“Green” is the New Black!

I want you to remember that old saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” when you start cleaning out the clutter. Most of the clutter isn’t trash, but now you have stacks of items in bags and boxes just waiting to find a new home.  Here are some resources to help you decide what to do with those items.  Just remember to check with the center’s acceptance list, so you don’t waste a trip taking something they won’t take off your hands. 

Donating

​There are numerous local places to take your donations for easy drop offs, some that will even pick up.  The following places take a variety of items including, clothes, house hold items and toys.
            Goodwill
            The Salvation Army
            Purple Heart (pick-up)
            Habitat ReStore
            American Council for the Blind
            Freecycle (on-line local donating)

Here is a list of some specific items and places to donate them. A simple Google search will let you know any of the requirements, restrictions and locations for each place…
            Bicycles- Dreambikes, Milwaukee Bicycle Collective
            Books- Milwaukee Area Books 4 Cause, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee, Medical                              College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Libraries without borders,                Books for Soldiers, Better World Books, Next Door-Books for Kids
            Building Material- Habitat ReStore, Community Warehouse, HomeSource
            CDs- Musicians on call
            Clothing- Milwaukee Rescue Mission, Diva/Divo, Local clothing banks
            DVDs- Kid Flicks, DVDs4Vets
            Electronics- Milwaukee PC, Independence First, Legacy Recycling
            General items- Donation Town, HomelessShelterDirectory.org
            Toys- Doctor’s offices, Daycares, Police or Fire Departments

Selling

​If you are looking to cash out on some of your items, besides having a rummage sale, there are numerous on-line sites to choose from.  You can also take the consignment route and get money when your items sell.
            Craigslist (on-line selling)
            eBay (on-line selling)
            Clothes Mentor (Brookfield-cash for designer clothing)
            Plato’s Closet (Greenfield and Brookfield cash for teen and young adult clothes)
            ½ Price Books (cash for your books and DVDs)
            www.swap.com  (on-line consignment)
 

When I was doing the research to compile this list I found that many stores are getting with the program and recycling items. Most have a recycling station near the front of the store. They will recycle items including cell phones, ink cartridges, batteries, mp3 players, plastic bags and more.
So next time you are in your favorite store, see what they can help you recycle, or ask them to start recycling.
 
Some of the stores that have Recycling Centers include:
            Advance Auto Parts
            Autozone
            Best Buy
            Home Depot
            Lens Crafters  
            Lowe’s
            O’Reilly Auto Parts      
            Radioshack
            Target 
            Verison
            Whole Foods

Disposal

For disposing of the remaining items, you can easily take them to your local city Self-Help Center or schedule an extra pickup of your trash.  There are also sites that will help you locate a center for your specific items.
 
            www.earth911.com
            www.greenergadgets.org
            www.thestuffstop.com
 
I even have an App on my Iphone called IRecycle that lets me look up a ton of items and find where I can recycle or dispose of them.
 
So now you are on the right track to getting rid of your clutter responsibly. Just remember all your clutter isn’t trash, do don’t just send it out with the garbage.

Wishing you an Uncluttered Life!
 
Rhonda Burger is a Professional Organizer, and owner of Help Me Rhonda Unlimited.
She is a Member of Preferred Organizers. Rhonda can be reached at 414-483-6385.

©Rhonda Burger 2016