• St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store
• ReStore

Donate to a Local School

Why not take the opportunity to reach out to the schools in your local area, tell them what you have and see if they would be interested in taking your old LEGO bricks as a donation to the school?

Unfortunately school budgets are not as big as they should be and with the schools being forced to take on more and more children I am sure they would appreciate a donation of something such as LEGO.

I would advise that if you were going to do this that you check over your LEGO bricks and remove any that are not in good condition. Remember its children who will be using your old LEGO bricks so quality over quantity should be kept in mind.

If you have time perhaps you could give them a quick wash too, I have found putting them in a fine netted bag and then just running them through the shower works well. 

There are other methods too I have heard of, some people even put them in a machine washable bag or pillow case and pop it in the washing machine on a cold wash!

Organise Your LEGO Bricks to Sell or Build MOCs

If you have some spare time why not get organised and sort and catalogue them all.

Once you have them organised you will be able to make the most of what you have but do be prepared this is not a small job to take on. It takes time and patience to get this done, it's worth it if you are a LEGO enthusiast though!

We have a lot of LEGO MOC designs in our MOC shop which you could buy and make endless amounts of new and unique sets.

If you haven't heard of or experienced buying a MOC before and you are unsure how to buy the missing bricks to build the set you will be pleased to know that we have a video and written guide showing you how to buy the right bricks.

If you want to try it out why not get one of our FREE MOCs that we have to offer and then you can see how it goes?

We are here to help too so if you get stuck just drop us a message. As a sneak peek here are a few from out free collection.

Now could also be your time to start a Bricklink store, if you have a decent amount of LEGO bricks spare then take the opportunity to organise yourself and start your own LEGO business from home.

If you would like any tips to get you started, you can visit our blog ‘7 tips to be a successful Bricklink seller’.

Sell Your LEGO on eBay or Facebook

If you want to get rid of it quickly there is the option to list it online as a bulk sale. There are a lot of people who love buying old LEGO bricks by the kilo (or pound), at the right price they will bite your hand off for your old LEGO bricks.

Do bear in mind when selling LEGO in bulk you will not get any where near as much for it than you would if you sold the LEGO bricks individually.

It depends what you want and on your situation, if you are prepared to put the time in sorting your old LEGO bricks and putting them in to your Bricklink inventory or listing them on eBay separately you will make more money but it will take more time and effort.

If you want someone to just come to your house and take it off your hands then listing it online as a bulk or LEGO haul is probably a good option for you.

Do Not Recycle Your LEGO

Unfortunately, LEGO bricks are not recyclable due to the types of plastics they are made with. These plastics are not accepted at many recycling centres.

Taking them to be recycled with the rest of your plastic will result in the LEGO bricks sitting in landfill for a very long time which is not what we want!

We would love to hear how you decided to handle your old LEGO bricks!

Share this on social media and let us know what you think by dropping a comment below!

If you found this blog useful we think this blog will be perfect for you when you are trying to think up different ways to use your old LEGO bricks!

Build a LEGO catapult, plant pot or jewellery, these are just a few ideas you can find in our blog 25+ LEGO Building Ideas that will keep you busy.