Thanks to a post on this board I knew to go to Harbor Freight to purchase new blades for my cutters.
While changing the blades figured there has to be a safe way to handle them. I used a magnet attached to a short plastic handle that is used to pick up canning lids out of hot water. It was easy to handle those blades with care.
Then I taped the used blades to the inside of a large styro plate, and taped another plate on top before putting into the trash. I wouldn't want the trashman to become a victim of a wayward sharp edge.

What a good idea..thank you...:)

Oh yea!! I have an old prescription bottle that I put all my old blades in and another for bent or broken needles and pins!
A couple of years ago I didn't lock the blade shut on my rotary cutter and I reached for something, it caught my sleeve and dropped on to the floor via my big toe!!!! It looked like something out of a horror show!! It hit a vein and I had blood spurting out like my heart was in my foot!! Imagine the horror I felt as my sweet little poodle started to lick it like candy off the floor and me trying to wrap in up to find I had gained so much weight I couldn't reach my foot so I fell over while still trying to push the dog away!! I eventually got something wrapped around it, (thank God for monkey toes!!) Got my creepy dog out of the room and rushed my self to the emergency room to find that it had stopped bleeding and only nicked the vein... Needless to say, I went on a diet and started to exercise and keep my rotary cutter closed when I'm not using it. As for the dog, well, my little guy passed away about a year later but we got puppies that never go in to the sewing room. It's not a scene I want to replay and I always wear something over my toes!!!

WOW Hatchet! Thanks for the lesson learned. I will definitely change my ways.

Yea, those rotary blade while making life easier can be quite dangerous if not shown the right respect and believe me, I RESPECT them now!!!

I cut my finger next to the nail one time because I hadn't shut the blade before putting it down. Lesson learned immediately!

Sewn3w, you were very thoughtful to think of not letting someone else get hurt on it. I buy them in packs of five and have a container (that they came in) for used blades and one for new blades. I write on the container with a Sharpie so there is no mistake.

Yikes Hatchet!!! :shock:

I save some old Christmas cards and cut them in half...they work great for putting the old blade in. I fold the card over and sometimes use another then tape with packing tape. I write 'sharp'on the card before tape...as a warning for whoever might go thru garbage.

I tell everybody how dangerous those blades are, your story tells me, "I'm not crazy!" At least not about rotary cutter blades. :-P

I help a 4-H'er and explained to her the blade could cut toes off and such and to always put the blade back in. The first time she was cutting and jumped the ruler and went over her finger and nail bed. Took her to the ER for stitches. (Dr. didn't know what a rotary blade was.) Needles to say I went to the quilt shop the next day and bought a guard for the ruler. She didn't have any problem with coming back and cutting. She has now made three wall hangings and recieved Grand champ on each one each year. I am really proud of her.

I re-use old blades for cutting paper. I save them in the canister they come in (I always try to get blades in bulk and they come in a handy plastic canister). The used blades are great for gift wrapping and trimming down PP patterns. By the time I am done with a rotary blade they aren't dangerously sharp any more.