How can I reuse or recycle old mice?

Computer mouseNo, no, not the things that run around causing women to stand on chairs and scream in 1960s sitcoms (to paraphrase Douglas Adams), but the computer ones.

From our transistions through the various ages of mice, we’ve got a number of old filthy-rollered mice lying in cupboards around the place. As I mentioned on the old mouse mats post, we usually use track pads these days or optical mice if we need anything a bit more precise, so those old clogged up ones are just going to waste.

Any ideas? For either the whole mouse or any of its parts?

(Photo by weirdvis)

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19 Responses to “How can I reuse or recycle old mice?”


  1. sarar says:

    You could use the old trackballs as cat toys – they’ll probably be a little bouncy so will keep moving when the cat hits them.

    -SaraR

  2. Clean the rollers and the trackball, and give them to other people that need them. Of course you could always just chuck them out, but this site is for reusing things, not binning them.

  3. Joan says:

    freecycle them – most non working mice just need the ball cleaned

  4. gia says:

    I had a broken Apple one button mouse, and made it to a soap holder.

  5. Pat says:

    you can put the ball in one of those refillable easter eggs, and superglue it shut. Makes a good little wobble ball for a cat to play with.

  6. Stuart says:

    Robotics hobbyists like to have the non-contact tachometers found inside mice, for measuring RPM and such. Optical mice have only one tachometer, for the scrollwheel; ball mice have two or three, for X and Y movement and for the scrollwheel if it has one.

  7. Giselle says:

    WEEE, Computer & IT Equipment can be recycle at http://www.manga-fu.com

  8. Olia says:

    Fill the inside with wax, let cool and use as paper weight.

  9. Olia says:

    Paint it into something interesting and keep on coffee table as conversation starter.

  10. Olia says:

    Attach plastic or wooden handle and give as a toy iron to a child.

  11. Olia says:

    Cover in batting and fabric for a pincushion.

  12. Olia says:

    Glue sandpaper on a bottom and use to sand surfaces.

  13. Olia says:

    Hang it by the wire and let cats play.

  14. Olia says:

    Cut off the wires and display a bunch of mice in a large clear container.

  15. Olia says:

    Make a loop on a wire and hang the mice as the weights on the curtains.
    You can also use them as pulls on a window shade, fan, etc.
    You can make a mold off of it and then shape homemade soap like a computer mouse. Nice gift for a computer geek.

  16. JB says:

    Paint it like a real mouse and plug it into the computer insted of the real mouse. It’ll make someone laugh.

  17. JB says:

    How come I have a different symbol?



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