How to Declutter Without Creating Trash
Last updated March 30, 2019.
Though I forgot to mention this in my review of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Kondo's persistent mentions of the hundreds of bags of trash she's helped her clients throw out...well, it made me a little twitchy.
Throwing all the clutter into a trash bag is quick and easy, but it makes me sad to think of usable items just sitting in the landfill.
I do think speed and ease are key when you're dealing with hoarder-level clutter.
But for normal household decluttering, I'm a big fan of decluttering without creating trash.
And while donating items is better than trashing them, I try not to just mindlessly throw things into a donation bag either.
(I don't want the charity to have to throw my things away!)
Instead, I try to think about the best way to find a home for each of my old things.
Two caveats before I tell you my favorite ways to responsibly declutter:
1. Some things ARE trash
I throw away broken play-doh models and recycle/compost paper scraps, etc. without a second thought.
2. Maybe she meant "donations"?
I read one piece saying the trash thing in Kondo's book might be lost in translation...that she doesn't really mean "trash" but merely means, "bags of things we donated".
Which makes me wonder why the word trash was used so liberally?
I dunno.
Ok! Here are my favorite ways to declutter without creating trash.
Give away on craigslist, Freecycle, OfferUp, etc.
These options are a GREAT way to find a happy home for things you don't need and this is especially true for items that wouldn't sell well at a thrift shop.
One man's trash is truly another man's treasure, and these online options are great ways to find someone who will treasure your stuff.
For instance, I've given away things like hole-y jeans (someone wanted them for crafts!), which thrift stores would have a hard time selling.
Give to friends and family
I can give clothes and toys to Goodwill, of course, but there's no guarantee that they will find a buyer for my stuff. So if I can give things to friends or relatives, I prefer to do that.
For instance, when Sonia no longer wanted her Tinkerbell sleeping bag, my niece was very happy to receive it.
Or if I have a bag of outgrown kids' clothes, I like to give them to my sister, who can take out whatever she wants and then send the rest off to Goodwill.
Donate to thrift stores/charity shops
This is the most obvious way to get rid of stuff, but it's not necessarily my first choice, mainly because thrift stores get SO MUCH STUFF as it is and also because I'm not guaranteed that someone will actually want what I'm donating.
Plus, things you donate to thrift stores really need to be in salable condition, so that's a little bit limiting.
Because of all this, I usually give stuff to thrift stores when I've tried the above two options first.
(Incidentally, if you have a bunch of fashionable clothes that are in good shape, you can ship them off to Schoola, where they will be sold to raise money for whatever school you designate. Or you could try sending them to ThredUp.)
Give to a people or pet shelter
This is a great option when your things have some life left but are not lovely enough to sell.
Recently when I ended up with a bunch of fairly decent men's socks, plus some too-short white undershirts that Mr. FG didn't need any more, I gave them to a men's homeless shelter (I called first to make sure they could use that sort of thing.)
As it turns out, though there's not really a market for used socks and such at Goodwill, the homeless men are happy to have them.
In a similar vein, pet shelters often can make use of old towels and bedding that are too worn for Freecycle or Goodwill.
(Goodwill does participate in textile recycling, but it's better to use items than recycle them.)
Go beyond curbside for recycling
Curbside recycling systems are not equipped for everything. For instance, shoes are difficult to dispose of responsibly.
However, if you have a Nike store in your area, you can drop off your old athletic shoes so they can turn them into new play surfaces.
Also, Terracycle offers some recycling options for unusual items.
Repurpose
When I go through my kids' clothes, there are inevitably some that are just no good for wear anymore.
Those are perfect for refashioning, using for mending, or turning into rags.
(Here's how I turned those holey pants into the ruffly skirt.)
Sell
Because selling things is a bit of a pain, I'm usually more inclined to give things away.
However, if books are the item in question and they're worth $10 or so, I will list them on Amazon or eBay. Books don't seem to sell particularly well at Goodwill, and by selling mine myself, I can match them up with someone who really wants them and earn a few dollars in the process.
If the item is quite valuable or large, I take the time to list it on craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.
For something that's worth less than $50, though, the hassle of making a listing and organizing a pickup is usually not worth it to me.
Give it to a local shop
This has limited application, but occasionally it works. For instance, when I cleared out my laundry room, I discovered a pair of clips for biking shoes that I'd mistakenly bought but had forgotten to return in time.
So, I dropped them off at my little local bike shop, because the owner there can sell or give them to someone who needs them.
This type of thing tends to only work at very small shops, which don't tend to have policies and paperwork and all of that messy stuff. 😉
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So, those are all of my favorite ways to get rid of things, and to finish up, here are two ideas to help avoid trash in the future.
1. Buy Quality in the Future
Whenever I declutter my house and have to consider how to get rid of things, I'm freshly motivated to buy timeless, quality items.
(I often think of that handy-dandy, "Could this be an heirloom someday?" question.)
Cheaply made stuff usually needs to hit the trash after we're done with it, but well-made things still have life in them and can be sold, donated, or given to a friend.
2. Buy Less
Decluttering my house is a good way to figure out what I've bought too much of or what I should avoid buying in the future.
If I find a bunch of expired medicine, I should buy more conservatively next time.
If I find sheets I haven't used in a year, I should remember not to buy a spare set in the future.
If I find books that we only read once, I should remember to check the library instead of buying a book.
I completely agree with you, I normaly throw away only broken things that cannot be used or, as you say, repurposed. When I declutter I first ask to family members, friends or coworkers if they are interested, if not I try to sell what possible or I donate. Usually I donate books to our local library and toys to our local kindergarten.
You can drop magazines off at a local laundromat. Back in the day when I had an apartment without a washer and dryer and used the laundromat, it was always nice to have some magazines to flip through while waiting.
Great idea! I have a foot-high stack of magazines that I've collected from around the house (you know, there's a good article in there, or a recipe that I'll never use). I'll be dropping those off at the Laundromat on my way back from the Goodwill!
The library also takes old magazines. Also we collect magazines and take them to the VA hospital. They are SO appreciative
Most nursing homes and rehab centers appreciate magazines for activities with the residents.
Also hospital waiting rooms could always use magazines.
Yes! My church collects used current magazines for our local hospital.
Great idea. Or the gym.
Before you do that, cut out your name, address, and subscription info. An identify thief could use that info to steal your identity. (Long explanation omitted.)
I have the perfect recycling situation for my magazines---a neighbor with chickens trades me eggs for monthly magazine drop offs to her house!!
I personally like to give to our hospital's local thrift store because it supports our community, and our donation is tax deductible--so it's a win, win in my book 🙂
My knowledge of the Japanese culture is very, very limited. So I don't know if they just don't have thrift shops or why she advocated throwing things out.
I used to do Freecycle but I don't like dealing with the greedy people who responded to my posts. If I have something big enough that I can't sell, I will put it on my curb. I usually get rid of things like that in 5-60 minutes.
I give to a local thrift store whose sales benefit oversees missions. If I have time I'll drive further and donate to a thrift store whose sales benefit the local needy. Either way, I view it as a way to support a mission that I don't have the money to donate to. I try not to give trash or items that won't sell.
I, too, have found that big items placed at the end of the driveway with a "Free" sign go within the day, sometimes within the hour. Just the other day my husband placed a very large, rusty garden cart (the kind you can hook up to your tractor) at the end of the driveway, and it was gone within hours. Although it had a lot of rust, it did not have any holes and was very heavy. It could easily be cleaned up and had a lot of life left in it.
I have been on a tidying kick since hearing of Marie Kondo's book and reading tons of reviews and stories. My library had over 400 people waiting for a copy, so I may never actually read the book itself BUT I have been so inspired by other people's experience and results I wanted to try this approach.
I have always had a hard time letting go of things, particularly items that still have some life in them. Growing up, I usually passed things down to my little sister regardless if she had any use for them; it just helped me feel less guilty about wasting stuff. It has been so helpful on this most recent kick to give myself permission to trash or donate en masse the things I no longer need or love.
To be fair, most of what I've thrown out/recycled really has been garbage that I was just holding on to because I used to feel guilty to get rid of it or because I received it secondhand in the first place and it really has nothing left to give. I have a big bag of books in great condition to donate to the library, I left a few bags of clothes in a donation bin for a local charity, and I took several bottles of expired medication to my pharmacy for disposal, so I'm definitely not advocating for irresponsible abandonment of everything that fails to spark joy.
The biggest thing for me going forward is to focus on quality, not just looking for bargains for whatever someone happens to be giving away. Thanks for the reminder that it's just as good to PREVENT trash as to dispose of it responsibly 🙂
We've donated a lot of old reading material to a local kidney foundation. They are always in need of things like old magazines and books for use by people going through kidney dialysis (they have to sit there for hours during the process). As a kid, I also remember our church collecting magazines for prisons. We don't usually buy magazines, but for those who do, it would be a nice re-use for them.
I know this might be like pulling teeth for some people, but every year or two I have a garage sale. With small children and no younger cousins to hand down to, we end up with not only our own outgrown stuff, but everyone else's in the family! I enjoy having a garage sale to get rid of everything at once. Little kids clothes have always been a great seller. Bonus, I've met so many nice people in the neighboring areas that I otherwise would have never talked to!
Garage sales are awesome. We have friends with kids who say the best way to buy kids' clothes is to go to garage sales and ask how much they want for all the clothes in a particular size. Kids under a couple years old are just going to stain and dirty everything they own so why spend more for new?
Yes! Baby stuff is so plentiful second-hand. It's very common to come across baby clothing with the tags still on. Bigger boy's stuff is harder to come by, though (I guess they tend to be too rough and wear things out). At my last garage sale, my neighbor came by and bought all of my boy's clothes for her nephew. It was summer and I was very pregnant at the time, so it made my day!
YES, putting a plug in for garage sales. I know many people find them too much work (I agree, a lot of work) but we are in a position of being hundreds of miles away from family & in a neighborhood where there are other enthusiastic families willing to do a community garage sale. We all benefit from a joint sale. I have literally had nearly annual sales from when DD was in Kindergarten to this year where she will be graduating from high school & have literally gotten rid of SO MUCH STUFF. Early on there were baby supplies, then toys/books/clothing, then girly stuff & now primarily name brand teen clothes. I also try to declutter the house in general but the focus is on her items. All proceeds are returned to her college fund so it is a win-win, getting her unwanted items out of the house & converting them into cash she can use for her education. Garage sales have been an absolute lifesaver for me!
Thanks Kristen! All good ideas. I love the idea about re-purposing the jeans into a skirt and am going to try this for one of my granddaughters. Although we are pretty good of keeping things decluttered (we usually have a "donate" box going) I am gearing up to do a very thorough spring cleaning/decluttering. Depending on what we are getting rid of, we offer to family/friends, sometimes do a yard sale (or take things to a friend's yard sale!) or donate to a local charity. On occasion for something we don't want to bother with the hassle of transporting (such as a heavy chair) we put it out on the curb with a "free" sign on it...it's usually gone within the hour.
Textile recycling is HUGE! A lot of it goes into the making of paper but polyester can be melted down and extruded into new fiber. While I'm not a fan of polyester (the 70s are long over!) it is nice how they can be recycled.
Anything that's soiled or seriously damaged should be made into rags, of course.
Of course, as you stated, the best thing to do is to Reduce! I'm far from perfect in this regard but I'm trying to seriously reduce the number of items that enter my front door. That might be pretty difficult later this year, but we'll see how that goes. 😉
I forgot about rags! Someone once gave us a box of old clothes that had been sitting in their garage. Pretty much nothing was usable, but I was in need of some cleaning rags so it worked out well. I've also cut up several worn out t-shirts for my son to use for nose/face wipes. He's "sensory sensitive" and would go through so many tissues with every little tear or drip, so this was a great solution for us.
I'm glad you mentioned textile recycling! Our local thrift shop recycles the textiles they receive but do not use, and there are a couple of shops by my parents that use recycled fabric to help support and protect women from slavery (not sure on details).
Yes to textile recycling! I donate to a couple of thrift stores that sell unsold clothing (or clothing not quite good enough to sell) to recyclers that purchase by the pound.
Japan is very big into recycling. When the translation says "throw out," it likely means "put in trash or recycling."
I'd rather see reuse, but recycling is better than landfilling.
That's good to know!
Do they have thrift stores there?
They do indeed! They are called Recycle Shops ( リサイクルショップ )
The Japanese also have a culture of, "If it's not broke, don't fix it," at least in a lot of the older population and thus a niche segment of the people aren't so quick to move on to rebuy things just to have the newest version. Heck, Enka and kayoukyouku (basically music for old people) is still released on cassette because the older people don't want to bother upgrading to CDs or MP3 players.
There is a thrift store near us where the proceeds fund a local food bank. Offer to family first, then if it worth something I might try to sell it. Most items go straight to this thrift store. We also shop there for household items. I like that all of this is helping kids and families near us who are having trouble.
I freecycled a ton of magazines and the person that picked them up took them to the women's jail. They asked me to cut off my name and address off of them which I did. I never thought of the jail before but I guess it better than a landfill. I like the idea of reaching out to shelters. Here at work every year we collect travel size shampoo, soap and other necessities and donate it to one of the local shelter's in DC. There are so many homeless people here.
I do the same thing when I travel. I bring my own toiletries, so I'll grab the hotel-provided mini-toiletries and donate them to a shelter.
These are great ideas! It's neat to know that animal shelters want the old blankets and sheets, even though they are quite far from me. I take heart and put them in separate bags for the thrift stores. More than one secondhand shop in my area recycles clothing/fabric. That's one-stop decluttering! 🙂 I'm also with you and watching what comes into the house as well.
I agree with you about reducing the trash.
That said, I don't have the patience, time and energy to devote to going all around town to different places to give my stuff, so it's one bag and it all goes to the same place, goodwill. Or I recycle, compost and trash if unsusable. Rarely I will sell, but if it's valuable I might try.
On the subject of shoes, our local running store partners with a local charity that gives shoes to homeless people. They accept any kind of shoe, not just running shoes.
Nike's recycling program is great too, but I enjoy feeling like I'm contributing to something a little more local.
Working shoes (construction boots, nonslip tennis shoes, etc.) are all great offers to shelters and related human services organizations. Having the right pair of shoes can really open up options when looking for employment.
There's a shelter in my area that even takes single socks and single shoes! I generally have a pair when I donate, but it's good to know a pair isn't required.
Some municipalities that have textile recycling also take shoes and bags, (handbags, backpacks, etc.), check with them. We have one as part of a local farmer's market.
Hate to sound like Captain Obvious, but one important part of decluttering I have found is to use things up! Like those toiletry samples that seem to find their way into all of our households. Or that lotion you bought that time, and now it's in the back of the bathroom cupboard. Then you can likely recycle the containers.
Yes! I seriously have been using only little hotel shampoo samples for the last *year*. I do not know why or how I collected so many. It has been great to watch that space in my bathroom drawer free up - and not buy more shampoo! (My husband does not understand my glee.)
I'm in total agreement. This past Summer I found a home for everything that was inside my Mom's home; my mom lived having items find good homes, so in her memory that was very important to me. Exhausting and time consuming, but worth it.
I also like the organization Souls4soles. They distribute useable sneakers/shoes/flip flops to areas of the world that are in great need of foot coverings. Even if your footwear is totally beat up and unusable, they will recycle them. In my book it well worth the cost of shipping to get the shoes to them. Also a great idea for a philanthropy project!
I wish we had some kind of fabric recycling in the Phila area. I've given old towels to pet shelters, but what to do with ratty, stained tee shirts and random items?
Here in southeastern Massachusetts, a lot of the schools have recycle bins that are fundraisers for the PTA (paid by weight). They collect clothing, household linens, belts and bags, shoes/boots. I use it for the stuff that is really too far gone to be useful (or when the rag bucket it overflowing!). It's a win win for me, the school and the environment.
I've avoided the cheaply made stuff for years, although some of it manages to slip in somehow. I find I will end up replacing the cheap stuff over and over, thus creating more trash and costing me more money in the long run. I've also spent a few years going through my house to de-clutter, making some progress, but with more to go. Right now I have two large boxes getting ready for a yard sale soon, my third in three years.
One thing I didn't see mentioned was that worn and/or stained natural fiber clothes can be torn up and composted. One would have to remove zippers and buttons, of course, but I often remove buttons anyway, to keep in my button jar for later use or crafts. We use most of our worn clothes for rags, but some that are truly worn out get torn up and tossed into the compost right then. When a cotton or wool cleaning rag is done for, it gets torn and composted as well.
Going through the packed house of elderly relatives after they died taught me a lesson about letting go of things, and using quality cookware inherited from a family member-- it's now over 50 years old -- taught me a lesson about buying quality in the first place. By quality, I don't mean it has to be bought new or be the most expensive; I mean know your facts and look for the best available, wherever you happen to find it.
Oh, and about yard sales. I've had a bad habit of finding something tucked away and thinking, "That's for the yard sale," only to forget where or what it was later. I've started keeping a notebook with item name and location, so as the time for the sale draws near, I can go around collecting the things then, instead of having to pile all of it up someplace for months at a time.
My neighborhood has a monthly Really Really Free Market at the park. This is sort of like a free swap meet. Or like Freecycle, but in person. Anyone can offer any free goods or services and anyone can get free goods or services. It is pretty fantastic, and people there do tend to want things like holey jeans for craft projects that wouldn't sell at Goodwill. It's also a nice way to meet neighbors and build community.
If anyone is interested in starting one, you can check out really really free market dot org for details.
I started a Kids Clothing Swap at my church to help myself and others have a venue for passing along items they no longer needed. We take clothes for adults (despite the name) and kids, toys and "anything else you think another family might use" lay it out nicely on tables and tell everyone to come "shop" the next morning. It's like Freecyle in-person. We donate left-over items to a ministry that works with homeless people at another church so the cycle just keeps going. It's a great option, especially for our area where there are a lot of military families without family around to swap out-grown clothes with.
That's a great idea! I used to run a music school and every year we'd do a "women's clothing exchange" among the teachers & staff. We were pretty low key about it - everybody just brought in their stuff and we set it up in an extra classroom for a week or two. It turned into a bonding thing as well as a clothing thing since we all ended up in there ripping our clothes off, trying things on and asking each other for fashion advice. Some exchanges have a lot of rules, but we just let anybody take whatever they wanted, and at the end we hauled the leftovers to Goodwill. I still have clothes that I got that way! 🙂
Resale stores are big in my area. I just got back from selling gently-used kid's clothing and books and earned $45 for my efforts. Easier than a garage sale and the store knows what will and won't sell.
Another suggestion for used magazines--the hospital I work at requests them--they use them for the reading cart that goes room-to-room for patients. Really, I think most offices with a waiting area would be happy for magazine donations. Our library also has a magazine exchange rack (they want fairly recent subscriptions, not stuff that's been sitting around since the '80s).
Thank you for this list. I can only think of a few things to add...
In my neighborhood, people are fond of leaving a pile of stuff out at the curb with a "free" sign on it. And in general if my goal is simply to get something out of my home and find another person willing to take it, I'll often use this method and post a listing on Craigslist alerting people to the pile - it's soooo much easier than trying to coordinate through FreeCycle! This works well for stuff that's too far gone for the thrift store.
The other thing is to check with your local thrift store to see if they participate in recycling of fabric and/or electronics. I tend to buy clothes used and wear them into the ground - so they're literally rags by the time I'm ready to part with them. But my local Goodwill will take them and give them to an organization that recycles textiles - makes me feel MUCH less guilty about getting rid of them!
I've tried to be super crafty in the past and repurpose my junk. When I've done that I've usually ended holding onto it for too long instead of getting rid of my clutter. Now I go to Goodwill for a drop off at least once a month. If I have higher end items that I think I can consign, I'll try that first, but I usually prefer to donate. We don't have a lot of money to donate to charities and it makes me feel good to donate my used items.
I work as a sorter in a thrift store and I have to say that virtually everything that is not sellable in our store is recycled in some way or another.
That was a very good list. I've found the easiest way for me to declutter is giving it away through a Facebook group. I post it, everyone who wants is says so, I pick someone and they come and get it.
I find when I try to sell things that I usually end up stalling then I don't actually declutter. Looking forward to spring and really giving away some of my "junk".
Yes, that is a downside of selling...you're not guaranteed to get the stuff out of your house right away.
We have a place call SCRAPS in SF. They take everything. I have found, cloth material, envelopes and tiles for free. I purchased tissue paper, bags, greeting cards, and more. Sometimes they just give things away when they don't have space. We used kids art work for wrapping small gifts. Tissue boxes as gift boxes, hiding the gift under some tissue and resealing it. Old calendars to wrap book and gifts. Reuse ribbons for gift and use old cloth (non wearable) pieces to wrap presents.
Hi Kristen! I'm a long-time reader, but first-time commenter. 🙂 I lived in Japan for a few years, and just wanted to chime in with the previous reader who said that recycling is big in Japan, and plastics recycling there is miles ahead of the US. What I also wanted to mention is that thriftiness is also thought of as part of Japanese culture and waste is most definitely frowned upon. My Japanese friends visiting me here in the US became anxious when we ate at restaurants with big serving sizes because they knew they couldn't finish it all and felt guilty leaving anything on the plate. Thrift is also practiced at home; traditionally salmon bones, for instance, are saved from the trash so that the home cook can pick off any meat clinging to the bones. They then cook these little bits of salmon with a few ingredients to turn it into a yummy sort of "sprinkle" that you serve over hot rice.
I haven't read the Kondo book yet, but I'd guess that references to throwing things in the trash carries the original Japanese cultural assumption that anything thrown away is of course sorted appropriately (their household trash recycling can be super complicated, with categories for PET plastics, textiles, paper, aluminum, food waste, etc). Your point suggests that the publisher should include a note about this in the English translation of the book. It could definitely spark an interesting cross-cultural discussion of frugality and consumer waste!
Oh, that's good to hear. And I do wonder why the publisher didn't clarify that in translation.
Also: yay for delurking! Don't be a stranger.
Different Carla here, and also long time reader. I live in North Africa and recently went to our local recycling sorting place (non-profit) and they explained that everywhere in the world, household recycling has to be done by a sorting place EXCEPT for Japan where the culture of recycling is so strong that people will separate the different components of each item (think cover of magazine different paper from inside pages and then also remove the 2 staples) and put them in different "piles", all within their on-average small living spaces. This really impressed me and I wish that the recycling culture (plus refuse-repair before reuse-reduce) went that far elsewhere too!
a good way to get rid of jeans & still use them is to cut them up for shoes.... check out the website Sole Hope. our church did this last fall & we sent over 100 pairs. it was a blessing for us & someone will still benefit.
This is an excellent post. Thank you very much for the inspiring ideas. I usually try to donate or repurpose most of our gently used items and I was able to locate several places in our neighborhood that are in need of donations. Our biggest problem is that - I never thought I would say this - we have too many books in the house. Our library won't take any non-fiction books (my favorite genre) older than three years. However, they do provide an extensive list of places that will happily take books, magazines, and even VHS tapes. Among those were: Senior Citizen Centers, Youth Centers, and local schools.
For some of the books, I decided to look into selling a few of them on half.com. The sale prices are so low and there are so many of the same book already, that I'm wondering if it is really worth the effort of listing. Does anyone have any feedback on that?
I do have a book recommendation that really changed the way the I feel about clutter, trash, etc.: The Zero-Waste Lifestyle by Amy Korst. Very insightful!
Suggestions for how to find quality products? I am willing to spend more for something that will last, but how do you determine which choice is high quality?
Related question, would you rather buy something new with high quality or something second-hand with lower quality?
These are good questions! In fact, I think a post devoted to them might be a good idea. Adding to my drafts queue right now.
With computers, laptops, tablets, and the like, you want to be careful with how you dispose of them. Even if you erase everything off the hard drives it's easy for someone that is savvy in computer forensics to go in and retrieve your data.
Because of this, I recommend always passing the device off to someone you know and trust for their reuse.
If you're going to dispose of it in another manner--be it trash, eBay, whatever--it's definitely in your best interest to remove the hard drive beforehand.
I love reading everyone's ideas. My house is in a desperate need of a good purging. Does anyone know what I can do with old VHS tapes??
Thank You!
Those are super tough! If you're willing to pay a small fee, you can use this site to dispose of them: http://www.greendisk.com/ You can send in up to 30 pounds for a flat fee, so if you have friends and family who have tapes to recycle, get them all together.
https://soles4souls.org is another great way to get rid of unwanted shoes. They send them, even broken ones, to locations in third world countries where entrepreneurs fix them up and sell them.
Thanks for sharing that!
Thanks for this list! I do a combination of hand-me-downs, selling via Craigslist, Facebook yard sale groups & consignment, donating (Goodwill, homeless shelter, animal shelter, library), and garage saling. One thing I did recently was take ALL of my unread books & look them up at my public library; if the library has the book, I put it on my electronic list (not on hold) so I know what to request next time I need a book. Then I cleared my shelves of all of those books that I want to read but I just can't get to, knowing I can still borrow them later! (gave some to friends, sold some at a used book store, donated the rest to the library). Now to keep more books from taking their place!!!
Our local school holds a metal recycling drive which helps us recycle nails, broken electronic items, patio furniture, etc. Pet shelters take more than just towels and sheets, coolers for medicines, slinky's and hula hoops for toys
I was wondering what to do with a bunch of pens I have, I went through them & tested them then dropped them off in jar ready to go x 2, one jar at my bank & one at my post office!
My son's middle school band teacher always needs pens so I did the same thing as you. I'm testing each pen, sharpening the pencils & will deliver a big bag of pens/pencils to her & she will be thrilled!
So I had to click on the link and read your original review...and I have to say, I personally love how she talks to the clothing. I did it when I decluttered, and at first it felt a little weird, but it honestly was an opportunity for me to stop and take responsibility for bringing random stuff into our home. I was able to pause over each item, acknowledge its worth, and give myself permission to let it go. It was very therapeutic. I didn't find it overly helpful with the things that I had used/loved into oblivion, but it was extremely helpful for the clothing that never fit right but I bought anyway, the extra items I had purchased but never used, or the things that just didn't fit into our home...basically, impulse buys or less-than-ideal purchases that I should have never made in the first place.
Another option to give away items to people who truly want them is to join your local Buy Nothing group. It is micro-local groups in which you can ask for or gift items. People also tend to get to know neighbors. The only drawback is that Buy Nothing requires you to be on Facebook.
Some specific charities take new or gently used bras for women in shelters, coming out of prison, etc. As those are SO EXPENSIVE, and can make the shape of a woman look much more polished, they can be a crucial part of getting one's life back together.
Another blogger (sorry I can't find the post!) had a frightening article about clothing, starting with that clothing-design-manufacture-production is the second greatest polluter in the world, after the oil industry. The amount of fabric that is recycled is only a tiny tiny amount of what is trashed.
I was literally JUST wondering this morning about what to do with some gently used bras I no longer need! I'll go google to see if I can find something in my area.
Women’s shelters are in dire need of gently used bras.
I have heard of an organization called Free the Girls that takes gently-used bras. They help survivors of sex-trafficking get set up in business selling the bras.
Saw this on another blog about ways to recycle clothing.
https://www.brarecycling.com/
From everything I have read the textile industry needs a great deal of reforming, from environmental impact to the human impact (poor working conditions/wages etc.). I've been trying to recylce all fabric that we no longer use instead of trashing it. I love fabric (quilting, mostly), and it pains me to see how costly my habit is 🙁
I struggle with decluttering- I come from a family that saved everything (and I mean EVERYTHING. We cleaned out my parents basement several years ago and I found all of my school papers, 1-2 boxes from each grade. Oof!), so decluttering is something I've had to learn on my own. It's hard for me to both decide at the same time that I want to get rid of something, AND figure out what to do with it. My thoughts are like: I don't want this, but I don't know what to do with it. I guess I'll keep it for now. Fail.
So when I declutter, I go through items and it's 2 piles- keep, get rid of. The keep things get put away, get rid of goes in a box. On a different day, I tackle the box of things in the 'get rid of' pile and figure out what to do with them- recycle, Goodwill, donate to used book store for store credit, etc.
This process takes longer than just don't everything at once, but since I don't have the decision making capacity for that, it works well for me 🙂
I know a thrift store that use to put clothing with holes, missing buttons, paint stains, etc in a free box. People could take as much as they wanted out of it. The store had to stop the practice because too many people started stealing items by taking them off the hangers and putting them in the box to claim as free. It is sad but people do steal from thrift stores too and this store eventually had to put up security cameras to help deter theft, with one of the major stolen items being the shoes! Now the store recycles the clothing items it can't sell by teaming up with a few local churches that also collect clothing and shipping by the tractor trailer load the items to a very low income area. There volunteers either repair the clothing or use the fabric to make new items to distribute for free to people in the community. So I would suggest checking with your local thrift stores about what they do with clothing they don't sell and also check with local churches about clothing drives.
Goodwill stores vary by region. Several years back it came out about how much the president of a regional goodwill store paid himself and this caused a huge backlash with people choosing to donate elsewhere. If you want to donate and make sure the money is going to a good cause, then check into the background of the store. Like everything else some are better than others. Likewise if you want to make sure your goods are going to people who really need it, then a thrift store is not always a guarantee of that. Your items could end up making the store a little bit, a flipper a lot more, and taking the item out of reach of the person that was in real need. Just something to keep in mind if you care about such things.
Also check local nursing homes for items that the residents need. Some will take clothing, magazines, movies, and even music on older media types. Some residents might even need furniture items, since some places require residents to furnish their own rooms. At holiday times, I know some places appreciate decoration donations.
The business model of some (many?) thrift stores - such as Goodwill - is to make money by selling what we give them, then using ~that~ money to help the poor. In other words, your donated shirt isn't intended to clothe the homeless man, it's the profit from the sale of that shirt that will help the homeless man get job skills.
If you want that shirt to clothe a homeless man, then donating to a thrift shop is usually the wrong option.
The business model of several thrift stores is to provide a place for low income people to shop and any subsequent profit goes to a worthy cause. I know several that were opened solely for this reason (stated clearly in the mission statement) as there is a need in many places for cheaper goods. A lot of people believe all thrift stores are there just to make a profit to fund some cause but that isn't correct. Some can barely cover expenses even with donated space and volunteers but keep running because providing the goods in the store is the top priority. Some other types of thrift stores are there purely for profit for whatever cause and some of those have well paid staff and management. There are many causes supported and not all are aimed at helping the poor. There's ones to fund animal support groups, support Alzheimer's research, provide senior meals, religious outreach, and the list goes on and on.
If you really want your actual goods to go to the homeless, then donating directly to the homeless person, a homeless shelter, or a church with a homeless outreach program would be more likely to obtain your goal. Although many of those organizations prefer cash donations to buy what is needed most and not have the overhead of sorting through and storing donations. In the thrift store setting, I know some would bend over backwards to help someone homeless if they know about it. I've seen a cart load of clothes given to a woman who had no school clothes for her kids after she confided to the manager her situation. You just have to know what type store you are dealing with.
Important points here about understanding what and who you are supporting!
I don't think anyone has directly mentioned the business model of helping people who are somehow disadvantaged have and hold jobs at the stores.
When my husband died, I received a TON of flowers in vases. Our local florist collects extra vases and uses them in arrangements she donates to hospitals and charity events.
That's so great, because who needs more than a vase or two? Not most people!
There are groups that recycle the flowers/plants too! Volunteers collect vases and mugs and fill with flowers donated from florists, weddings, funeral homes, individuals, etc. They create new arrangements and deliver to a variety of places like hospitals, hospice centers, nursing homes, home bound seniors, etc. Some of these places return the vases to start the cycle over again! Nextdoor is a good place to ask your neighbors about programs in your area, as well as checking with local florists.
Art and craft supplies are welcomed at the Senior Center in my community.
At work, anything left on the break room table is up for grabs. We also have a book exchange shelf. I wouldn't bring in a garage sale's worth of stuff but a few things here and there have found new homes among my coworkers. Also, we have "white elephant" sales once or twice a year where people donate their things and there is a silent auction for them. The money raised goes to support holiday/summer events. I work for the government so there is no budget for parties.
This was an excellent post (as usual!) I have one tiny misgiving, though - the idea that we should give our stuff that is not good enough for Goodwill to organizations that serve the homeless. The way I figure, if I am going to try to serve the least of my brothers and sisters...maybe I should up the ante and donate new and/or excellent quality items. Do they deserve any less?
I think that's a great idea too! If you've got the means to do so, adding some new items in with your used ones would be very thoughtful.
But it's also good to know that homeless shelters can also use things like gently worn, outgrown bras so that we don't need to throw them out when they no longer serve us. Because try as we might to avoid it, we will all end up with some things like that at some point and we'd rather not have them end up in the landfill. 🙂
Point well taken!
You make a good point about medicines, but I find I can't use up most OTC medications before expiration, even the smallest containers. I have started sharing things like that with my daughter. We share spices, too. Anything with a short shelf life. But I agree - BRING IN LESS.
That's a smart way to work around that problem! Sharing is an excellent solution.
Excellent post; with the school holidays starting soon in the UK; it’s time for my end of term decluttering. I hope to take a day off work on Friday for a good clear out and to list or donate! Thank you for the inspiration.
All great suggestions and I'm all for extending the life of things but let's not kid ourselves, at some point, everything is trash. 😉 Passing on just means someone else will eventually throw it away.
That's true, and when something is actually trash, I think it's fine to get rid of it. It's just that when something DOES have useful life left in it, I like to help make sure that life is used.
I've been walking for exercise for a little over a year and have found three Little Free Libraries within walking distance. I've been decluttering books and put one or two in my backpack when I am planning to walk that direction. Naturally, I pick some up too! It always makes me happy when I see that one of the books I placed is gone!
So something to think about when giving items away on Freecycle/Craigslist...there are often hoarders who religiously check those sites. When I’d post stuff, I’d realize that I would routinely get the same crop of people. Just something to consider when going this route.
Refugee services are a GREAT option. These families come with nothing and are in great need a shelter are women’s shelters.
Decluttering is soothing.
I loved the Marie Kondo TV shows. Yet, I was not going to dump all my clothes on my bed and make a ton of work for myself, ever. So I totally agreed with that twitchy feeling.
What I did take away was the concept of sparking joy, with my underwear being a notable exception. My underwear does not spark joy but it is a necessary garment(s) for me to walk around in public. I liked the decision process of asking myself the questions, "Does this possession has a place in my future?". I loved saying thank you to a possession that served or did not server me well. I also employed the technique of boxing or containing similar items of similar size together.
I keep a donate bag for my church rummage sale. I have a bag to give towels and bedding to an animal shelter. I put large items out for curb mart and watch it disappear. The drink museum of partially used water bottles of a certain age, get used to in my laundry routine or to water the house plant. I am saving wide mouth jelly jars to use for my XMAS cookie exchange containers. I try to look at an item from two perspectives: the original use and as a raw material.
Wanted to add Dress For Success to the list of places you can give clothing to. They do have some guidelines on what they will accept, but it's worth it. I gave them a few suits and office dresses that were too big for me but still in great shape and in style. I hope it helped some woman feel confident during her interviews.
Fabrics scraps can be used to make potholders, coasters, throw pillows, and rugs. Plenty of online tutorials.
Thank you so much for this post. I found a lot of helpful strategies for recycling my possessions from both your post and the comments. This is a cause that I feel very strongly about.
One of my favorite charities is the Salvation Army. I also give to Goodwill, Freecycle, and Purple Heart. Habitat for Humanity Re-Store is another good option - - - I have donated furniture to them in the past, but they accept all kinds of things. "Habitat ReStores are home improvement stores that accept small and large donations of new or gently used furniture, appliances, housewares, building materials and more." https://www.habitat.org/restores/donate-goods
Great post Kristen!
I struggled with decluttering for so many years because my family was not wealthy & if we spent good money on it I felt the need to get the most out of it, as well as sentimentality. I don't aim to be a minimalist but I am so grateful to have been able to develop over time an increasing ability to part with stuff I just don't need.
Many years ago I found out charities in Australia spend huge amounts of money disposing of "donations" that are really only good for landfill and I was horrified - it made me really consider my donations in a new light especially as a person who was raised and trained to "make do"-if I want to donate something now I look at it really objectively and decide "would I pay good money for this today?" and if the answer is no it goes to recycling or if I have to landfill.
Lots of great ideas from people I would just add:
1. I really struggled to part with high quality clothes I never wear (felt guilty spending the money) until I discovered donating to a women's shelter - it brought so much joy to think someone who really needed it was getting something really nice.
2. Donate old doonas/blankets to animal shelters
3. Many mechanics could use rags or ripped/holey material/linen to soak up grease etc
4. Part of my decluttering journey has been surprising to me in that now I buy much less than I used to and really think about a purchase eg will I REALLY want this long term?
5. Our area has lots of recycle options including e-waste eg even old appliances are collected
6. I shred confidential papers and add to compost
7. In Australia we have "men's shed" which are small community groups for men to get together & make stuff; for their own enjoyment, socialising, and well-being - if you are in Aus you could donate shed stuff/wood etc to them
I use a rotary cutter to shred well-worn natural fiber textiles that have been washed many times and don’t have much left in the way of dyes (think natural cottons, wools, linen, silk, hemp, and other non-synthetic fibers), and sprinkle the bits in the compost piles.
I’m hesitant to add papers to the compost, as the chems in the binders, finishes, and inks show up in the earthworm castings, per a couple of articles I read years ago.
I don't have a problem with throwing away trash (or recycling). BUT I struggle with throwing away something (or donating something) I know nobody will want to wear. However, we have so many clothes too worn out for others, so I set the clothes aside "to do something with". And the piles keep growing.
For those of us who really could use/need extra money, there is money to be made on such things. I have sold denim belt loops. I plan on selling more plus the other parts of worn out jeans. I let my daughter have free rein with those piles of things; she's enjoyed making beds, blankets, and sleeping bags for her Calico Critters-- plus a little rag doll.
Other trash I've sold: toilet paper tubes, paper towel tubes, empty medicine bottles, heavy-duty cardboard tubes, altoid tins, cardboard baskets from berries, empty ammunition casings and hulls, and egg cartons. I've also noticed people selling clothing I would put in the "in-good-condition-but-nobody-would-ever-want-it" pile. Shocking.
Don't forget your local abused women's shelter. They literally leave with the clothes on their backs. Many times they have a child. I have brought all of our kids clothes and toys that friends and family don't want. They are so happy to receive them. They also take stuffed animals which I know most places don'r want.
So important! Books and magazines might also be welcome there, and good bedding and towels, and school supplies.
People have mentioned motel soaps and such: Those might be used at the shelters and some food banks will distribute them. The family shelter in my town has a list of things they need for when the families move out on their own, as they receive a laundry basket full of cleaning supplies, toiletries, personal products, paper products, linens.
For clothing, another idea is contact a women's prison and see if they offer clothing for inmates being released. ( or places like Elizabeth Frye Society, I'm Free, are two examples that offer clothing in the community). Many of the women that are leaving have only the clothing they wore in, and flip flops don't work in the winter! If you have children's snow gear, call a local school. Many children do not have proper clothing for winter. If you're crafty, make hats and mitts out of old sweaters and donate them to a shelter, school, food bank, church. Old rags braided make a great mat that could be donated to your local animal shelter.
I know you can donate cardboard and pallets on BoxGiver