This post relates to my “Busy Sunday” post on Sunday, September 24 about having too much stuff. That Sunday, I recall, my husband was organizing our garage and I was in the process of throwing things away. I probably should have followed up after that post with this one, but as in life, my mind tends to wander and follows an interesting path that takes me from point A to point D and then back to B.
This past weekend I was faced with rainy weather which squelched my plans to work in the yard. I was left with an afternoon of being inside. That prompted me think of “what can I do?”, which prompted me to think about the basement of our house I guess because I don’t go down there too much and I neglect it often. So, on this very rainy Sunday, I had the time to devote to something and I decided – the basement it is. I have always wanted out from under all the junk that disappears down there.
As I stared at all the items in the basement that have been there for years, sentenced to the remainder of their lives without use, I made a list of what I needed to get rid of: Stuffed animals, old running shoes, used soccer equipment, boxes of greeting cards, electronics, paint, books, DVDs, and receipts. After compiling this list, I dashed upstairs, turned on my computer, sent a few texts, and between Google and my iPhone, I was able to compile a list of recycling options for all of these items. Most of my recycling efforts are local, but you can find a similar result with a search in your area, I’m certain. I tried to find recycling centers that are drop off so there is no postage involved. On with the list:
Stuffed Animals:
I hope you can find one of these SAFE (Stuffed Animals for Emergencies Incorporated) Chapters in your area. Operating in over 20 states, Chapters is an organization that offers a safe haven and support services to abused or troubled women and their children. Donated stuffed animals benefit kids from these families who are faced with frightening situations and need comforting. Go online to find a SAFE Chapter near you. The website also offers guidelines on how to clean stuffed animals.
Old Running Shoes:
Nike’s slogan for reUse A Shoe is “WORN OUT. PLAY ON.” What a fabulous slogan for an extremely well thought out recycling program. Visit their site to find a drop off location near you – 28,000,000 shoes have been collected since 1990.
reUse A Shoe
Gently Used Soccer Equipment:
I have used this organization in the past, and the donation made me feel really good, although there is some postage involved. My youngest daughter played soccer from elementary school to high school and we had several good soccer balls, shoes, shin guards, bags and other items to donate to someone who really needs them. Check out GOALS/Haiti – an organization that works with kids and communities in Haiti to improve their quality of life and empower them to make long-term changes. You can organize a soccer donation drive within your community or make an individual donation. This is a very worthy cause. The shipping label is downloadable.
Greeting Cards:
For years, my parents sent me boxes of greeting cards. My mother gave generously to many organizations and as a thank you, her charity of choice sent her greeting cards as a thank you. I used as many cards as I could over the years, but I still had leftovers. My co-worker told me about a new and used greeting card recycling program through St. Jude’s Ranch for Children (a residential facility for abused, abandoned and neglected children) This facility offers a program to teach entrepreneurship skills to children, having them participate in making new greeting cards by removing the front and attaching a new back. I shipped off about 3 boxes this week to them. Read the fine print though, cards by Hallmark, Disney or American Greeting are not accepted.
Electronics:
Electronic recycling centers and drop off locations are readily available if you search for them.
Living in Lake County, Illinois, I use SWALCO (Solid Waste Agency of Lake County). SWALCO offers recycling programs as well as recycling drop off facilities. Over the years, I have dropped off old cell phones, as well as old TV’s, computers and even a few slide carousels.
Paint:
There are many paint recycling centers throughout the country. SWALCO, (see above) in Lake County, Illinois has paint collection events, where they accept Latex paint. ACE Hardware also accepts latex paint, but charges a $2.50 fee per gallon. If you are wondering if that $2.50 is a tax deduction, Earth 911.com is a great website to find out about tax deductible recycling donations.
Books:
There are many book collection events throughout the country, but the best place to drop off books is your local library. Our local library accepts used paperbacks and hard cover books. Also – try your commuter rail system. Metra, in Chicago, has book shelves at many of its covered stops and you can drop off books and grab a new one to read as you train it.
Home Movies
This isn’t a recycling issue as much as a space issue. We have dozens of VHS home movie tapes that fill an entire bookshelf in the basement, and since we no longer have a VHS player, we have no way to watch them. While you can by a VHS video converter, I didn’t want to purchase yet another piece of electronics that I would have to learn and use for a limited time only. I found iMemories, a video transfer service that converts VHS to DVD and allows online video sharing. I went to their site, downloaded the shipping label, sent the media, and viola! – the movies are digitized and ready for viewing. iMemories does ship your original media back to you to dispose of how you wish. Note – iMemories might not be the least expensive option but I found it easy, convenient and worth my time.
Receipts
Here is another item that has become a space issue. Over the years, I have filled many shoeboxes with receipts and documents. Many of the items I threw away, and the remainder I decided to digitize, similar to my VHS tapes. I downloaded the Shoeboxed app and I plan on joining the 500,000+ people worldwide using Shoeboxed to streamline accounting and bookkeeping. It is a fast way to turn a pile of receipts into digital data to save you time, money and hassle.
I hope some of these suggestions help you. The items we possess become a labyrinth of baggage that we sometimes lose our way or find it difficult to get to the exit – the end to junk!
Life Experiences Add Up 