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Post by shosha on Dec 17, 2014 3:35:47 GMT -5
Oh, talking of cloth nappies, one way of making a bit of a dent in the rubbish-made-of-worrying-stuff the household puts out is for anyone in the house who menstruates to switch (full or part time) to reusable sanpro. Washable pads are way comfier than disposables, and don't seem to leak any more than disposables, though they're not that convenient while out and about. Can always mix and match, using disposables if out of the house for a few hours. Washable silicone cups are my favourite, though I haven't used mine for a while. Neither option is completely hassle free, but they're not that difficult either.
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Post by aquamarine on Dec 17, 2014 4:18:37 GMT -5
dirtbee, this is a subject I am very interested in. Re-use, recycle, donate, give as Christmas presents, sell on eBay or in a yard sale: all are better than just dumping. I like the idea of donating where it is needed and appreciated - horrible old towels are suitable for an animal shelter for example. However, I am with the people who say that first things come first and that the past, the present and the future need different approaches. Save yourself and your home first, learn how to maintain everything then think about saving the planet. I agree that waste is immoral and unethical, but the best approach is to give ourselves amnesty for what we have done in the past and may need to do now, and resolve to do better in the future. A lot depends on the rules and facilities where you live. I am very lucky and spoiled for choice: even the libraries near me have bins for used batteries. However, just putting stuff out and hoping someone will take it is illegal here, but apparently this is ok in the US. I visit charity shops in very good areas where the clothes are expensive and look almost new. They would never be interested in my unwanted clothes. I have seen charity shops in other areas that seem to take and sell successfully almost anything. You can label a bag of clothes as rags and the charity shop will sell them. It is possible to build better habits. For example, I try to buy fruit and vegetables in street markets from people who give you them in brown paper bags. My daily lists include checking and using perishable food. I demote toothbrushes to mini scrubbing brushes - for around the taps in the bathroom for example. There are street recycling bins everywhere where I live, and I take paper and cardboard, tins and bottles there at least once a week. What worries me is the resources used in collecting all this stuff, and whether it is actually recycled. It takes a lot of big lorries to go round emptying these bins. I saw a TV programme that found English newspapers and magazines in a landfill in East Africa!
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Post by cricket on Dec 17, 2014 6:47:01 GMT -5
I read a post from a thrift store worker on another forum about a week ago that urged people to donate. He said he'd learned that it was a common misconception amoung his freinds that their cast offs weren't good enough to be useful and he wanted to get it out there that thrift stores have established ways to manage all donations, and even unsellable clothes were collected to be sold bulk to be turned into rags. I don't know what type of thrift store he works for (sounded like a large chain) or what country, as different places have different laws about things. But his big message was please donate, it all adds up to fund his store's charity.
I too have read about disposal charges to stores, etc, and wondered if I was helping or hurting, but this post seemed legit, a person in the business saying this is how we operate, we're professionals, let us worry about that end of it.
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Post by dirtbee on Dec 17, 2014 6:55:03 GMT -5
Thanks cricket - that makes me feel a lot better! I did a bit more googling and have found some more places to donate some of my stuff. I have bagged up two bags today actually! The only thing I can't do anything with is broken or outdated electricals. But your post has made me feel a lot better about the clothes situation - becuase my bedroom is out of control and I need to remove some of the clothes in there but really didn't want to burden a charity shop! Thanks  |
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Post by lesaulerouge on Dec 17, 2014 7:22:20 GMT -5
Oh, talking of cloth nappies, one way of making a bit of a dent in the rubbish-made-of-worrying-stuff the household puts out is for anyone in the house who menstruates to switch (full or part time) to reusable sanpro. Washable pads are way comfier than disposables, and don't seem to leak any more than disposables, though they're not that convenient while out and about. Can always mix and match, using disposables if out of the house for a few hours. Washable silicone cups are my favourite, though I haven't used mine for a while. Neither option is completely hassle free, but they're not that difficult either. Good point, I forgot about this one. Dd is prepubescent, but has already got some cloth San pro tucked away in her drawer that she and I made together. She is very senstive to perfume, and is getting more and worse reactions. Knowing how I have often reacted to disposable towels I anticipate that she is going to be in trouble there too. Our intention is to use cloth at home and disposable at school, if we can even find stuff she doesn't react to, generally the more expensive brand names tened to be the worst for this. Will see how she finds the reality I guess, but for now we ought to get some more cute pads sewn for when she needs them - I used to make and sell cloth nappies so I have stacks of supplies still kicking about. |
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Post by larataylor on Dec 17, 2014 7:38:07 GMT -5
dirtbee - it looks like many of us share your concern! My thrift shop will take bags labeled "rags" and donate them elsewhere or recycle the fabric. I have toxic household chemicals that I inherited 23 years ago when I moved into my first house, and I still haven't figured out how to dispose of them properly. I do believe in taking amnesty when you really need to clear out … there is no sense in making a landfill of your own home. But I draw the line at this toxic/dangerous stuff, and put it aside to figure out eventually what to do with it. Maybe some day I'll be so caught up on things, I'll have nothing else to do but drive to one of those faraway places to dispose of it, or catch that rare date on the calendar when I can dispose of it locally. Collecting things to reuse and repurpose can lead to too much clutter. This was a big part of the problem in my inlaws' house that I moved into. I recommend getting the house under control, and then doing this in an organized way, limiting the collection to what you actually can reuse and repurpose, having a place for it, etc. It can easily turn into an excuse to just not throw stuff away.
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Post by aquamarine on Dec 17, 2014 8:09:09 GMT -5
I can take broken electricals to a recycling centre, where parts of them may be salvaged. If possible, I would visit different charity shops and donate to ones that sell similar stuff to what I want to donate.
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Post by lostchild on Dec 18, 2014 2:29:28 GMT -5
During my purge I took my toxic waste to special disposal that did it once a month. They disposed of paint,pool chemicals,etc. Chech thru local waste disposal company.
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Post by dirtbee on Dec 18, 2014 3:03:26 GMT -5
I just found somewhere I can donate broken electricals to! AND the millions of outdated cable cords we have! Seriously, the tangle of cables we've accumulated is like an anaconda and I don't dare let minibee near it in case it eats him alive Mr Bee has promised he will go through it this weekend and work out what we need to keep and what I can get rid of (unfortunately I have no idea!). I know I am supposed to get stuff out as quick as I can, but I just couldn't shake the anxiety of putting a broken cd player in the bin and thank god for google because now I don't have to! I promise I've made a pile of what is going out for recycling and donating and I will not let it back in. It’s almost motivating to keep adding to that pile rather than all the other ones |
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Post by aquamarine on Dec 18, 2014 3:28:30 GMT -5
That is good news about the electricals. I have a small drawer full of cables myself, and plan to go through them so see which ones I don't need. I have seen some on sale in a charity shop, so have somewhere to take the unwanted ones.
There is nothing wrong with not wanting to throw things away - and anyway disposing of some items in the ordinary domestic rubbish is illegal here - and now you have found an outlet so are justified in having kept the items for a while.
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Post by sunny on Dec 18, 2014 7:32:03 GMT -5
"There is nothing wrong with not wanting to throw things away" We all have different points of view, but, at least in theory, not wanting or being able to throw things away is exactly why this board was formed. |
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Post by dtesposito on Dec 18, 2014 7:48:53 GMT -5
Here's how I look at it.
If you save everything, because you can't bear to put anything in the garbage, and you're waiting for the best possible way to dispose of every single item, you'll fill your house to the brim. At some point, even if you're many years away from it, you will die. What do you think will happen to all that stuff? Someone will clean it out and put it in the landfill.
Whereas, if you throw things away now during an initial cleanout, even things that you'd rather recycle, you can organize your home so that for THE REST OF YOUR LIFE you can recycle in the most efficient way. Which is better long term for the planet?
Don't kid yourself into thinking you'll have time to handle every single item in the best way during an initial cleanout--unless you quit any paid job you have, have no kids to take care of, and hire an employee to drive things to various places for you (and aquamarine is right--how much gas would be burned doing that?) you can't do it. And some day, even the recyclables in your home right now (and all the rest of them that you collect before you die) will go right into the landfill by someone who doesn't care.
Diane
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Post by phoenixcat on Dec 18, 2014 9:45:18 GMT -5
Things are definitely sold as rags or "stuffing". I actually bought a bag of rags  in the paint department of the hardware store. It was funny all the remnants that were in there - men's undershirts and old cloth diapers for sure. The animal shelter has volunteers that make dog beds and they use old linens and clothes for stuffing. A friend's mother did this and her sister was in real estate so she cleaned out all the extra clothes/linens in the various estate sales just for this reason. And, just a FYI - noticed that a lot of drugstores are carrying an organic line of sanitary products. I think there are some options at health food stores and online as well. It is hard to try and balance the desire to clean and organize your house along with the desire to be gentle to the planet. I was doing a clean out with my mother at her farm. She lives in a very small community in a bankrupt state so normal recycling like hazardous waste and electronics had been suspended. Fortunately, she lives within 50 miles of a more affluent state and they were happy to take it all with only a "per pound" nominal fee. Sometimes a reasonable option can be found with just a phone call (and sometimes not- I'm still trying to get rid of formed styrofoam!). And, it is kind of a first world problem. My husband's family actually brings their old underwear to the US when traveling so they can throw it away. They have a large number of transients who take anything of perceived value from the trash. Most of DH's family are very generous but for a few of them - seeing someone on the street wearing their old, tattered victoria secret bra kind of bothers them.  PC |
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Post by lesaulerouge on Dec 18, 2014 10:15:32 GMT -5
And, it is kind of a first world problem. My husband's family actually brings their old underwear to the US when traveling so they can throw it away. They have a large number of transients who take anything of perceived value from the trash. Most of DH's family are very generous but for a few of them - seeing someone on the street wearing their old, tattered victoria secret bra kind of bothers them. PC This made me laugh! We all have our issues I suppose...  ! |
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Post by cyn on Dec 18, 2014 10:26:50 GMT -5
I was one who couldn't stand the idea of putting things in the landfill. I had a whole kitchen cabinet filled with old paint, so I was extremely relieved to hear that this could be recycled! I think I also had every plastic container I'd ever brought home, at one point. I agree that there's nothing wrong with *not* tossing them in a manner that will end up filling you with regret. Dirtbee, it's fantastic that you've found the proper home for your unwanted electricals! And knowing that these are going to the right place is helping you to get rid of them! That's how I was able to go from hoarding all of them, to parting with most of them. At one point, when I was thinning my hoard, I had 4 full bins at the curb - I even had to use my bins, since I didn't have enough actual recycling boxes, ha.
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