How to Get Organized the Eco-Friendly Way
Do any of your New Year’s resolutions involve cleaning out closets or drawers? Or perhaps creating more space in that spare room or garage? If you’re itching to get your home in order, but don’t want to toss everything into the trash, read our tips below. You’ll learn how to repurpose items, reduce waste, and adopt a more environmentally responsible lifestyle in general.
Step One: See What You Can Donate
The items you decide you no longer want could be another person’s dream! If they’re in fair condition, donate your clothing to charity, host a swap with friends, or bring it to a local thrift or consignment shop. You can also use this option for items like books, board games, records, cookware, dishes, or even furniture. The sky is the limit here. If you’re really tackling your bookshelf, you might also consider bringing unwanted reads to your local public library, a Little Free Library, or a drop-off bin like Better World Books, which raises funds for literacy-based nonprofits and recycles anything unsold. Focused on your pantry? Don’t forget to look past larger items and donate any nonessential dry goods to your neighborhood food bank.
Step Two: Repurpose Your Containers
You should always consider how you might reuse an item before tossing it or even throwing it in the recycling bin. Some of our favorite ways to extend the life of common packaging items:
Shoe boxes: these are great for organizing letters, postcards, and craft supplies, especially if you decorate them or have an already colorful design to start with
Egg cartons: use these to compartmentalize small items in your desk or junk drawer like paper clips, thumb tacks, or even beads
Glass jars (mayonnaise, pickles, mustard, etc.): remove the labels and use them for:
bulk shopping and storing items like nuts, grains, and legumes
organizing kitchen utensils, paint brushes, tools, markers, crayons, makeup supplies, or spare change
drinking glasses
candle holders, lanterns, or other decorative art
Spice jars: save them to store future spices bought in bulk, or transform them into containers for smaller items like glitter or bath powder…if you plan to travel in the future, you can also use these them to house small supplies of shampoo, conditioner, or body wash
Step Three: Reuse Other Small Items
An important reminder here is to think outside the box. Does that worn-out undershirt really need to go in the dumpster, or can you tear it into strips and use them as cleaning rags? Does that mismatched pair of socks have to travel to the landfill, or can it provide hours of fun as a puppet? What about that worn out toothbrush? Can it be used to clean other items, like the soles of your shoes or the grout in your bathroom?
Step Four: Get Familiar With Your Toolbox (or Sewing Kit)
So many valuable possessions get tossed aside because of a problem that could have been fixed! Do you really need to replace that dryer or television set, or can a small repair be done for a fraction of the cost? Do you have to throw an entire outfit away, or can you sew it up and wear it for years to come? For items you can’t work on yourself, or if you’re not interested in DIY, head to your search engine to find your local repairman/tailor/seamstress/<insert specialty here>. It will be worth it in the end, we promise!
Step Five: Recycle What’s Left
First, visit your county or city sanitation site to see what items you can leave on your curb or bring for drop-off. Make sure you sort them properly, and while you’re there, check their calendar for special collection opportunities. Many communities, including our list of statewide affiliates, host annual or biannual drop-off events for items like electronics, tires, and household hazardous waste. Save room in the landfill and bring your old computers, phones, and paint cans there!
Step Six: Cut Down On Unnecessary Waste
The best way to help our planet: rethink your everyday purchases and routines. Do you have a cabinet full of reusable totes, but always forget them when you actually go to the store? Keep them next to your front door, or even in your car, so you never find yourself empty-handed. Purchase reusable mugs or water bottles for when you’re out and about, and invest in a metal straw. Even small changes, like switching to cloth napkins instead of paper ones, can make a significant difference in the amount of trash you produce. And whenever you make a purchase, ask yourself if you really need it. We love this buyerarchy of needs chart we found on Instagram. Use it often, and wisely!