Have Things To Get Rid Of?
Here's How To Dispose Of, Recycle & Donate Old Stuff
Minimalism is all about having only what you need and use – this includes discarding and avoiding excess stuff. That said, landfills are fuller than ever. Not only does throwing items away pollute the planet, but it also eliminates the chance to reuse or recycle these items as well. Most of us have things to get rid of, but know only one way to do so – the garbage. We’ve put together this guide to help people recycle, donate and dispose of old stuff in a more environmentally-conscious way!
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How To Get Rid Of Old TVs
Americans buy TVs at a shocking rate. TV technology changes fast, which leads to new models, features, etc. Combine this with the many brands and retailers in the marketplace, and it’s easy to see why there were 214 million TVs sold worldwide in 2019 (via Statista). Hey, at least that’s a ~7% reduction since 2016! Whether people are looking to cut down on the amount of TV they watch or just get rid of extra TVs in their home, it’s no surprise that old TVs are one of the most common things to get rid of.
If you need to get rid of old TVs in your house, here are a few ways to do so!
Old TV Disposal
1-800 GOT JUNK is an all-in-one disposal service that’s extremely convenient for nearly all residential disposal needs. As such, we will make reference to them throughout this entire article. They provide free removal cost estimates and are committed to either donating or recycling whatever they can, and pledge to responsibly dispose of whatever they can’t. If you get rid of old TVs using 1-800 GOT JUNK, they pledge to recycle it for you.
Where Can I Recycle A TV?
If you’re wondering where to recycle a TV locally, check out e-Stewards. Simply enter your location to find the nearest electronics recycling center near you! You can also learn about where your electronics go and some ways to reduce your own carbon footprint!
Many big-name electronics manufacturers and retailers offer recycling services for old electronic devices like TVs, computers, mobile devices and printers. Check out Epa.gov’s website to see which brands offer this service and whether or not your TV’s brand is listed.
Donate Your TV
Human-I-T is an organization that takes old electronics, refurbishes them and provides them to those in need – free of charge. If you’re looking to donate you old TV, computer or a variety of other electronics, they’ll recycle yours for free. You can drop off your device or ship it to them – they’ll even pay for shipping. Your computers and other similar devices will be completely wiped to protect your information and you’ll receive a tax-deductible receipt for your donation.
Dispose Of Old Computers & Related Accessories
The computer is now one of the most common devices sold worldwide. Much like TVs, computers – including PCs and laptops – are ever-evolving. According to World-o-Meter, over 114 million computers have been sold in 2020 so far! As they get replaced, both individuals and businesses rack up a lot of old electronics. Computers, monitors, keyboards, printers, mice and other electronic accessories get disposed as ‘e-waste’. According to The Balance, only about 20% of all e-waste is actually recycled, the total of which is millions & millions of tons annually. As one can imagine based on this quantity, computers are at the top of most peoples ‘things to get rid of’ list.
Here are some ways to dispose of old computers & related accessories without doing harm to the environment.
Dispose Of Old Computers, Laptops, Etc.
As stated previously, 1-800 GOT JUNK is an all-in-one disposal service that’s extremely convenient for nearly all residential disposal needs. They provide free removal cost estimates and are committed to either donating or recycling whatever they can, and pledge to responsibly dispose of whatever they can’t. As they state on their site, they recycle all sensitive items like TV, computers and similar items.
If you get rid of old computers, laptops, servers, monitors, displays, workstation and similar items using 1-800 GOT JUNK, they pledge to recycle it for you.
Recycle Your Computer, Monitors & Laptops
If you’re wondering where to recycle a computer or laptop locally, check out e-Stewards. Simply enter your location to find the nearest electronics recycling center near you! You can also learn about where your electronics go and some ways to reduce your own carbon footprint!
Many big-name electronics manufacturers and retailers offer recycling services for old electronic devices like TVs, computers, mobile devices and printers. Check out Epa.gov’s website to see which brands offer this service and whether or not your computer’s brand is listed.
Donate Your Old Computer Or Laptops
Are you interested in donating your old computer or laptop to people who need it? The World Computer Exchange has provided refurbished computers to over 50 countries globally, connecting millions of people with computers to aid in learning and educational pursuits. Click here to find a drop-off location near you, or how to send your qualifying device to them!
Human-I-T is an organization that takes old electronics, refurbishes them and provides them to those in need – free of charge. If you’re looking to donate you old TV, computer or a variety of other electronics, they’ll recycle yours for free. You can drop off your device or ship it to them – they’ll even pay for shipping. Your computers and other similar devices will be completely wiped to protect your information and you’ll receive a tax-deductible receipt for your donation.
Sell Your Old Computer Or Laptops
Do you want to sell or trade in your Macbook? Consider selling with Gazelle. They make it extremely easy, safe AND risk-free. They presently purchase MacBooks, Macbook Airs & Macbook Pros. Enjoy benefits like no fees, quick price quotes, simple shipping and cash-in-hand payments. If your Apple laptop is undervalued in their quote, they’ll actually pay you more upon inspection. If they over-quoted you, just cancel and get your device back for free.
Sell with Gazelle to keep laptops out of landfills and get paid, too – that’s a win-win.
Looking to sell your old computer, laptop or similar electronics? Buy Back World makes it very easy. They provide a free quote for what they’ll buy your device for and they cover the shipping as well. Sell your MacBook and most major laptop models/brands and get charged no fees. They have thousands of positive seller reviews as well. Have questions about how their program works? Check out their Frequently Asked Questions!
What To Do With Old Furniture
Do you feel like you’ve got too much ‘stuff’ in your home? Many people do. According to PRNewsWire, nearly half of all Americans feel their homes are cluttered with items they no longer use. Additionally, the majority of Americans believe they could free up more space by decluttering. What takes up the most amount of space? Furniture. It’s no surprise that old furniture is very common among the list of things to get rid of.
Here are a few ways you can donate, recycle or dispose of old furniture:
Dispose Of Your Old Furniture
As stated previously, 1-800 GOT JUNK is an all-in-one disposal service that’s extremely convenient for nearly all residential disposal needs. They provide free removal cost estimates and are committed to either donating or recycling whatever they can, and pledge to responsibly dispose of whatever they can’t.
As for what types of furniture 1-800 GOT JUNK takes, the list is pretty much all-inclusive. Some of the more popular things to get rid of in the furniture realm includes: couches, bed frames, mattresses, bookshelves, dressers, tables, filing cabinets, rugs, carpeting, workout equipment and more. They even pick up odd-ball furniture items, such as hot tubs, pool tables, pianos and other things like that.
Donate Your Old Furniture
If you’re looking to donate your old furniture to a great cause, check out Habitat For Humanity’s ReStore program. Simply look for a location near you and arrange a pickup of your furniture, free of charge. A family in need will receive your item, which you can deduct from your year-end taxes. They take most common large furniture items, but it may vary depending on location.
The Salvation Army is a non-profit charity organization that provides affordable goods and clothing around the world – 130 countries and counting. While they presently have over 1.5 million members, even more help when they donate their old furniture. You can either drop off your old furniture or schedule a pick-up, after which you’ll receive a tax-deductible receipt. The Salvation Army accepts many types of furniture, just be sure to review their terms. Click here to get an estimate of what your furniture donation could be worth.
The Furniture Bank Network operates dozens of location throughout North America & Canada. Their mission is to provide secondhand furniture to families in need by working with social services and housing agencies. Your old furniture in turn gets to be used by someone who needs it. Click here to find a local furniture donation bank in your area.
PikcupPlease.org is a charity that accepts all lightweight, portable household goods as donations. Contact them to arrange a free pick up of your old stuff, for which you’ll get a tax-deductible receipt. All proceeds go towards supporting the Vietnam Veterans of America organization. Some common examples include small electronics, toys, desktop appliances, dishes, linens, bedding, sports equipment, books, decor and more.
Give Your Old Furniture Away
Give Your Furniture To Friends & Family
If you’ve got someone to give your old furniture to, it guarantees that your old stuff at least gets put to good use!
Give Your Furniture Away For Free
If you live in a more suburban or rural area and the weather is right, you can often leave your furniture at the end of the driveway with a ‘FREE’ sign. Alternatively, you can try to sell it or give it away on Craigslist.
How To Donate Or Recycle Old Clothes
It’s easy to see why people buy new clothes – styles evolve, seasons change, people grow and so on. We also buy new clothes when we’re focused too much on materialism and consumerism. Whatever the reason, buying new clothing is only half the equation…what about getting rid of old clothes? According to World Wear Project, consumerism throw away (not recycle) about 70 pounds of clothing & shoes per year. That amounts to millions and millions of tons that end up in landfills! Most of us place clothes pretty high on the list of things to get rid of, but how we do so is what matters most.
Here are a few alternative ways to recycle and donate old clothing instead of throwing it away:
Reusing & 'Recycling' Your Old Clothing
Give To Family Or Local People
If you don’t have the need for some coffee your clothes, many some family or local people are interested. Even if they can afford to shop for their own, they’ll probably appreciate the thought. You can also use sites like Craigslist, Close5, etc. to give (or sell) clothes locally.
Repurpose Your Clothes
When clothes become no longer wearable, or at least less wearable (stain, holes, etc), they are far from garbage-worthy. Here are a few ideas for reusing or repurposing your clothes:
- Wear old clothes or shoes for dirty work around the house, in the yard, etc.
- Use old clothing like t-shirts for house cleaning or as rags.
- Cut clothes up and wear while exercising.
- Use sections of higher quality clothing as decoration, such as backdrops in picture frames or patches.
Donate Your Old Clothing
eBay For Charity doesn’t involve donating your clothing directly. Instead, a percentage of whatever your item sells for is donated to a charity of your choice. They’ve donated over $1 Billion to charity so far and presently contribute to over 83,000 organizations!
As stated above, The Salvation Army is a non-profit charity organization that provides affordable goods and clothing around the world – 130 countries and counting. While they presently have over 1.5 million members, even more help when they donate their old clothing & shoes. You can either drop off your old clothes or schedule a pick-up, after which you’ll receive a tax-deductible receipt. The Salvation Army accepts many types of clothing, just be sure to review their terms. Here are some estimated values of common clothing donations.
PikcupPlease.org is a charity that accepts all lightweight, portable household goods as donations. Contact them to arrange a free pick up of your old stuff, for which you’ll get a tax-deductible receipt. All proceeds go towards supporting the Vietnam Veterans of America organization. Some common examples include small electronics, toys, desktop appliances, dishes, linens, bedding, sports equipment, books, decor and more.
Sell Your Old Clothing & Shoes
Poshmark is the newest and easiest way to sell your clothes. By easy, we mean really easy. Just download the app on your phone, create an account, upload pictures and begin selling. Poshmark makes it easy to ship (prepare USPS label) and safe to transact.
What To Do With Old Tools & Building Materials
Do you have extra tools lying around that never get used? Is there a pile of random building materials that are sitting in the garage or basement? Most of us wonder how we can get rid of this stuff, as garbage collectors don’t always take them. Even if they do, there’s a good chance that someone out there needs them.
If you’re wondering what to do with old tools & building materials, here are a few ideas:
Dispose Of Old Building Materials
As stated previously, 1-800 GOT JUNK is an all-in-one disposal service that’s extremely convenient for nearly all residential disposal needs. They provide free removal cost estimates and are committed to either donating or recycling whatever they can, and pledge to responsibly dispose of whatever they can’t.
Here’s a list of the types of construction waste and building materials that 1-800 GOT JUNK takes. Here are some examples: concrete debris, asphalt, scrap wood, scrap metal, drywall, bricks and more.
Recycle Old Building Materials
If you have just about any kind of old or unneeded wood products that you need to dispose of, Reusewood.org is a great resource to check out. Their easy-to-use interface gives you a list of all wood recycling facilities near you, based on the radius you’re able to travel. Their site also allows you to filter facilities by the specific types of wood you have. A few examples of wood materials commonly recycled includes: fencing, furniture, flooring, framing, firewood, siding and many more.
Donate Your Old Tools & Building Materials
As covered above, eBay For Charity doesn’t involve donating your old tools directly. Instead, a percentage of whatever your item sells for is donated to a charity of your choice. They’ve donated over $1 Billion to charity so far and presently contribute to over 83,000 organizations!
If you’re looking to donate your old tools and building materials to a great cause, check out Habitat For Humanity’s ReStore program. Simply look for a location near you and arrange a pickup of your tools or materials, free of charge. A family in need will receive your item, or they’ll be put to use on one of their many construction projects, which you can deduct from your year-end taxes. They take most tools that are in working condition. As for materials, here’s a list of items they commonly accept.
Getting Rid Of Old Appliances
Buying new appliances is always tempting, for a few reasons. One, they’re just cool – how great does a slushy machine or a new mixer, grill, etc. seem at first? Think of all the things we can make! In reality, the novelty of these machines will wear off, thanks to Hedonic Adaptation. Small appliances end up collecting dust. While more universal and practical, many people find themselves with extra or old large appliances sitting around too, particularly because they’re difficult to move and transport.
If you’re thinking about getting rid of old appliances in your house, here are a few ideas:
Dispose Of Old Appliances
As stated previously, 1-800 GOT JUNK is an all-in-one disposal service that’s extremely convenient for nearly all residential disposal needs. They provide free removal cost estimates and are committed to either donating or recycling whatever they can, and pledge to responsibly dispose of whatever they can’t.
Here’s a list of the types of old appliances that 1-800 GOT JUNK takes. Here are some examples: refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, ovens, microwaves, toasters, pot, pans, countertop appliances, air conditioners, blenders, fans and more. If your appliances still work, they’ll donate it!
Donate Old Appliances
As covered above, eBay For Charity doesn’t involve donating your old appliances directly. Instead, a percentage of whatever your item sells for is donated to a charity of your choice. They’ve donated over $1 Billion to charity so far and presently contribute to over 83,000 organizations!
We’ve covered them previosuly, but if you’re looking to donate your old appliances to a great cause, check out Habitat For Humanity’s ReStore program. Simply look for a location near you and arrange a pickup of your appliances, free of charge. A family in need will receive your appliances, which you can deduct from your year-end taxes. Appliances must be in working condition – contact your local chapter to discuss your donation first.
As stated above, The Salvation Army is a non-profit charity organization that provides affordable goods and clothing around the world – 130 countries and counting. While they presently have over 1.5 million members, even more help when they donate their old appliances. You can either drop off your old appliances or schedule a pick-up, after which you’ll receive a tax-deductible receipt. The Salvation Army accepts many types of appliances, just be sure to review their terms. Here are some estimated values of common appliance donations.
PikcupPlease.org is a charity that accepts all lightweight, portable household goods as donations. Contact them to arrange a free pick up of your old stuff, for which you’ll get a tax-deductible receipt. All proceeds go towards supporting the Vietnam Veterans of America organization. Some common examples include small electronics, toys, desktop appliances, dishes, linens, bedding, sports equipment, books, decor and more.
Dispose Of Old Cell Phones & Tablets
Cellphones are nearly everywhere in the world at this point. It comes as no surprise that there are more active phone subscriptions than there are people on the planet (via Quartz). While many still don’t have phones, others have two or more devices. Between old flip phones, smartphones and similar devices, what should be done with this kind of e-waste? Devices like these contain many materials that are harmful to the environment, even in landfills.
Let’s go through a few ways to dispose of old cell phones & tablets in a responsible and environmentally-conscious manner.
Cellphone, Tablet & Battery Recycling
Call2Recycle is a nationwide, non-profit organization that’s recycled over 100 million pounds of cellphone and laptop batteries to date. They’ve partnered with over 16,000 stewards around the country. Find a drop-off location near you, or mail your devices & batteries to them.
We covered them earlier, but if you’re wondering where to recycle a cellphone, smartphone or tablet locally, check out e-Stewards. Simply enter your location to find the nearest electronics recycling center near you! You can also learn about where your electronics go and some ways to reduce your own carbon footprint.
Many big-name electronics manufacturers and retailers offer recycling services for old electronic devices like TVs, computers, mobile devices and printers. Check out Epa.gov’s website to see which brands offer this service and whether or not your computer’s brand is listed.
Cellphone, Tablet & Battery Donation
Human-I-T is an organization that takes old electronics, refurbishes them and provides them to those in need – free of charge. If you’re looking to donate you old cellphone, tablet or a variety of other electronics, they’ll recycle yours for free. You can drop off your device or ship it to them – they’ll even pay for shipping. Your cellphones, smartphones, tablets and similar devices will be completely wiped to protect your information and you’ll receive a tax-deductible receipt for your donation.
Sell Your Smartphone Or Tablet
Do you want to sell your iPhone, iPad, tablet, Samsung smartphone or Google phone? Consider selling with Gazelle. They make it extremely easy, safe AND risk-free. Enjoy benefits like no fees, quick price quotes, simple shipping and cash-in-hand payments. If your device is undervalued in their quote, they’ll actually pay you more upon inspection. If they over-quoted you, just cancel and get your device back for free. You can even sell damaged devices!
Sell with Gazelle to keep devices out of landfills and get paid, too – that’s a win-win.
Looking to sell your old smartphone, tablet or similar electronics? Sell your iPhone, most major cellphones, iPads, other tablets, iPods, smart watches and more at Buy Back World – they make it very easy. They provide a free quote for what they’ll buy your device for and they cover the shipping as well. They charge no fees and have thousands of positive seller reviews. Have questions about how their program works? Check out their Frequently Asked Questions!
Getting Rid Of Old Cars, Tires & Parts
The buying and selling of cars has been pretty routine over the last few decades. When you’re ready to get rid of a car, you simply sell it to someone or trade it in for a new one. Simple enough. Times are changing though. The used market is very saturated. Leases are more affordable and practical than ever. There’s a very small market for older cars at this point, especially if they aren’t in the best shape.
Here are a few ways to get rid of old cars, tires & parts.
Dispose Of Old Cars & Tires
As stated previously, 1-800 GOT JUNK is an all-in-one disposal service that’s extremely convenient for nearly all residential disposal needs. They provide free removal cost estimates and are committed to either donating or recycling whatever they can, and pledge to responsibly dispose of whatever they can’t.
While 1-800 GOT JUNK doesn’t presently accept old junk cars, they to provide a tire disposal service. They recycle many types of tires, including car tires, construction equipment tires, bicycle tires and more.
Donate Old Cars & Junk Cars
As stated above, The Salvation Army is a non-profit charity organization that provides affordable goods and clothing around the world – 130 countries and counting. While they presently have over 1.5 million members, even more help when they donate their old cars and junk cars. They even accept boats and other types of vehicles. You can either drop off your old car or schedule a pick-up, after which you’ll receive a tax-deductible receipt – just make sure to contact your local chapter to iron out the logistics. Contact your local chapter to get an estimated value of your old car donation.
If you’re looking to donate your car to charity but aren’t sure where to start, CarEasy makes it extremely simple. They’ll pick up your car, make any repairs necessary (free of charge), sell it at an auction and then donate the proceeds to one of the 3,500+ charitable causes they work with. Then, you get a tax-deductible receipt for the sale!
Recycle Old Cars & Junk Cars
Junkyards across the world are filled with old cars, left to slowly decay. Green Vehicle Disposal is changing that. Green Vehicle Disposal makes it extremely easy to dispose of and recycle your old car in an environmentally conscious manner – they’ll tow away your car for free after offering you a cash payment. They’ll then make sure to recycle your car in the more eco-friendly way possible. You can also donate the proceeds of your vehicle sale, too.
Sell Your Old Cars & Junk Cars
Whether you’ve got an old car, junk car or car parts to sell, Salvage-Parts is the ultimate resource to check out. Find junk yards near you, research ways to sell or scrap your car or simply learn more about the options you’ve got for getting rid of your old, junk car!
Dispose Of Confidential Documents & Papers
Do you have boxes, piles or filing cabinets full of old documents? Between confidential paperwork, old files and sensitive documents, this stuff quickly piles up – especially if you run a small business or have papers from the pre-digital era. When these documents are sensitive in nature, it’s not as simple as just throwing them away – not to mention the waste-factor. Even so, recycling is not an option either. Here are a few ways to dispose of confidential documents and paperwork in an eco-conscious manner:
Confidential & Legal Document Recycling
Whether you’ve got a small amount of sensitive documents you need to dispose of or a business archive to purge, Shred America is there to do the job. They’re a nationwide, veteran-owned document shredding service with dozens of locations across the U.S. They also strive to recycle paper debris once documents are shredded.
Donate Your Old Books
If you’ve got some books to get rid of but aren’t sure where to send them, check out Better World Books. They’ve got Drop Box locations all across the U.S. and the U.K. Although they sell books online, their mission is to match every book sale with a book donation, one-for-one. They’ve donated, reused or recycled more than 300 million books to date which has raised millions and millions of dollars for charitable causes.
A huge portion of children in Africa do not attend school – millions, in fact. Luckily, Books For Africa has aided by supplying over 40 million books to libraries and schools so far. If you have old books that you’d like to donate, just click the link above to find out how you can either drop off or send them your books! They have speciality needs as well for specific types of books, such as legal textbooks – click here to find out the specific needs they’re accommodating.
Libraries largely depend on charitable contributions to keep their shelves stocked with books. If you’ve got books to donate, click the link above to locate a library near you.
Getting Rid Of Biowaste
The usage of landfills is certainly a better option than letting trash pile up at home. Unfortunately, landfills are full of things that don’t need to be tossed in the garbage. Check out this chart of what the nearly 140 million tons of garbage in ‘municipal solid waste’ landfills consists of (via EPA.gov). A fair portion of this includes paper products, food, yard trimmings, textile-based materials and wood-derived byproducts. While biowaste may not be among the top things to get rid of, it sill amounts to millions of tons of waste. A large portion of these materials can actually be recycled in a number of ways – here’s how:
Dispose Of Yard Waste & Organic Materials
As stated previously, 1-800 GOT JUNK is an all-in-one disposal service that’s extremely convenient for nearly all residential disposal needs. They provide free removal cost estimates and are committed to either donating or recycling whatever they can, and pledge to responsibly dispose of whatever they can’t.
You may not have known that 1-800 GOT JUNK also disposes or and recycles biowaste – they’ll dispose of your lawn clippings, leaves, tree trunks, mulch, branches, twigs, organic waste and other similar materials. Click the link above to learn more.
Compost Your Organic Materials
If you’re interested in turning organic garbage into something useful, consider starting a compost practice. Essentially, composting is the process of turning organic waste into useful fertilizer. Rather than send these materials to a landfill, consider composting these organic substances: leaves, fruit peels, tea and coffee grinds, bread, yard clippings, natural fabrics, non-treated papers, cardboard and more. Here are a few items you’ll need for starting a compost pile at home:
