What to Do When it's Not Really Trash and Too Good to Throw Away

When we try to declutter our homes, we find things we can’t bear to throw away. Instead of adding to landfills, recycle junk instead.

There’s nothing more refreshing than a clean, tidy home, but clutter has a way of building up over the years regardless of how hard we try to keep things organized. You’ll feel much better after cleaning your property from top to bottom, but you’re bound to find items that deserve better than the trash bin. By salvaging as much as possible, you can make money, give to charity, and help the environment, and the less stuff that gets thrown into landfills, the better.

People are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental struggles we face, and landfills in the USA are a big part of the problem. The EPA has reported that landfills are the third-largest source of human-made methane in the United States, and methane is more damaging to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Despite some progress in waste management, our growing population means more and more waste gets thrown into landfills every year.

Now is a good time to start thinking of other ways to dispose of your old junk. Besides, stuff that’s no good for you anymore might be useful to somebody else. Below, we’ll detail the best ways to salvage old items, reduce our dependence on landfills and help the environment.

How to Get Rid of Your Stuff

It is possible to stop using landfills – countries including Germany and Denmark are practically already there. Here’s how you can get rid of junk responsibly without throwing things in the trash.

Recycle

There are now more ways than ever to recycle old stuff, from plastics and paper to electronics and food. Here are five easy ways to recycle old belongings.

1. Take old phones and electronics back to the manufacturer or a junk removal company for recycling.
2. Keep recyclable waste in separate bins and deposit it at a recycling bank.
3. Reuse plastic bags when you go shopping for groceries.
4. Take or send old batteries to an authorized recycling center.
5. Turn biodegradable food waste into compost.

Most states make it easy for people to recycle old goods, and the more people recycle, the less junk gets thrown into landfills.

Donate

When spring cleaning, it’s important to remain strict and throw out anything you no longer use. However, rather than trash functional goods, you can donate them to others who need them. There are plenty of charity shops in almost every town across the nation, and though it can be hard to say goodbye to belongings with sentimental value, you can feel happy knowing somebody else will benefit as a result.

If you live in a remote area far away from high street charity shops, you might be able to find companies that retrieve items from your home, especially larger items such as sofas and bedroom furniture. Alternatively, contact your friends and family to check whether they could use your old junk and have them collect it.

Have a Yard Sale

If you have plenty of items that you don’t want to trash, you might consider holding a yard sale to make a small profit. Everybody loves a bargain, and you’ll probably shift more stuff than you might expect in the space of a day or two. You’ll make some cash, your neighbors will get great deals, and less trash will go in the landfill.

Get Rid of Old Junk the Easy Way

If you don’t have the energy to hold a yard sale or a convenient way to recycle your old junk, we can collect your waste and dispose of it responsibly for you. At Junk Kings, we collect your trash, arrange it at our warehouse and salvage as much as possible. In fact, we recycle or salvage up to 60 percent of all the junk we collect. Contact us today on 888 888 JUNK for more information.