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.

Take the whole lot to the local recycling site, they have separate bins for everything including textiles and shoes.

I think we must be lucky as it’s pretty easy in our city. Recycling is just all recyclables into an orange bag and you can put as many out for weekly collection as you like so that takes care of all paper, glass, cardboard etc. The council will collect 5x large/bulky items every 2 months free of charge the it’s £5 per collection for any extras. The locals will take anything you put out front that isn’t nailed down so working electrical/furniture/kids toys etc that are still good will be gone within 20 seconds of putting them out.

So once you get started with decluttering it’s pretty easy to dispose of the output.

Pop it all on a free giveaway app, like Olio. Post on a Thurs/Friday and most will likely be collected over the weekend. I find it amazing (& really satisfying) what other people will collect. I've given away everything from a greenhouse right the way to packaged food which we don't need and everything in between.

Yup, ideally the take home message is declutter and don't buy more! Accepting that your stuff is mostly going to landfill or incinerator and most people don't want it should be a wake up call

I put anything that can be reused in a clean box by the side of the path. It’s always gone by the time I look next (people have to walk down our street to get to a local primary school). If you have any level of footfall in your street you could do that.

Bang on the money, we're in the process of a gradual on going Swedish death clean. It feels so good not to have so much stuff and very freeing mentally.
Having too much stuff around in our old 3 bed terrace was like having mental constipation, we were stressed, tired and generally feeling a lot older than our years.
We downsized to a lovely 2 bed detached bungalow and life is so much easier as we had no choice but to clear out stuff before we moved.
I look at a lot of tat in shops and think landfill in a few weeks. i.e for valentine's day and easter.

And people die and leave their relatives all their possessions to dispose of. In fact my dad declutters by giving me all the old crap he doesn't want any more and he's still with us.

Its a bit simplistic to say 'Just don't buy so much stuff'.

Great post from @HazelMember but I can relate to yours @TonTonMacoute.

Decluttering things with emotional meaning is so hard, when I cleared my parents’ house I brought home so many things that I just cannot dispose of. Old books, papers, photos, etc. They now take up the space that I made decluttering my own “things”. I have bought one nice large box I have space for and have committed to sorting just into that. When I go, the contents will become meaningless.

Other than that, I have developed more of a one in one out mentality, with limited storage it has become easier. I buy good quality used clothes as first choice where I can - I do like a bargain so win win.

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.

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.

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.

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

I agree that buying less in the first place is important. But the idea that people should simply accept that their belongings will end up in landfill and treat that as a moral wake up call feels overly simplistic.

Most people are not decluttering because they are addicted to shopping. They are decluttering because life changes. Children grow. Health, space and circumstances change. What was once needed becomes genuinely unnecessary.

Trying to recycle, donate or dispose of things responsibly is not denial. It is an effort to reduce harm from what already exists. Telling people to just accept landfill as inevitable risks discouraging responsible behaviour altogether.

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.

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).

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 do build up because life changes. Children go through rapid stages. Illness, disability, caring responsibilities, work pressures and housing changes all affect how much time and energy people have to manage possessions in a perfectly organised way.

Not everyone has the capacity to constantly sort, donate, recycle and replace items at the exact moment change happens. Sometimes things are kept because they might be needed again because there is no time to deal with them properly or because disposal options are limited.

Also, not everything is replaced one for one. You do not always get new clothes the moment old ones stop fitting. Tools and equipment often come in for new needs without the old ones being instantly redundant.

Being mindful about what you buy is important. But it is unrealistic to suggest that clutter only happens because people ignore their belongings. Life is complex and managing possessions responsibly takes time, space, energy and access to disposal options that not everyone has.

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.

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!

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 think this frames the issue in a very black and white way that does not reflect how most people actually live.

Saying decluttering is not simple is not an excuse. It is a description of reality. Responsible disposal takes time, access, transport, storage space and energy. For many people juggling work, children, health issues, caring responsibilities and in my case two recent bereavements, life admin does not always happen in neat, timely stages.

It is also a big assumption to say I am constantly buying all this stuff. A lot of what I am dealing with has been given to me or to DC over the years or has come through inheritance. That still leaves the same task of sorting and disposing of it responsibly.

Caring about the environment does not mean living a perfectly minimalist life or never buying anything. It means trying to reduce harm where you can, including making an effort not to send usable items straight to landfill. That effort is not pathetic. It is a reasonable response to a system that makes ethical disposal harder than it needs to be.

Enjoying life and being environmentally conscious are not opposites. People can value experiences, buy what they need for their families and still try to act responsibly with what they already own.

The problem is not that people lack values. The problem is that modern life, limited infrastructure and constant demands on time make doing everything on time all the time completely unrealistic.

Smug

In what way?

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.

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.