How to Safely Dispose of Household Items

By theadmin

If you’re in the process of spring-cleaning, pause before you start dumping unwanted items in the trash.

Keep in mind that not all methods of discarding are created equal. In fact, you might be surprised to find how few of those items actually belong in your garbage can. Take a look:

Clothes

The Council for Textile Recycling says the average American throws away 70 pounds of clothing every year. (Imagine a stack of about 190 T-shirts.) Consider these more sustainable solutions:

Sell: If your clothes are in good condition, you may be able to make some extra pocket change if you sell them through consignment stores or on eBay.
Donate: Your clothes will be put to good use at your local Goodwill or Salvation Army. You can also check to see if a local women’s shelter needs clothing donations.
Recycle: Check out stores’ policies on donating used clothing. Stores including Puma, The North Face, and H&M offer discounts in exchange for bags of worn clothing. Some retailers, such as Patagonia, hold sale events specifically for recycled clothing.

Electronics

In an era where we’re switching out electronic equipment with breathtaking speed, it’s important to know what to do with old electronics, because they don’t belong in landfills. Here’s what to do instead:

City drop-offs: Many cities have monthly drop-offs or electronics collection events.
Retailer drop-offs: Some electronics retailers, including Best Buy and Staples, offer in-store drop-off programs.
Never throw away: Batteries, cellphones, VCRs, DVD players, computers, fax machines. (This is a helpful guide to recycling.)

Cleaning Products

Open the cabinet under the sink and you just might find so many household cleaners that you have to, well, clean them out. Here’s how:

Donate: If the product is more than half full, check with local women’s shelters, homeless shelters, and animal rescue organizations to see if they could use the products.
Check disposal guidelines: Not everything can be poured down the drain. Properly dispose of the cleaner and then thoroughly rinse the container. Look for a code on the bottom to see if it’s accepted by your community recycling program, and recycle or throw away accordingly.
Ask your local government: They often have household waste collection guidelines. For instance, aerosol cans with product in them are potentially dangerous, and should not be tossed in the trash. The more you know, the safer you’ll keep your home.

Find out how you can turn decluttering your home into a good deed.