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.

What’s wrong with using the clothes recycling bins outside Tesco?

Re. not buying stuff in the first place. I have to say that having not lived in the UK for 20 odd years, its very striking how cheap ‘stuff’ is and how much people do buy. It’s changing now in France but it’s only very recently that ‘tat’ shops have appeared, ones that have been in the UK for years - B&M, Home Bargains etc. Places like The Range don’t really exist. There are some real cheap and cheerful places, they mostly sell toiletries and weird things like Irn Bru 🤷‍♀️(Action. Normal) etc. Most household ‘stuff’ is still relatively more expensive here, and I think more people would tend to buy quality that lasts, rather than new cushion covers every season.

Cancer Research UK have superstores in many cities - often in a retail park so better parking, and they are unlikely to turn away donations.

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved/ways-to-shop/superstores

YANBU book a skip and dump it.

just this week I have had a skip taken away full of clothes (so.many.clothes), indoor furniture, old blinds and curtains, garden chairs, handbags, all my stilettos (goodbye my 20s), cushions, random bits of home decor, broken suitcase....

There was a good radio 4 segment on decluttering yesterday that I thought was interesting

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002ppwr

Always brimming full never emptied. Just like the bottle banks next to them.

I stick it all on local selling sites for free. It is amazing what people want. I've had things that are broken and ruined being taken by someone who wanted them for an art project for example. People take old glass jars for shabby chic weddings etc.

Yes, the amount of 'seasonal' tat is really worrying. Different decor being encouraged for all seasons and public holidays. It's really picked up over the last few years.

So true and you don't want to throw perfectly good stuff out as it's such a waste and bad for the environment so I might have to wash teddies etc before going to the charity shop or going through boxes trying to make sure I have all the jigsaw pieces or all the bits of a certain toy. It's hard work.

Do they sort the contents of the skip?

Our village library takes small electricals

Strongly agree OP.

Even if a person just wanted to bin items they would be severely restricted due to bin sizes and limited collections.

I have no idea. In any case it rained quite a lot so whatever was in there was ruined anyway

Put it on fb marketplace for free if charity shops don’t take it. I remember when I left my abusive ex and had absolutely nothing and there was help for white goods and Christmas presents but nothing in the charity shops for bedding etc. A lady in the pub I was working in timidly came up to me and said I do t want to offend but I’ve had a clear out of my mothers house and there is so much stuff I can’t donate but before I hire a skip do you want to pick it over. I got a tatty armchair, duvets and sheets, pots and pans, plates cutlery (none of it matched so wasn’t able to donate). Saved me a fortune and I was sooo grateful. Then years later when I had replaced it all with better stuff I put the lot on fb, there were quite a few time wasters but then a woman going through what I went through said she would take anything for the kitchen and did I have bedding so I gave her the lot and when I dropped it off and saw what she had I decided I’d get my dd a new bed so hers could have a bed. It’s a good feeling

Our local tip has something for all of the things you list, including big charity collection things for clothes.

How irresponsible & uncaring of you!

disgraceful

Yes, I find it's increasingly difficult, especially with charities. Recently one that I'd used previously had a notice on the door saying they weren't accepting anything further that particular day. Others wouldn't take bedding such as duvets or pillows. And we no longer have local recycling bins. But my local Sainsbury's takes soft plastics and used batteries. And Waitrose has bins for textiles - and I think shoes -in good clean condition. I forget what M and S takes. One of my local computer repair shops will take some old electronic stuff. As you say, it's complicated to get rid of all.

In my borough you can take things to the tip - now renamed as Recycling Centre or something like that - and they will recycle whatever they think can be recycled or that you've separated and earmarked as recyclable.

If you say so, dear

Charity shops arent interested in my old worn Tesco dresses with yellowed armpit sweat marks... honestly. Or my battered stilettos with missing diamentés.

Broken suitcase anyone?? Bit of duct tape and it'll meet you on the conveyor belt in Italy just fine...?

The point is that eBay etc aren’t quick, donating is not straightforward and recycling is limited so the logistics of getting thise piles out of the house and dealt with takes longer and takes a lot of headspace if you don’t want it to end up in landfill.
OP is right. It can take ages if you are trying to minimise landfill and be environmentally responsible

Stick it on olio people always come to get free stuff from your door

Boots is good for recycling if you have the recycling at boots app you can earn £5 when you recycle

I am an avid declutterer but find it tiring. I listed 20 items on Vinted today and it took more than 2 hours. That’s not including the time I will spent in posting and sending.

It’s made me consider the whole cost of owning things; not just the initial financial cost but then the emotional cost of things hanging around that don’t serve my family. Then the further cost in disposing of things. It’s made me consider what is allowed to take up time and space in our home.

Other than Vinted:-

• Any workwear items I try and donate to a local charity who provide interview clothes for people returning to work;
• Try FB marketplace for larger items. We’ve had appliances taken for free and sold furniture;
• Batteries to local electrical shop or supermarket. I think even Lidl and Aldi have battery boxes;
• Home decor is usually accepted by charity shops over clothing donations;
• Bundles of clothes seem to sell well on FB marketplace. Some shops also do a clothing return system so you get a voucher for donating old clothes; I know John Lewis and M&S both have schemes.

It does take time and effort! Better to do it slowly and carefully than just chuck the lot.

You are aware people can still read your other post I presume.

just this week I have had a skip taken away full of clothes (so.many.clothes), indoor furniture, old blinds and curtains, garden chairs, handbags, all my stilettos (goodbye my 20s), cushions, random bits of home decor, broken suitcase

I watched a reel the other day where someone was ‘decluttering’ by putting all the stuff she didn’t want into a black bag and into her bin! There was a few bits for the charity shop but absolutely nothing was being disposed of responsibly. I try to frame it as the longer it takes to get rid of something, the more considered my purchases will be in the future.