to think “decluttering” isn’t actually that simple if you want to dispose responsibly?

We've just done a clear out and it's been NBD. A few bags and boxes have gone to the local charity shops, a few things I've put on the school WhatsApp and offloaded to other parents who can make use of them, some things (including old bedding) will go to the nearest rag bank this weekend. Why do you have so many electronics to throw away? The last thing electronic thing we threw away was a broken Echo Dot about 2 years ago, I can't remember what we did with it. We use rechargeable batteries.

Most people are not doing the best they can within the constraints they have. Most people make token efforts except where it suits them for other purposes - like justifying their procrastination.

No. Not over consumption
give yourself 2 weeks to "ethically" dispose and then hire a skip. You'll be so pleased when it's gone

Olio is good you can list items to give away for free and I've always found that people come and collect, this includes food too including home made leftovers made that evening, I had somebody collect half of my daughter's uneaten birthday cake once which I made because I couldn't bear to throw it away.
Another example, I gave a lady some open cereal that my daughter didn't like (about two boxes) and she was crying saying. Thanks. I felt so sad for her. I gave her everything else that I had that I didn't need. She said it was for her children and she was hungry. I've also giving away plenty of toys and books
Try free to give away groups on Facebook near you
Some people put stuff on the table outside their home with a sign saying "free to take "

https://www.vintagecashcow.co.uk/items-we-buy

I've not used it yet so can't vouch.

Little and often is what I find works for me.

Yes, I have a full time and part time job, a child and am a single parent, so I think you do have to be pretty organised. Although it does help not to let things mount up (hoard) or make excuses. Look at what you can do, not what you can’t.

As soon as my son grew out of clothes, I donated to a women’s refuge charity. Grew out of his bike - popped it on FB market place. Don’t ‘store’ stuff in the loft ‘just in case you might use it again’.

My neighbour still has a cot, pram, baby bouncer in her loft, in case she was going to use it again! (her DS is 15).

Freecycle is great for getting rid of stuff

It's a balance. The ethical thing to do is try and minimise what you buy new, and facilitate recycling and repurposing as far as possible. Equally, sometimes people simply have to accept that nobody else wants their possessions. There isn't always going to be a convenient person or organisation who thinks the things you don't want are valuable enough to take on. This can include things that have plenty of use left in them.

On practicalities, I'm with Camp Routine. I tend to find it easier to do this little and often as a huge declutter feels more overwhelming and it's better to break down into bits. Others need to get themselves into the headspace and make it a project.

I'm not being anymore black and white than you are. I'm just countering your argument that people have no agency over the accumulation of stuff in their homes.

Responsible disposal doesn't take as much time or effort if it's a regular part of your life instead of being left. It's also far more environmentally responsible to get rid of most things as soon as you don't need them instead of letting them languish unused.

It's not my assumption that you personally are buying all this stuff. When I say you I mean in the plural, i.e. households, I don't think everything is down to the woman who posts on MN. And while I'm sure families don't buy absolutely all of the stuff they acquire, much of what is given is part of pretty predictable patterns which can be planned for, if environmental responsibility is really a priority. I'm also talking generally, because I don't know your specific situation and there may be the rare circumstances where it isn't the case, but you are arguing this is a general issue. I'm saying having a routine that includes regular disposal of things you no longer use takes away a lot of the issues that make it more difficult and will mean you end up getting less stuff if environmental responsibility is a priority for you.

Agree that caring about the environment means reducing what you can. What we seem to disagree on here is what you can reduce. You seem to be arguing it means living a pretty average British life and just being careful about how you dispose of things. That's not the case. The average British lifestyle is not sustainable, no matter how much you donate to charity shops, etc.

There is far more to it than just people buying too much stuff, of course. The way goods have become less reliable, the way fully natural fabrics have are disappearing from easily available clothing lines, the increased focus on individuality, fashion and looks, the increased pressure to provide children with supervision, etc. all make our lives less sustainable. But developing your lifestyle so that you deal with all the stuff coming into your life as you finish needing it and consider what you get with that in mind, does help.

In what way?

Smug

This is just an excuse for not prioritising keeping a lid on buying and dealing with the essential costs fof life. You initially complained that "decluttering isn't that simple". But it really is. You just need to value it and not put experiencing life without worrying about the costs ahead of responsible consumerism.

I'm not having a go at you about enjoying your life. Most of us do that. I'm pointing out that your claim to be worried about the environment as an excuse for not decluttering is a bit pathetic. You aren't worried about the environment is you're buying all this stuff and not going through what you have. You're doing what most people do and enjoying your life and then using the environment as an excuse for not getting on with life admin that you don't really want to do.

I don't think it's difficult if you have a car. Just load it in the boot/back seats and do a big round of recycling centre, charity shop(s), used batteries, used cartridges, waste centre etc. Feels good when you complete the trip!

I I treat myself to a skip. A little one is about £120 here. And they sort and recycle everything in the other end so guilt free throw it all in. Bloody love it, super cathartic to have a huge clear out.

Getting rid of old clothes and broken things I find easy.
Stuff I struggle with is the things that are serviceable but I no longer need or want.

I have zero need for a baby carrier, but it loiter in the back of a cupboard because I planned to sell it.
But getting round to that is an issue.

Belongings don't build up and become an effort to deal with because life changes. They do so because you (as a family) ignore what's there while you acquire more.

If you deal with things as they happen, if getting rid of too small clothes is a part of getting bigger one, clearing away old tools is a part of getting new ones, etc., you'll not only lower the burden of getting rid of things responsibly but you'll almost certainly find you need less as you realise that some things are actually still useable (or even that you had them at all and don't need to buy another).

Thats a hard thing to accept that most stuff is going to end up in landfill sooner or later.

Yes we all want to be responsible and get as much use out of stuff as possible but the sad fact is most stuff sooner or later is landfill fodder.

And sometimes for a declutterer skipping the middle man is easier.

Charity shops take bags of holey socks, holey jumpers, dresses as you describe, you just have to bag it separately and tell them what it is. It's turned into carpet tiles and the charities get money from the company that collects the bags. That is dreadful if that is just going on landfill which is where a lot of the skips stuff goes

You can't go back in time, so even if there were elements of overconsumption etc, what matters now is how you want to live going forward.
I don't know why people STILL try and add to the feelings of shame by acting like you're hypocritical now.

All of us are guilty of overconsumption tbh.

There are loads of emotional reasons we can find it hard to let go of things, or buy the wrong things or too many things to begin with.
There can be loads of reasons someone finds themselves overwhelmed, and want to make changes.

Have you watched the Stacey Solomon 'sort your life out' programmes.
I love how understanding and real they are about it. It's really inspired me, and I've made some real progress with this.
Previous shame actually paralysed me and stopped me dealing with it. Now I try and be nice to myself and it makes me much better at actually doing it.

I'm doing things like sorting carrier bags for charity shops and trying to take one or two into town whenever I go, or to clothes banks.

I've also made a start getting things onto vinted. Took me ages to start doing this, but its much easier than I thought. Even if I don't get what it's worth, it's better than having it sitting there doing nothing, and the money I spent on it was already wasted, so it's the old sunk costs fallacy.

You can do this!

Do one corner of a room, or one bookcase, one junk drawer.
Make the tasks smaller and more manageable to help avoid overwhelm, and be as ruthless as you can.

I think people are really unrealistic about what is "good" stuff. Charities can't sell loads of this stuff and often have to pay to get rid of surplus donations. There isn't always the demand for second hand and where there is it often sells for far less than you'd think - not enough to cover the charities costs.

We are consuming too much to begin with. We need to accept having fewer things. Fewer toys & clothes, less choice. Using libraries more. If something is still good enough, can you continue using it at home until its really worn out? Can you pass things on to friends & relatives for free?

I increasingly look to how i can reuse things at home rather than expecting other people to buy my old stuff so i can feel better about it.

1. get a paper shredder. Use shredded paper to combine with green/food waste for composting.
2. cut up worn baby & children's clothes to reuse as cleaning rags or again, shred to restuff cushions. Store bags of rags in your loft to add insulation.
3. don't buy things like seasonal bedding that are never going to get heavily used but will have to be stored & then go out of style.

We’re very lucky to have an Emmaus close to us. We can drive it cycle there. We donate all our good stuff there, and buy a fair amount back. Best purchase was a couple of teacups to replace two I’d broken in a set given to me by my grandmother. It’s always heartening to see stuff you brought in already on sale by the time you’re leaving. I’ve never known them turn anything - apart from cots - away.