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.

I agree that charity shops can be difficult in terms of what and when they accept donations. I took things to one charity shop to donate and after walking in the door the person was quite rude and basically shouted that they weren’t taking any. I have found charity shops that does want donations but it took time and tbh I have no internist in non of giving to those charities that were rude. I have decided to sell things in vinted/ebay simply because I want to declutter and at least the items are going where they are wanted.

Coops will recycle batteries.
St Vincent de Paul will take most household items, bedding, cutlery, furniture, etc etc.

I do get it OP- and it is a stumbling block for me. One thing I have picked up from MN is “your house is not the landfill”. Keeping crap in your house neatly in cupboards indefinitely is not morally better than landfill.

So the electrical stuff - yes that you will have to sort a trip to the recycling centre, but this excess bedding, outgrown clothes, it’s ok to bin them. If things are “as good as new” you could get them on vinted for £1-2, if that makes you feel better than binning. But if things are not “as good as new” condition, it’s fine to throw them out.

(also for electric thing, check what your council will let you put in the bin- as long as something doesn’t have a battery in it, ours will take electrical things. They will take stuff that should be battery powered as long as you have removed the battery. Not ideal compared to recycling it, but if you really can’t get to a recycling centre soon, worth checking.)

For batteries and electrical items - if you know someone who works with any sort of electronics its worth asking if they can take them to put in their WEEE. My partner works with electronic stuff and takes our batteries and broken electronics to work with him to dispose of.
Some kerbside recycling now takes electronic items and batteries as long as they are in a bag.

Our local tip is amazing. There’s a “bin” section there for everything including a space to donate stuff that’s split into furniture / clothing / toys / books and “misc”. You can recycle appliances, dispose of old batteries etc - everything! Suddenly realising how lucky I am!

So much easier to clean and tidy too!

@HazelMember have you actually looked up the website of your local council tip to see what they take? This is an example - I doubt you have anything that wouldn't be appropriately dealt with https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/recycling-waste-and-environment/recycling-and-waste/where-can-i-recycle/household-waste-recycling-centres/harpenden-household-waste-recycling-centre.aspx

I was given a lot of clothes for DC as gifts. I can only control what I buy not what other people give me.

I worry about the environmental impact of stuff I buy and what others give me.

We are lucky. Our local tip is really well set up for recycling and also has a reuse section where things are sorted and sold on site.

Op I get it, especially for people without a car, it must be a nightmare.

We have far too much stuff in our house, and trying to de-clutter is easier said than done.
Time, places to get rid of stuff.

Batteries are fairly easy, anywhere that sells them must recycle them.

Get rid of it all in one day at a boot fair. Take any price offered.

I have done this only once, it was fun! I said to my children who helped get the items ready, car packed and items sold that any money raised (as it was mainly their old clothes and toys) they get to keep and spend in the Harry Potter world gift shop.

Got rid of everything, had a fun new experience and the ‘expensive’ gift shop felt free!

I’m currently trying to fit in going to dunelm to take some old textiles.
I hate our tip, you still have to book in and they don’t a proper place for small electricals, so you have to wander round trying to find a member of staff to take them.

People don't miss out. They set rules like that because they get mountains of donations of stained unusable clothes, and they don't need them. If they were struggling with donations I'm sure they would change their rules

Charity shops are picky because most of the crap we donate doesn't sell. Charitys are not waste disposal units

Most of the clothes that we donate to charity or recycle end up in landfill abroad. It might make you feel good to "recycle" your stained baby clothes, but they will just get dumped

Most of what you "recycle" will end up in landfill. Even if it goes via someone on Facebook market place. Or via Cancer research UK, or a carboot sale. If your lucky it'll end up on a Ghanaian beach

Studies show the easier it is to "recycle" the less people care about buying shit and so the more they buy. We should put some effort into disposing of our stuff

I think it's also important to remember that if it's really hard to find somewhere to repurpose the item, that's probably because it's not really repurposeable. No one wants your shit.

What's done is done in terms of what you already own, but decluttering shouldn't be a regular occurance and it's no bad thing to put some effort into properly recycling, reducing your impact, especially if it makes you think and buy less next time

What is "properly recycling" though @Toothfairy89 ?

I eBay as I go along.

I agree OP. I can’t stand not even trying to try to find a need for whatever. It’s not about getting money for whatever but trying to get reuse. I thought I’d found an online place to take all my unwanted DVDs, but even there not all items were wanted, so I’ve ended up trying several places. Charity shop doesn’t meant them. I buy a lot on eBay so sell stuff there as I like the idea of someone enjoying whatever it is, but it does take time.

If the small electricals still work, just leave them by the big bins - someone will take them home.

Can anyone advise me what to do with old mobiles (smart and non-smart) that have broken screens? None of them turn on and also haven't been wiped so could have loads of photos, phone numbers and and other stuff in them.

I have a drawer full from the last 30 years. How do I safely dispose of them without the risk of someone stealing data?

It drives me mad.

Also the pressure to 'sell stuff on vinted"😫.

I had a bag of about 10 pairs of Nike joggers that had sat in my dining room for about a year.

On Sunday I finally decided that I was never going to sell them and they just needed to go to the charity shop. No where would take them and I ended up putting them in a clothes recycling bin

I felt guilty but very liberated .

We take books to the National Trust when we visit, they always want them for their bookshops

No, non working.
If they are things like toasters the rag and bone men will take them. It’s small crap like lights that took batteries that don’t work, broken toys.
I need to charge and wipe a tablet so I can get rid of that, I was going to take it to a scheme at the library but they want so much information about the tablet (type, age, operating system) I’ve lost interest because I don’t know, it’s a tablet!

I understand the point about overconsumption and the environmental impact. We should all think carefully about what we buy.

But life is not static. People’s needs change. Babies grow. Children outgrow clothes, toys, bedding and equipment. Health changes. Housing changes. Family situations change. Things that were once useful and appropriate can genuinely become unnecessary through no fault of careless consumption.

Decluttering is not always about chasing trends or buying more stuff. Often it is about adapting to a new stage of life and trying to deal responsibly with what you already own. For many of us, that means making an effort not to just dump things in the bin, even when it would be easier.

Not everything can be repurposed, but that does not mean people are wrong for trying. Wanting to reduce waste, donate usable items and recycle properly is taking responsibility not avoiding it.

Yes, we should all buy more mindfully. But we also live real lives that evolve over time. Decluttering is often just part of life and our needs changing.

If you’re concerned about the environment, yes, quite a bit of it probably is.

I’m in France and our local déchèterie takes pretty much everything. I divide it as I declutter and then it’s very easy to get rid of correctly:

paper
cardboard
wood
metal
furniture and mattresses
garden waste
gravats (mostly building waste / plaster / concrete / terracotta/ tiles)
everything else - mostly non recycled plastics, which do go to landfill.

there’s a separate cabine / shed where you can deposit:
cooking oil
paint / other chemicals
lightbulbs
batteries
small electric goods
large white goods

there are also clothes / linen recycling bins and even a place where you can leave charity donations for Emmaus - books, toys, kitchen equipment, ornaments, games, sport gear etc etc, which saves a trip.

its excellent, a real one stop shop.