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

We are lucky because the recycling centre is only about a mile away, small electricals can be left each week for the bin collection. I generally put clothes and small items in the bags that come through the door or supermarket bins.

Our council collect WEEE with out weekly recycling, so we are lucky with that

Those castigating those who find this hard are not helpful at all.

In a perfect world we would all live frugal and careful lives but many of us end up for many reasons needing to clear out from time to time.

I have party ended up with too much stuff because friends and family know I am grateful for secondhand clothes and toys, and buy almost nothing new. But the less caring just use that as a way of offloading everything they don't want!

My greatest sin of overconsumption is having 3 dc! And making sure that everything is moved on as soon as it is outgrown or no longer wanted is an endless task!

We have a local baby charity which only takes things in new condition. Obviously you wouldn't send things hat are gross but we all know babies clothes get stains. And people miss out.
Other charity shops are stopping taking toys now too which is sad

Anglo was a gamechanger for us. So straightforward and they take loads of stuff and aren't picky. Can't be bothered with charity shops - too picky, too sneery, too difficult to park.

Most of the retailers only take small electricals if you are buying a new one. But Currys, B&Q and John Lewis/Waitrose will take items regardless.

Olio is brilliant for a clear out, and people will often take things charity shops would refuse

Yes I agree, as I can't bring myself to 'bin' anything that could have any kind of afterlife. But, it doesn't mean de-cluttering can't be done, it's just more of a process than an event.
My best revelation in recent years has been the ease of giving things away (not selling) on local 'giving stuff away' facebook groups. E.g. box of Beano annuals / rice cooker / sports equipment...these all went quickly to people who seemed genuinely pleased with them.
I prefer that to dumping on 2nd hand shops now - love the self satisfied (smug?!) glow it gives me! Obviously, not everything can be moved on like this, but I've been surprised at what people will come and get.

When we downsized we had to de clutter, ebayed, charity the way forward is to stop adding to it and buying tat that ends up in landfill.
Noone has to keep buying shit and constantly upgrading phones and electricals.

Oh definitely op! I don't drive, DH does and he used to go through bags and guilt me over what I'm getting rid of. He is blind to clutter and of the mindset to keep even if I don't like something either as rags or spares... and I think we have enough rags and no time to start new projects.
..
I used to use my black bin to declutter which was like a mini skip, I felt empowered that I could declutter without going through dh but sadly my council then switched to twice monthly collections instead of weekly, and they don't always collect it at all or well, so I can't declutter via general rubbish bin.
Clothes banks are almost always full and charity shops don't want more donations or have awkward or limited parking which is always full of course.
Freecycle is hit and miss on people reliably turning up to collect.

Yep.

Do also recall some of us being told during the Christmas season we were being attention-seeking for not wanting any more stuff and it taking away from people who equate giving stuff to Christmas and taking away the pleasure by telling people what to gift our children who already have plenty of stuff and it’s not the chore we think it is when obvious by this thread it depends on where you are.

We use these people too. They’re fabulous

If you read the small print batteries are excluded and no purchase is needed.

The need for the items to go to certain places or making sure that they go to people or groups rather than just down to the recycling centre is a mental block and another step in maintaining clutter.

These posts wind me up! I hear what you're saying. But I reckon I buy less than 5% of the stuff that ends up in my house that then has to be decluttered.

I have spent time trying to work out what to do with the pile of birthday badges, the crap that comes in party bags, bloody kinder eggs (never bought one of those in my life and think they should be banned. I would dream of buying those awful magazines with plastic tat for kids, but my MIL does.

And next you'll tell me that I need to tell people to stop buying things for my kids. Tried! Failed. And I'm hardly going to stop them attending birthday parties incase of party bag tat or telling their great granny that they don't want the kinder egg am I?

The efforts I had to go to yesterday just to donate a bagful of food to the food bank was ridiculous!

YANBU OP!

Anglo collections is fabulous. Sort into clothes, books then other - they have an extensive list on their website which is really clear about what they do and don't take (eg furniture). I really rate them - We've been booking a collection monthly for the past couple of months as we've worked through the kids clothes and toys they've outgrown (3 children, over the past 10 years - and most given to us or bought second class to start with!) It's so easy to accumulate children bits but found this the most stressless way of dealing with it - our local charity shop won't take books, half the time won't take clothes so much easier to get it collected!

Do you not have a recycling centre in your borough or town? That’s what we use.

sort it and bung it in the car. Or call the council for a bulky waste collection.

People are saying there should be more electrical recycling points, but given that Tesco, Lidl, etc all have to take back electrical items, how many more points could you need? It's making excuses.

My Charity shop never seems to take anything.

Completely agree - I find it easy to decide what to get rid of, but way more effort to actually get it out of the house.

I did manage to get rid of a big sack of stained but otherwise fine children's clothes on Facebook for free which was satisfying!

Our bin men take batteries on the recycling week, put in a separate bag on top of the bin.

I have to remember which charity shops take what. One won't accept duvet covers but another will. Trying to take bags in for rags is difficult as often their storerooms are full and they never know when the van is coming to collect

Going forward we are having to book slots at the tip to be able to get rid of stuff there

Agree.

I have three children. Most of the things bought for them were by other family members not us and 95% of it was stuff we held onto for the next child to use. Due to ND, there are things they never wore or used. I’m done having children and now we have to get rid of the accumulation of about 11 years of things.

Mind I did try to limit the amount of things the kids get and don’t buy toys and clothes unnecessarily knowing I would be the one having to do all the decluttering because DH would just chuck everything and then go out and buy things he shouldn’t have chucked in the first place.

Pretty sure I’d be torn to shreds on here if I stopped grandma from buying things for our children who she is only able to see once a year and not let her spoil them a bit and told to be grateful that I have such family members in my life.

Out tip is really good too they have clothing donation bins, a container to donate stuff and a shop that sells stuff.