I love this time of year. So many traditions – trick or treating, carving pumpkins, enjoying harvest parties and hayrides. Already my mailbox is buckling under the weight of Christmas catalogs, so I’m observing another tradition: de-cluttering for the holidays.
What is clutter? Clothes my kids have outgrown. Unfinished craft projects. Leftover roof shingles. Dusty, neglected toys. Used books. The breadmaker I bought on impulse. Perfectly good shoes that don’t match anything in my closet.
A lot of the items you might consider clutter can be reused and recycled – much better than just tossing them in a landfill. Local agencies and on-line communities such as Freecycle will find a home for stuff you no longer need or want.
Household goods. Do you want to make room in your closet for new Christmas clothes? Donate to a charity such as the Salvation Army. Besides clothing, they will also take fabric, bedding, décor, craft supplies, puzzles, game, small appliances (such as microwaves), used mattresses, and books.
Paula Shively, who works at Salvation Army, told me that they particularly need paperback books right now. “Winter accessories, such as hats and gloves, are nice to have right now, too,” she said. They do not take large appliances or anything flammable. They are open most days during regular business hours and prefer that you bring in items in bags or boxes.
Earthworks, a ministry of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ in Donaldson, Indiana, is collecting gently used household items for its Whole House Sale until November 15 – everything except furniture and clothing. The sale is November 20 -21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, and promises “rummage sale goodies (recycled, polished, ready for giving), handcrafted items (local artisans), Earthworks breads, oils, and jellies.” (For more information, call Earthworks at 935-4164).
Furniture and building materials. The Habitat Restore in Plymouth has only been open for a few years, volunteer Sharon Anderson told me, but by year’s end they expect to have diverted 100 tons of material from landfills, and they have sold 900 gallons of paint that also would have been thrown away. They accept hardware, building supplies, paint, furniture, all appliances, fixtures, and household items. Sales help fund the building of new Habitat for Humanity homes in Marshall County. They are open Thursday and Friday from 10 – 6 p.m., and Saturday from 9 – 5 p.m. and will pick up items on a limited basis. (Call the Restore at 935-4214).
Reduce clutter by joining an on-line recycling community. Freecycle’s mission is “to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community.” There’s no selling on the Freecycle network: people simply pass along items they are no longer using. On their website, www.freecycle.org, you can find a local group for convenient exchanges. The site also offers advice on ways to use the stuff around your house that you might be tempted to pitch (e.g., wire hangars, socks with no mate).
The best way to get rid of clutter is not to bring it home in the first place. Easier said than done, I know, in our consumer-oriented society, especially this time of year. With every purchase I make, I ask myself: am I really going to use this?
Or will it be one more thing to get rid of during next year’s traditional fall de-cluttering?
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