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

[HazelMember]

Everyone says “just have a clear-out” like it’s a quick job. But if you don’t want to chuck everything in landfill, it’s a whole logistical exercise:

Electrical items have to be recycled.
Dead batteries need to be recycled.
Charity shops are harder and harder to park near. My local charity shops are closing down and others will only take certain items.
My local homeless charity that are kitting out temporary homes will not take new bedding. Only cash.
Some places won’t take certain clothes, toys or household items.

So you end up with piles of “good” stuff sitting around while you work out where it can actually go.

YY. Our local baby bank only takes clothes up to 3 months, and is closed for donations during school holidays. It’s so frustrating!

You arrange a charity collection and dispose of everything except batteries in one go. Batteries just take to the supermarket the next time you go.

We have icollect and Anglo doorstep collection who will pick these things up. Will they collect from your postcode? It’s worth checking!

YANBU. I have a boot full and it's going to take a trip to the tip, a charity shop, the local rugby club and some inPost lockers to clear it all! It feels good when it's gone though.

Yes it’s hard to donate things now. Our local charity shops don’t really take baby clothes which I have loads to get rid of.
Even trying to sell some items is a hassle - people message and then don’t collect, or arranging postage is a faff. I end up with bags of stuff to donate or sell.
Last time I had a clothes declutter I ended up just putting it into those charity clothes bins as it’s the least hassle.

I think you can only do your best, and then you must accept that if no-one wants it, there's not much more you can do but throw it away and be careful about what and when you buy. If you live in an area where it's possible, leaving stuff by the road for a day with a 'free' sign is an easy way to send certain things to a new home.

Also some b&q’s have an electrical recycling drop off, batteries to the supermarket and I use Anglo door step collection which take most things apart from duvets and pillows

They will not take everything. I have tried with several charities. They want to know in advance what there is to collect and then only take some items.

I know where you are coming from.

I don't mind the sorting into piles, it's then facing the piles that I can't immediately get rid of that I find harder.

We are lucky as we have 2 charity shops near us that you can park outside. However they vet everything and have limits on stuff that change from week to week, so you can never know if they're going to take what you've packed up. I do understand their need to gatekeep but it doesn't help the getting rid attempt.

We also have local charities that you can book a house collection with. I find this motivating as if they're coming I can ask all the dc to make use of the opportunity.

We have a few places nearby that you can take things too to avoid landfill. They took loads from me when I cleared the garage out in the summer. Our local tips also have shops where they sell and salvage decent stuff.

Social media can be useful if you're getting rid of stuff that would be useful for hobbies etc or craft stuff. People will often come and collect it.

It's all time and space consuming though and it would definitely be easier to bin everything!

Agree. I always have batteries lying around. Do food shop online so very rarely go to the supermarket (or to any shop in fact). Also have a big bag of electrical stuff in the garage waiting to be recycled. I wish there were more recycling points for stuff like this.

Its such a pain in the arse to recycle (esp if you don’t drive) that lots of people just chuck it in the bin.

Our local council tip takes it all in the appropriate place and recycles what they can.

I used Icollectclothes in the past they took all electronics, clothes and even some sports equipment. I did confirm with them in advance and they were happy with everything on the list.

You can take electrical recycling to any shop which sells electrical items, they have to take them even if they didn't sell them. I take mine to John Lewis, where they have an electricals recycling point at the customer collections place.

I agree - it’s difficult.
DH ‘sells’ stuff on eBay - for pennies, often, but reasons that this way the person who gets it does want it. I can’t bear doing that.
Ive used freecycle, freegle and Olio a lot. Sometimes FB marketplace and groups. NextDoor. Preloved. Gumtree.
but it’s tiiiiiiiimeconsuming.

Re the electrical recycling - the tip /recycling centre has easy to use, well signed, allocated recycling for these things and more. They often keep working things to one side for charity / reselling.

Supermarkets have little bins for spent batteries and water filters, so they are easy to drop off when you are next in.

I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill, tbh, unless there is a transport or mobility issue at play.

Yes, but by not doing it you're just saving the problem for another day or for someone to deal with once you're dead. What would your family do with all the stuff once you're gone? Do that, it will happen eventually anyway.

The time to be environmentally concerned was when acquiring all this stuff in the first place. Make sure you don't do it again!

Our bin men take batteries. The recycling centre also has a Reuse shop, where they will look over what you've brought in and dispose of stuff they can't sell.

I don't find it simple. I think it's a long process, and it's filled with shame, which is just made harder by people acting like it's easy.

Agree, spent the last week decluttering
and it’s a longer process than anticipated. Checking electric toys work, posting things on olio and messaging people, finding boxes
and bags to pack things in. I did have an Anglo collection this morning, they take many items including small electricals. Absolute godsend and very reliable. Then baby bank tomorrow and rest will be tip unfortunately.

Yes I was thinking about taking it to John Lewis, but I don’t drive, so it would be a bus or train journey with a huge bag of electrical stuff. Also, I shop online and probably only go shopping in the city once or twice a year, so it’s a massive faff. I think there should be more local recycling points for electrical items.

I know what you mean. We only have a small wheelie bin which gets collected fortnightly so putting stuff in the bin is no solution either as it gets full too quickly. We have a recycling centre nearby that takes some stuff but you have to figure out what they will and won’t take… I have a bag of fabric recycling (threadbare sheets etc) that’s been sitting in my bedroom for weeks!

Not really. We've de-cluttered our own home, DH's office (self employed) and also the respective homes of our late mothers' after their deaths. On each occasion, we just made "piles" of stuff segregated into "tip", "charity", "ebay", "keep" and the "tip" broken down into each category of recycling. If you make the decision as to which pile it's going into when you work through rooms/cupboards/wardrobes/drawers, etc., and only "touch it once" it becomes a lot quicker/simpler. Of course, you also have to stick with your original choice so you don't waste time and headspace going through piles a second/third time!

To be honest, if you've got to the clutter stage, you've almost certainly done the environmental damage in over consumption. Being all concerned about being environmentally responsible now seems largely like another excuse not to get on with it.

I’ve been slowly decluttering my flat and getting rid of things ethically has been a real problem. You need an appointment to take things to our local tip and the waiting time can be a few weeks. Which is a real pain when you’ve got nowhere to store things in the meantime!

I had a doorstep collection from Anglo and have sold a few bits on Vinted but still have another two boxes of item to list. I’ve also got some nice pieces of furniture I don’t need any more so have advertised them for sale.

It has however made me realise that I need to be far more mindful of what I bring into my home going forward.