Getting rid of old stuff

Wondering what to do with all the old stuff now that you've gotten a bunch of new things for the holidays?  

Resist the urge to cram your closets with junk you'll never use again or send perfectly useful things to the landfill. Here's how you can donate, give away, recycle, sell, or trade old items.

 

Electronics

Most of us already have a stockpile of old electronics we don't know what to do with. Luckily, it's easier and easier to responsibly get rid of old gadgets. Don't forget to take your personal info off of cell phones and computers first.

• Many major consumer electronics manufacturers, such as Dell and Apple, will take back their old products.


• A growing number of retailers have extensive free recycling programs or trade-in options (where you get store credit when you bring in old electronics). Best Buy, Staples, and Radio Shack have in-store and online programs that are worth checking out.


• Donate old cell phones and computers directly to a charity in need. Some Goodwill locations accept computer equipment in any condition for refurbishing or responsible recycling. Your old cell phone, PDA, or MP3 can benefit a charity of your choice through CollectiveGood.


• Try selling your old gadgets at Gazelle.

 

Sports equipment: Donate to schools, youth programs, Salvation Army, and Goodwill. Or see if you can trade it in for new gear at Play It Again Sports.

 

CDs, DVDs, video games: You can drop off CDs and DVDs at any Best Buy store in the U.S. Just look for the free kiosk just inside the front door. GreenDisc recycles CDs, DVDs, and video and audio tapes and their cases. You can swap, music, DVDs, or video games by mail through Swaptree, SwapaDVD, SwapaCD, and Game Trading Zone.

 

Kids stuff: Donate old toys to a nearby children's hospital, daycare center, or Goodwill.  Trade (or sell) kids' stuff you no longer want at Tots Swap Shop, Kizoodle, Swap Baby Goods, or Hand-Me-Downs.

 

Books: Ask your local library, school, or hospital if they can use books you no longer need. Otherwise, consider sending them to the Global Literacy Project, which distributes books to communities, libraries, and schools around the world. There are also several websites that are dedicated to helping you swap old books into new reading material.

 

Clothing: It's well-known that you can donate old clothes to the Salvation Army and Goodwill. And women's business attire can go to Dress for Success. You can also trade what you no longer wear at Swapstyle or Swap-O-Rama-Rama.  

 

Shoes: Soles4Souls collects gently worn shoes and distributes them to the needy. Drop off your old shoes at a nearby donation location or mail them to one of its distribution centers. If your athletic shoes are too worn out to donate, then Nike will recycle them into a material that's used in sports surfaces, playgrounds, and new products.

 

Of course, you can also give away many things on Freecycle, or sell your old castaways on Craiglist or eBay.

Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green's users. Send Lori a question or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book, Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life is available on Yahoo! Shopping and Amazon.com.

 

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How to clean up after the holidays

The gifts are unwrapped, the guests are gone, and your house is littered with tinsel, paper, and empty boxes. Not to mention, there's a big tree sitting in the living room. What's the best way to dispose of all this junk, preferably without digging a new landfill in town?

With just a little bit of sorting, you can clear out the house for the New Year. Here's how:

Recycle the Christmas tree

If, like 30 to 35 million American households, you bought a freshly cut, real tree for the holiday, you can easily recycle this renewable resource.

Go to Earth 911, type in "Christmas tree," and then enter your ZIP code to find one of the 4,000 recycling programs around the U.S. Many communities have curbside pick-up for trees after Christmas, while other towns have drop-off locations.

Before you recycle the tree, make sure to prepare it correctly:

• Remove lights and decorations, including all strands of tinsel.
• Take the tree out of the stand.
• Be sure there is no metal attached to the tree.
• Don't wrap the tree in a bag for pick-up unless instructed to do so.
• Check to see what size trees are accepted; if necessary, cut the tree in pieces.

Flocked trees usually can't be recycled and must be put into the garbage. "Living" trees (with root balls) shouldn't be recycled; they should be planted as soon as possible after the holiday.

Also, artificial trees can't be recycled. If you need to get rid of an artificial tree, try to donate it to charity or give it away on Craigslist or Freecycle. Otherwise, it will sit in the landfill forever.

Recycled trees are used throughout the country as mulch in public gardens. Some communities offer this mulch back to individuals for free. Christmas trees have also been used to help rebuild dunes in Gulf Shores, Alabama, following Hurricane Ivan. Nearly 1.5 million Christmas trees were recycled into waterway conservation projects in Louisiana.

Recycle the gift wrap

First step is to sort: Remove ribbons and bows, tear off remaining bits of tape, and separate out any metallic or glitter-encrusted papers. None of that stuff is recyclable, although some of it may be reusable (especially ribbons!).

Now, can you recycle the paper that's left? This will depend on where you live. Look for the website of your local waste management company, because that's who will decide what to take. Plain wrapping papers can be added to mixed-paper recycling in some communities.

Next year, try using less wrapping paper. You'll save money and have more fun being creative with fabric wraps, reusable bags, and recycled wrappings.

Recycle the boxes and packing material

Cardboard and paperboard boxes are easy to break down and recycle in most curbside programs. If you have a lot of material, you might need to bundle the cardboard in small packets with string.

If you have space, you might want to keep a few boxes around to give next year's gifts in. Or give them away -- people can always use large shipping boxes as moving boxes.

Bubble wrap and packing peanuts can be reused. If not by you, then by someone searching Craigslist or Freecycle. Mailing centers such as The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. will also accept them.

Wondering what to do with other packaging stuff? Find out what else can be recycled and what should be trashed.

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How to get rid of annoying packaging

Shopping online can save you time and is much less stressful than battling the crowds at the mall. It's also better for the planet than making a dedicated trip to the store, but it can be a real hassle to get rid of the resulting packaging, which can really pile up. 

As much as half of the 85 million tons of paper products Americans consume every year goes toward packaging, wrapping, and decorating goods, according to Earth 911.

Here are some tips for tackling it with a clear conscience: 

 

Bubble wrap

You have many options for reusing bubble wrap. Set it aside for another time when you need to ship something fragile, if you have the room to store it. Or give it to someone who has a use for it now. Try listing  bubble wrap on Freecycle or in the free stuff section of Craigslist, or bring it to your local mailing center (such as the UPS Store or Mail Boxes Etc).

Otherwise, try clever ways to reuse bubble wrap such as keeping produce fresh longer, removing frost from your windshield, or using it for insulation. Really! Check out all these innovative suggestions from Planet Green.

 

Packing peanuts

As with bubble wrap, the best thing you can do is figure out how to reuse packing peanuts as they were meant to be used. You can reuse them yourself (store in an old pair of pantyhose) or give them away (shipping stores take them back, and Freecycle and Craigslist are also an option).

Feeling more creative? The Green Cheapskate says they can help make ice last longer, and they're handy to have around for projects.

 

FedEx envelopes

Paper envelopes can go in with your paper recycling. Depending on where you live, you can probably get away with leaving the plastic sleeve on, but it's better to remove it if you can. "It is always good practice to remove non-paper items from your paper recyclables so you don't contaminate the recycling stream," says Jennifer Berry at Earth 911.

Tyvek envelopes are a different story since they are actually made of plastic and not paper. You can mail Tyvek envelopes back to the manufacturer (Dupont) for recycling.

Stuff envelopes (less than 25) into an inside-out Tyvek envelope and mail to this address: Tyvek Recycle, Attn. Shirley B. Wright, 200 Elliham Avenue, #A, Richmond, VA 23237. You will have to pay for postage yourself. Otherwise, you should throw them in the trash.

 

Cardboard boxes

You can recycle cardboard boxes with mixed paper in most communities. Just break down the boxes and remove tape.

Better yet, store cardboard boxes and reuse them, or give them to someone who needs them. You can also drop off used boxes at U-Haul stores or use the company's message board to trade or sell boxes.

 

Clamshell packaging

You probably won't have to deal with this hard plastic packaging until after the gifts are opened, although if you know the recipient won't return your present (if you buy your child a toy, for example) you may want to open the package up before you wrap it to save the recipient the hassle later on.

Whether or not you can recycle clamshell packaging depends on where you live and what type of plastic it's made of. Given that the ubiquitous packaging is typically made from PVC (#3) or polypropylene (#5) and that most curbside recycling programs only accept polyethylene (#1) or high density polyethylene (#2), you probably can't recycle it.

"If your recycling program does take all kinds of plastics, it's important to note which kind of plastic your container is made of and to verify if it's accepted, says Berry. "I hate to say it, but when it doubt, try to find a way to reuse it or throw it out."

 

Wrapping paper

This is another post-holiday concern, but good to think about, especially when you are wrapping gifts. Try to choose paper that is made from recycled paper or that can be recycled. Better yet, get creative, and save money on store-bought paper.

Grandma had the right idea about saving any paper in good condition and keeping ribbon and bows to use again. But sometimes that is just not possible.

Whether you can recycle wrapping paper depends on what it's made of (metallic and foil aren't a good bet for the recycling bin) and where you live. Most traditional wrapping paper isn't recyclable, but some municipalities do recycle it. Be sure to remove all tape, ribbons, and bows beforehand. If you're not sure, you should throw it out.

 

Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green's users. Send Lori a question or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book, Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life is available on Yahoo! Shopping and Amazon.com.

Check out Yahoo! Green on Twitter and Facebook.

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