We’ve all had those large or awkward items that you just aren’t sure how to get rid of. It’s important to you that these items are disposed of in the right away, but that can be hard to do. Knowing how many different materials are involved it can feel a little overwhelming. In a perfect world, all you would have to do is throw your unwanted material into a box and that box would magically disappear. The reality is that some items aren’t as simple to get rid of as a box of newspapers or an empty soda bottle. This guide is meant to show you the easiest ways to send off those especially cumbersome items, all the while doing your part to make your community a cleaner place. You’ll learn what’s involved with recycling each item, and some of the differences between them. Remember to keep an open mind about proper item disposal, as some items listed, if not cared for properly, could cause serious harm to the environment, your family, and yourself due to the hazardous chemicals they contain.
Can You Recycle Furniture?
Furniture is an especially difficult item to recycle, not just because it’s often large and heavy, but there seems to be a lot of confusion on how to properly dispose of them. The simple answer is to check government websites relating to your community and state on their rules and regulations. Some states use different laws to regulate such activities. Always ensure that what you are doing is lawful in your state. There are a few alternatives to throwing away your furniture.
Consider donating your furniture to an organization. Donations are a wonderful idea. If your unwanted couch or chair is in good condition then it’d be a waste to simply throw it away. All across the country there are donation centers who will happily take your old sofa with no extra charge. Even better, many donations are often tax deductible as well, making it at least somewhat profitable in the long run. If a donation center isn’t nearby then speak with your local churches, as they often have a donation program. Others who might be able to make use of your old furniture, you’d merely have to call and ask, include animals shelters, homeless shelters, and soup kitchens. Donation is an easy way to get rid of your unwanted furniture, and it’s a healthy way to give back to the community.
There are junk hauling services you can call which will come retrieve the furniture as well. There may be occasions where you don’t have the means, time, or help to get rid of furniture yourself. All too often this is the case, but thankfully there are a large number of services you can call to have the furniture removed for you. While you may need to do a little research, there are plenty of services, including non-profit charities, that you can choose from. If you don’t have that sort of service near you, sometimes it’s just as simple as calling your local waste management facility for them to come dispose of it. There’s often a service fee with this option, but it also means that you know for certain that it’s being taken care of properly and professionally.
What to do with Old Bathtubs?
Bathtubs are an entirely different procedure altogether. With bathtubs it’s not as simple as throwing them away in the dumpster, as a good percentage of them are made of acrylic, which is not a very biodegradable material, meaning that they’ll sit in landfills far longer than most other items. Of course you can dispose of them like you would furniture (remember to check your local government websites first), but since bathtubs are difficult to recycle in general, maybe consider repurposing them.
You may realize that the tub, with a little decoration and polish, makes for an excellent place to start a garden at home. Online you’ll find countless tutorials on how to change your old tub into something fresh and new. You’ll find the tub garden has less weeds, much lower maintenance, and can look quite fetching in your yard, so it’s difficult to find a fault in this plan.
Rather than try to go through the hassle of getting your pet inside, without destroying your home, and then give them a bath you could consider setting up a pet washing station in your own back yard. Instead of filling your home with the mud and filth that comes off of your excited, playful, and dirty pup, you might want to wash the dog outside. You can also use this for those days when your young child decides to make mud pies outside.
What to do with Old Cleaning Products?
Cleaning supplies, while incredible in practical use around the house, are the obvious red flag when it comes to disposal. If it’s not safe for consumption, then it stands to reason that it’s probably not great for the environment as well. After all, mother nature didn’t put those chemicals together in that bottle for you. Before you start pouring your bottles down the drain, here is a list of some common chemicals and how you can safely dispose of them.
You should be find to pour many laundry products down the drain, like detergents, water softeners, and bleach. While most fabric softeners should be fine you should always check the back of the bottle, as they may have chemicals in them that aren’t water soluble.
While most dish cleaning products are able to dissolve in water, there are some that aren’t actually eco-friendly, so you’ll need to read the back of the bottle and look for any special disposal instruction.
Household cleaners are probably the most difficult category on the list, as it’s full of exceptions and confusing conditions, and even checking the back of the bottle isn’t always a straightforward answer. You’ll likely have to look the item up online and read the information that is often posted on things like forums. Until you get the information you need, there are some simple rules to keep you on track. Liquids are often okay for the drain, solids should generally be thrown away and not recycled. Ensure you completely clean out the containers before recycling them.
How do I Dispose of Old Appliances?
You’ll have to follow some strict rules and regulations regarding appliances, but there are two basic categories they’ll fall into.
Refrigerators have to be recycled, you cannot simply throw them away. Fridges contain chlorofluorocarbons (or CFCs), which are a part of the Clean Air Act. By recycling them you’ll prevent excess CFC from escaping into the atmosphere. This can include any number of larger appliances, so a good guideline to follow is that if it uses any sort of chemical to work fully, IE AC units, heat pumps, refrigerators, freezers, etc., then you should call your local waste management facility to have a professional remove these chemicals properly and remove the appliance altogether
Smaller appliances, such as toaster or microwaves, will have their own needs when it comes to disposal. While they may not contain CFCs, it’s still important that you dispose of these in an efficient way (after all, they’re still electronic). Many states had e-waste programs that you can reach out to where they will either repair and reuse the product, or properly dispose of it. Some of these services even offer to do it for free, so it’s always worth looking into.
How to Dispose of an Old Mattress?
You’ll find mattresses are much more problematic than furniture is when you want to dispose of it. Due to the high risk of spreading illness and infection there are many laws in place about repurposing and reselling them. The CDC doesn’t mince words when it talks about the dangers of reselling mattresses. Yet, every year around 40 million mattresses fill our landfills, and each mattress takes up an average of 40 cubic feet. Throwing them away may in fact by a long term money drain, as they are clunky, large, and have been known to damage landfill equipment. So how do we solve this problem?
Lately there have been some unique organizations that will actually take the mattresses apart, extract all of the useful materials for reuse, and will then burn the remaining pieces. It takes up far less space in landfills, and is by far more cost effective than dumping them. Because these programs haven’t become common yet you’ll likely still have to call your local waste management facility and speak with them about your options.
Can You Recycle Rugs and Carpets?
You can easily recycle rugs and carpets. Many states allow them for curbside pick up, and most of the materials in carpets are fully biodegradable. The fibers in them can be used to make new rugs and carpets, and they are easily broken down by a plastic resin which can be used for the mass production of other products. Most places will accept carpet padding, and won’t require that you separate them when you dispose of them.
You should never donate a carpet or rug. You may have the best of intentions, however they are similar to mattresses in that there is a risk of them spreading disease due to the amount of wear, dust, and skin cells that would have collected on them over the years. The more responsible thing to do is to recycle them, as it minimizes that risk and ultimately gives back to the community anyways.
Recycling may not always be the easiest thing to do, especially in our modern society, but it’s important all the same. It’s not just a safety thing either, but an issue of money. Many of the above mentioned items can be written off as tax deductible, and repurposing old items into something else entirely saves you money and reduces waste in general. Making these donations can not only maintain your community, but allow it to grow and thrive. You could just throw some of this away, but the consequences could be astronomical. More and more landfills are reaching maximum capacity with each passing year, and we’re quickly running out of places to place our undesirables. By recycling we open the door to building a better future, one where our communities are safer, healthier, and far more prosperous, so long as everyone does their part.
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