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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

How to dispose of belongings in a Green Way

So have you decided to join my challenge? Are you reducing your belongings by 20%. Now it is time to talk about how we dispose of those belongings in a green way.

 What exactly does that mean?

It does not mean throwing it all away in the trash.

So you have an assortment of things to leave your house. What are you going to do now?

Let's go back to Bob the Builder.

REDUCE                   REUSE                 RECYCLE



REDUCE     

 We are working on reducing by buying consciously. By really focusing on "do we need  this?"; "will it make my life better, easier?"

REUSE

Since I am trying to get things OUT of my house, at this point in time I am NOT focusing on the REUSE portion, at least personally. However at times that REUSE is simply passing an item on to someone else in the family.  Reusing our items is a frequent occurrence at our house. Often my kids are just as excited by the box that came as they are the contents of the box brought by our friendly UPS man. Ask yourself "How can I reuse this object?" Sheets can be re purposed many ways, they make great tablecloths, curtains, drop clothes while painting, or curtain.  You can use a sheet to recover a chair or build a tent for the kids. Try looking at things from a new point of view. Some of my favorite bud vases are Mason jars or ordinary jars that have not quite made it to the recycle bin yet.

RECYCLE

Okay, you are following along with my 20% less challenge. You have a carload of things to recycle. BUT WAIT. What is the best way to recycle all this stuff? One of my favorites is to donate to a worthy cause. Two of my favorites don't sell the items but rather give them out to clients. I like to look for a woman's shelter or an organization that helps people get back on their feet.  Our local Catholic Charities helps people with clothes, toys for Christmas, furniture as well as food. I realize that this is probably one of the easier ways to recycle your belongings. Okay so what do you do if you have cleaned out Grandpa's barn, or the just your storage shed in the back yard? Some cities, will have collection days where they will take anything including batteries, and paint. Some cities will even come pick up the big stuff at your house.  Check with your local cities on this one.

What are some of the more creative ways you have reduced, reused or recycled your belongings?


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