What to do with Old Clothes, Shoes, Electronics and More

Whenever you are cleaning up and trying to get rid of stuff you don't want, the first solution you may think of is to just put it in the garbage.  This may seem like the easiest thing to do, but usually there is a better option.  Recycling is becoming easier these days and most things can be recycled rather than thrown in the garbage.  Here we will go over some of the options for getting rid of things you do not want by ways such as donation and recycling.

Clothes and Shoes - Unwanted clothes and shoes are easy to donate if they are still in good condition.  Most local thrift stores will accept them.  Examples include Good Will and Salvation Army.  Often there are also convenient collection bins set up around town for drop offs of old clothing. For items like these that are in poor condition, you can still donate them to organizations such as USAgain which recycles them and has many drop off locations.

Electronics - In the fast changing tech industry, electronics such as tvs, computers, and cell phones seem to get outdated faster than any other category.  If your device is still fairly new, you may be able to sell it on sites such as eBay or trade it in at Best Buy, but if it is older, you may want to donate it to a thrift store, or recycle it at an electronics store such as Best Buy which will accept most electronics for recycling at no charge.

Light Bulbs and Batteries -  Many local hardware stores and Public Works departments accept the CFL bulbs and batteries that should not be disposed of in the trash.  You can find your nearest drop off center with recycling websites such as Earth911.

Furniture and Large Items -  Often these items can be donated but they can be hard to transport.  In situations like this, you may want to have someone pick them up by posting about them on a website like Craigslist which has a Free section where you can post about items to give away.

Recycling Events - Keep an eye on village news for local recycling events such as paper shredding days and specific dates to drop off specialized items such as tires or hazardous materials. Events are usually found on the calendars on the local community websites.

They say one person's trash is another person's treasure so before you are going to throw something out, make sure to consider the donation and recycling options above because in most cases there is someone else who would be glad to have it! 

Recycling Needs to be Easier

A while back one of my CFL light bulbs went out. I know you are not supposed to throw them in the garbage so I started looking for options to recycle it. I found a couple places including a local light bulb and battery store that offered recycling services. So I held on to the light bulb until I would finally be in that area to drop it off. 

A few weeks later I was going to be in that area so I brought the light bulb as well as a battery to recycle. I go in and tell the person working there that I have the bulb and battery to recycle. He tells me that there is a charge to recycle the light bulb. Seriously? I just held on to this thing for several weeks and made the trip over here just to try to do the right thing for the environment and they are going to charge to recycle a lightbulb?  Who is going to do that?

I sure was not, so I decided to hold on to the bulb. I gave them the battery which they accepted for free. As the title above says, recycling need to be easier. It it also needs to be free in cases like this. Most people would rather throw a light bulb in the garbage than have to drive somewhere and pay some one to recycle it. 

Recycling electronics is not always easy either. You really have to do your research to find a place that will recycle certain electronics. A lot of times communities will have recycle days for free, but they are often only a few times a year. Some big stores will recycle electronics but they will often charge a fee. People want to do the right thing that is best for the environment, but with examples like this, it is not very motivating to recycle.

If you have any thoughts on this issue or suggestions for places that recycle, feel free to share them in the comments below. 

UPDATE 5-24-21:

Recently I replaced the lithium ion battery on my cell phone so I wanted to make sure I did the right thing with the old battery. After doing dome research I found a few places that supposedly accepted them. First I tried Best Buy. I went in but they told me they do not accept this kind of battery for recycling.

Then I tried Home Depot because again the information online said they accepted this kind of battery. I went in but they told me they only accept batteries from power tool.

I looked up on the Apple website and they mentioned about recycling so I thought I would swing by there, but upon showing up, there was a line way out the door so I was not going to wait in a line like that just to possibly recycle a battery. 

Finally I called up Batteries Plus and asked them about it. They said they would accept it but they would charge a fee if it was damaged. My battery was in good condition so I brought it over to them and thankfully they accepted it free of charge. 

Again it brings my back to my point of how recycling needs to be easier. I went to 4 different stores just to recycle a little cell phone battery. Realistically that is not worth it, but I am the kind of person that wants to do the right thing in cases like this. But I could see how most people would not make this kind of effort and instead just throw it in the garbage. Think about how many people have cell phones and are replacing old ones each year. Then think about how many of those old batteries are going in the trash because it is too hard to recycle them. This is why changes need to be made so it is easier for people to recycle.