How to donate your clutter responsibly

The pressure to help save the planet is becoming insurmountable. Landfills are overflowing with fast fashion and our overconsumption is even showing in the ocean. However, turning your home into a landfill is not the answer!

You should not be keeping things that you don’t want anymore just because you don’t want to throw them in the garbage. There are so many ways that we can donate responsibly, helping keep the environment and our homes clutter free.

Alternative places to donate

Animal Shelters

If you have old towels and blankets that are so stained you can’t even tell what the original color was, they can be donated to an animal shelter! Dogs don’t care about the color of the blanket they lay on, as long as they have something soft.

Homeless Shelters

Homeless shelters are great places to donate your unwanted clothes, especially winter clothes! They are also the perfect place to donate suitcases or other luggage. There is always a need for professional clothing, as well as durable shoes.

Domestic Shelters

If you find yourself absolutely swimming in unopened cosmetics and toiletries that you don’t like and have never used, you can donate them to a domestic shelter.

Women at these shelters don’t always have access to these items, and a scented lotion or new lipstick can do wonders to boost confidence and morale.

Food Pantries

When decluttering your pantry, don’t just throw all the food out! Any unopened food can be donated to your local food pantry. Before you donate, make sure that nothing is expired– if you wouldn’t eat old food, why would someone else?

Buy Nothing Groups

Buy Nothing groups are a fantastic way to get rid of your clutter while also connecting with your community. Once you find and join your local group, you can donate just about anything there!

These groups are a great way to ensure that what you are donating ends up in the hands of someone who needs it. The best part — you don’t even have to go anywhere! You can have your neighbors come pick it up right from your doorstep, and you can meet new people in your community.

What else do you have to declutter? Surplus vases can be donated back to the florist. Craft supplies can be donated to a local school’s classroom. Books can be donated to your library, or even a little free library in your neighborhood. Get creative! There is a home for everything.

Don't donate trash

If sorting through your donations is overwhelming, I understand. It is more important to make sure that your children are picked up from school on time, or to have dinner on the table after a full day of work.

The most important thing is to make sure you don’t donate trash. I’m not talking about empty bottles and candy wrappers (although don’t donate those either!), but those things that no one will want or be able to use.

Just because people can’t afford clothes doesn’t mean they want jackets with irreparable holes in them. You can take old clothes to a textile recycler and have them turned into something new that someone will actually want to wear. If you’re donating something because you no longer have a need for it, great! If you’re donating something because it’s unusable, you are just making it someone else’s problem.

Sometimes trash is just trash

At the end of the day, sometimes things are just trash. Nobody is going to want your broken coffee maker. Do your best to give your belongings a second life, but remember there are things that I can guarantee you no one wants. And don’t forget to make sure you are throwing your trash out responsibly!

E-waste and hazardous waste must be disposed of separately, as they can leak toxic materials into the environment. Recycle what can be recycled and toss them in the blue bin.

Bonus decluttering tip

The best way to declutter is to not bring any in! Stop magnetizing clutter into your home in the first place, and you will be able to save both yourself and the landfills from things you don’t need.