Ask the Readers: Trash or Cash? (Chance to Win $20!)

http://twitter.com/sarahbelleisk/status/8552656901

Here is an expanded answer:
I reuse items creatively first (metal orange juice lids can be painted/decorated to make a fun matching game, the backs of cereal boxes that have games/puzzles can be cut out and put in a plastic sheet protector to be enjoyed over and over) and if I can't, I donate to the nearest recycling center.

If its gently used (such as clothing and other useable items) I donate to the local center who helps pass it on to those who really need it.

Thanks for helping me think about it!

I collect beer and wine bottles from my own stock or from friends and use them when I make batches of my own beer or wine. I try to recycle most things, but there are other items that can be reused or repurposed. There are a ton of ideas online for repurposing items for decoration or other uses.

If it's something that I think somebody else *might* want, I post it on craigslist in the free section, just to see what response I can get.

I'm a bit of a pack rat. If I can't find on Craigslist a market for an item I'm no longer using, I'll usually just hang on to it until I can give it to someone else who actually needs it.

I usually donate to the salvo, unless it is worth some money and sellable, in which case I put it on Craigslist oh yea!

Broken - unless it's an easy fix we dismantle it and dispose of it accordingly - recycle, repurpose, last resort trash

Dirty and no longer useful to us - clean up and resell at yard sale, only 1 per year allowed by our HOA, or craigslist.

If unable to sell, or too little stuff to sell we donate to our local CARE store (all profits benefit local rape and abuse center)

As we are downsizing to have only what we use, we have been using all these sources a lot lately. Being on fixed income and retired we have the time to repair and clean. We also repurpose a lot - remaking clothes into something we'll use, using extra hurricane shutters to make raised garden beds, 5 gallon buckets for container gardening, metal framed etagere minus glass shelves into an outdoor screening trellis.

A book I read back in the early 80's, "Reuses" by Carolyn Jabs, made me look at all so called trash items differently. So did my Dad - in the late 50's he took the bedspring from an old crib, painted it black, hung it over an upright piano that divided a room and used it as a trellis for a vining plant. He never told anyone what he did because he didn't want to be embarassed by his thriftyness.

We have an extra large size, heavy duty, lawn bag in one of our closets. When someting doesn't fit any longer, or sorting through toys not played with, or things no longer wanted or needed all go in the bag. When it's full we tie it up and bring it out to a desginated area of the garage. When we have accummulated enough stuff we have a thrift sale. What doesn't sell is donated to local charities that can use the items. This has worked well for us. We also invite family, friends & neighbors to join in the thrift sale if they would like to. We make a little extra cash and also make a donation. Just because you can't use it any longer - there is always someoneout there who would love to have that item and if they can get it at a greatly reduced price (we price our items to sell - not to get rich!) all the better! We have given many things to people for free that really needed an item but could not even afford the small amount it may be priced at.

Most things I find are not worth the time or effort to fix up and sell. There are scavengers/recyclers in our neighborhood who will pick up scrap metal, broken electronics, or non-working appliances for free; they can have it. Damaged-beyond-repair clothes become cleaning rags; old towels or bedding go to the dogs (ours or the nearby shelter). Clothes I don't want anymore are exchanged at a clothing swap with friends. Pretty much anything else that's functional that we don't want goes to goodwill, or free on Craigslist if we don't want to schlep it ourselves. Non-functional items get re-used or recycled if at all possible; trash is the last resort.

Small items get sent to goodwill if they are still usable, trashed if they are not. Large items can get posted on craigslist. Electronics usually go on craigslist. Phones, ipods, etc we trade in to refurbishment companies. Books, DVDs, and software go to our local library's used bookstore fundraiser.

We like to trade items with our friends. It's fun to swap out items that we're not using for something we can and at the same time help out our friends. Everyone wins and things don't get sent to the recycling bin or trash can.

All we do is put it out on the street. Someone always comes and takes it away. We've gotten rid of everything from old toilets to toys this way.

It depends on the item. If I can use it, I keep it. If it's usable only to someone else then I'll put it up for sale on Craigslist or eBay. If it's something that I can repair and the repairs aren't extensive, then I'll repair and either sell it, give it away, or keep it, depending on the value and whether I'll actually use it. If it's beyond repair, then it goes in the trash or recycling bin.

It would depend on what it was. If I think it is something I can immediately recycle or use then I keep it. I try not to keep to much "spare" stuff around our house though. Our house isn't large and keeping stuff on the off chance I might need it doesn't make sense.

Christine

For items that are truly trash, I either throw them away or recycle them. No chance of getting cash for them where I am. But since I'm a single person household, I don't generate a lot of waste, so I only have to pay for a small trash bin (which comes with a small recycle bin. I've thought about upgrading the size of my recycle bin; I can do that for free. But I can usually get by with the small one).

I do keep some "trash" items that are still usable. I use glass jars as drinking glasses and glass and plastic bottles for mixing up Gatorade, Koolaid and powdered milk. If I have an immediate need, I use plastic containers with lids to help with organizing things. And I've found that cut down plastic milk jugs are great for holding nails and screws while doing large home improvement projects.

For items that aren't trash but that I no longer need, I sometimes give them to friends or save them for our church's annual garage sale to raise money for mission trips. Small random things get put into a box that becomes the White Elephant gift box around the holidays. Random keychains, promotional DVDs, non-food samples and such fill that box.

I will post things for sale on ebay or Craigslist if I know that it is worth something. If I'm not sure many times I'll still list it for free on Craigslist or freecycle just so someone else can get some use out of it if they want. Very rarely do those things end up getting thrown away.

I donate EVERYTHING to the EASTER SEALS. These people are wonderful. They call me at home once every 6-7 weeks. They give me two weeks notice when they will show up. They then call me the night prior to PICKUP AT MY HOME! I've done this for three years now. They leave a tax deductible form on the door. I leave their stuff on my porch with a tag on it for them. Many times they will ask specifically for warm mens clothes or womens clothes etc.

They even take big items and are thrilled to get them! Two tv's of our recently went to a group home for disabled adults! h
EVERYONE PLEASE THINK ABOUT THIS LITTLE KNOWN ABOUT CHARITY WHO CALLS ME AND THANKS ME FOR HELPING THEM!

I am all for reusing and recycling, and I'm definitely pro donation, but I think that when you donate things you need to be realistic about whether or not someone else is going to want it. If you don't want something anymore because it doesn't work, no one else will want to pay money for it at a thrift store.

I do, however, think that setting things on the curb with a POst-It saying FREE is an amazing way to pass on less than perfect things. I've even done it with food that I didn't want to eat. (Canned green beans, anyone?)

I donate everything I can. One woman's trash is another's treasure.

...is not always gross and dangerous. After my freshman year of college, I noticed that my peers were throwing away quite a few things in the dumpsters outside. One reason is that there's a rather short timeframe between finals and move-out day. However, in my mind this doesn't excuse the massive amounts of furniture, clothing, office supplies and perfectly packaged food that get thrown out. I went dumpster diving one day and found (on top of other clean items:

-two brand-name thermal sport shirts
-$5 in change
-three unused spiral notebooks
-a teddy bear from the school bookstore
-two clean, folded cotton t-shirts

I shared the change with a nearby janitor and took the rest of my spoils home. I washed the clothing, of course, but now my dad and I each have a perfectly good thermal shirt for skiing. I've used the notebooks, I sleep in the t-shirts, and I keep the teddy bear. I'm not above using perfectly useful, cleanable stuff.

A great way to cut down on waste from college campuses would be to have people at the dumpsters to intercept and sort useful items at various times during finals week, and especially on move-out day. Goodwill and other non-profits leave donation barrels, but they quickly overflow and simply aren't enough to handle the volume of items some students are willing to throw away. The university has an official policy against dumpster-divers, to discourage homeless people, and it's sad to see so much go to waste.

Well if its "unusable,broken or dirty" it gets dismantled and the metal parts taken and sold to the scrap yard. I also sell paper and magazine to a paper factory. Whatever is left goes to the dump, we have a free dump day once a month. Everyone should see the landfill just once it is unbelievabe the amount of trash we make!!!!!!!

We donate most of our unwanted items to charity.

Well, it depends on the items. Generally, if I think I can get $10 or so for an item, I will ebay or craigslist it.
Speciality items I freecycle, or something that Goodwill won't take. (Fancy shampoo I bought and didn't like).
Everything else is trash or donation, depending on the condition.

I may give it to a charity shop but most of the time I would simply bin it.

Here is what I do (and not in any particular order).

If its just dirty--I try to clean it.

if its broken, I try to fix it.

If its simply unwanted, I try to A) Sell it on the internet, B) Sell it to a friend, C) Give it away, or D) Donate it.

When doanting, I will always let the place know if the item is broken or not, just so they don't think I am dumpong stuff on them.

After all else, I would throw it away

Ah so many possibilities. Good usable clothing goes to thrift stores. Bad clothes are cut down for rags or quilting projects. Wooden furniture is fixed and used. (Most of our stuff is "vintage".) If not used by us, then yard saled or freecycled or given to those who need it depending on when the opportunity occurs. Other stuff is gathered and yard saled or posted in the local paper for sale in the free ads section. Computer stuff is given to a local freecycler who repairs them and gives them to families who don't have a computer. (That guy is a gem.) Things that don't sell are freecycled or givien to the local thrift store. (Where they probably came from in the first place.) Odd ball broken electronics are given to a young kid we know who loves to dismantle things. Then there's creative reuse, the regular recycling during trash day, and composting of organic stuff and shredded papers.

I recycle everything I can... but have a pile of stuff accumulating by my door that I need to give away. Freecycle is another good option that I've used.

Craigslist is free to use and it takes very little time for me to take pictures and post items up for sale. If nobody buys it (I usually give it 2 weeks) then the item goes to the curb with a Free sign on it until the trashmen come.

I have had bad experience with freecycle in my area, so I avoid using it, or I just post when the item is out on the curb for whoever fancies it to come pick up. No more dealing with greedy folks who email me relentlessly to "hold" the item for them even though they wont come pick it up.

For books and electronics, I have had success selling via half.com or amazon. Though they take a huge percentage commission, it is a relatively painless process.

And finally, sometimes junk is really junk that belongs in the trash.

A group leader here on the web calls STUFF --Stuff That Undermines Family Fun. Her name is Flylady and she is all about decluttering. I have been decluttering for a while, and seem to need to do it often, no matter how little I buy. How to get rid of stuff is a problem though.

Since the new lead laws have changed, our local Salvation Army, resale stores, and Goodwill have stopped carrying children's clothing, toys, and supplies altogether. If you were planning to take anything there with a zipper, any kind of decoration, a patch, or pretty much anything except a plain t-shirt, don't. They throw it all away. Find a family that would need things in the sizes that you are giving away. Freecycle or Craigslist would work too.

For myself, I usually save the things I need to give away until I have a few boxes, then donate them to a local resale store. We have some great ones locally, and they appreciate having nice things to sell!

If it is something still good, we offer to friends and if they don't want it we either bring it to Habistore (building stuff etc. proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity) or Goodwill(or the like). It it isn't good but is recyclable we always recycle. Sometimes it is just no good and we have to throw away.
Recently we had a vacuum cleaner that didn't work anymore so we couldn't donate but didn't want to throw away. We found a vacuum cleaner store that also did repairs and asked if we could donate it to them? They were happy to take it to repair and sell.

There's not really even a recycling program where I live--the garbage service only picks up one kind of container. So I don't actually get to recycle the papers, bottles, cans, etc. However, I try to be very careful about the things I throw away. If it's something that I could sell or donate to goodwill, then I will do so. The other thing that I do is "recycle" my books with Paperback Swap. It's fun and easy, and I love knowing that I'm sending off a book that I don't want anymore to someone who does!

I happen to be one of those people who can see the potential in almost anything. So, I recycle and repair what I can. I also "collect" items that are headed for the trash from other family members (different households) and friends. I repair and reuse some of those, yard sale the stuff I don't need, and give the remainder to the local Goodwill or homeless shelter.

It might be time consuming and not worth the monetary value in terms of my time, but I feel that reusing and recycling is helping our future generations by conserving the natural resouces of our planet.

At our house my husband and I recycle just about everything. Our trash company has a zero sort trash program that makes it very simple. It also saves us a bunch of money on our trash bill since they offer unlimited free recycling. All we have to do is fill one bin with paper (any type of paper) and one bin with plastics, metals, and glass (any and all plastics, metals and glass!). We put it out during our usual pick up and away it goes. Because of all the recycling we do we only signed up for biweekly trash pickups and we have the smallest container available (3 bags every two weeks). When you take everything recyclable out there isn’t much left. We even have a 13 month old baby filling up diapers left and right and we don’t even fill our trash bin. Because of our reduced trash we only pay $22.00 per month for trash service. I would have to say that it’s a pretty good deal all around. We save money and the planet!!

It depends on what it is and what kind of effort needs to go into fixing it or cleaning it up. When we have something we can't use anymore we sell it if we can (eBay, Craigslist, resale shops), give it away if we can't sell it or know someone who needs it (Freecycle), donate it only if it's something that would really be useful to someone else, recycle it if we can't sell it, give it away or donate it, and toss it as a last resort. There are things we toss that I wish I could think of a creative use for! I'm not a creative person so that's a struggle for me. Loved reading others ideas here!

Since I moved from WI, and their mandatory recycling, I find myself throwing everything away. My community outside of Chicago does not make recycling easy, or even possible. I tried Freecycle, but even then could not get people to actually pick-up my junk. Until my community supports recycling, everything is going in the trash.

I think most questions should be answered by starting: It depends... If I believe someone will use it, I donate it (when my mom lets me), otherwise I sell it. I have never recycle anything, except for when I was in Japan... In that country they recycle almost everything... I love that place for that...

I used all three sites to get my goodies and pass on any stuff that I dont' need. Either sell or trade the items away. As for my personal trash, I used to recycle all the cardboard and paper in the blue bin. When I found out how much the city was charging me for trash, I stop giving the city the "good" recycle stuff like plastic bottles, newspaper, metal,and cardboard. Instead I take them to the dump when I know they will get recycle and I earn extra cash. I don;t live too far so I doesn;t hurt mother earth that bad.

My aunt has a consignment shop so I take good clean usuable stuff that I no longer want to her and use the money for savings. If I have dirty trashy stuff I throw it away. No way to recycle much where I live.

I am not very creative, or very handy. If it looks like cleaning is the only issue, I will wash or wipe down and use it myself or offer it to a friend. If there are no takers, I donate it to the thrift shop next time I go. Often, however, I just leave things and hope that someone with a more creative or handiman (or woman) bent will see it and make use of it.

I try really hard not to just throw stuff out that other people could find useful. I have a box for goodwill, and when it's full, I drop it off. I also post stuff on freecycle regularly. In addition, I shop at goodwill, on craigslist, and ask on freecycle for stuff that I'm in need of so that I can buy used rather than add to the junk collection of the world.

I either sell my unwanted items on Craigslist, or donate them to the Am. Council for the Blind. I try hard not to throw anything away.

if I don't think it's worth my time or effort, but it's something someone else might be able to fix, use or clean up, I'll try and find a home for it. Rummage sales (sometimes free piles), Freecycle, or charity donations (if it's not in bad shape).