Gutters are necessary protection of roof and water drainage to direct rain water from the roof and exterior to prevent damage to the foundation and landscaping by preventing rain water erosion.
Gutters vary in composition, such as aluminium, steel, vinyl, copper or other material but over time they may sustain damage and need replacing. Oftentimes they can be repaired and holes patched, but if there's too much damage making them unusable, then it’s time to scrap them.
Recycling old gutters is an environmentally safe way to dispose of them, and keeps them out of landfill.
Most recycling centres accept the aluminium, copper and steel gutters.
Vinyl, is recyclable, but has fewer locations willing to accept it. You'll need to call the local recycling centre to see whether they take vinyl, or see list of North American vinyl recyclers here: http://www.vinylinfo.org/vinyl/recycling-directory
Gutter systems can be a little difficult to transport and dispose of easily, so you will need a pickup truck or know someone with one that you can borrow to transport the lengths of gutter.
Metal scrap yards also take aluminium, steel and especially copper gutter pieces (which can fetch a fair price to you). They may provide a pick up service too, so make sure to enquire about that when you get a quote.
To transport gutters strap them down tightly and break them down to fit into the truck bed with the tailgate up.
Reuse is better than recycle so your gutters might still be useable by someone else, so try listing them on a classified ad or material exchange website.
You or someone else might repurpose them. Look here for some great ideas: http://www.architecturendesign.net/20-inspirational-diy-ways-to-repurpose-rain-gutters/
