While going on my morning walk today I was outraged to see some of the stuff people have put out on the street for Bulk Waste Collection Day in our neighbourhood. I would rather not dwell on it at the moment because it put me in a rather negative frame of mind and I am trying to get something positive out of it. I will be sure to explain my outrage in an upcoming post just in case I have tweaked your interest.
Rather than be negative I decided to get on my computer and Google subjects to see how much information I could find on charities and recycling opportunies in my local area.
It was no challenge! Here are the [subjects] I searched for and how successful these searches were.
*I have substituted the name of the town I live in with [my town] because I don’t want to give away to much private information about myself. The links I have added are Australian but I am sure you will similar sites in your country.
- [my town charities] the list was extensive.
- [my town recycle centre] and among the many options I found this little gem. Recycle Centre
- some well known charities eg. [salvation army] which gave me phone numbers for info and donation pick up hot line and also a search option for where a local drop off is nearest to me.
- [my town computer recycling] amoung others I found a web site Byteback who take care of these types of unwanted items.
- [my town green waste] and again a long list of option in my area for taking care of garden clean up.
- [my town city council] had a whole section dedicated to waste with this little gem, recyclingnearyou.
There is a charge for some of these services but it is better than the alternative of them just going to waste.
So really there is no excuse for throwing away perfectly good items or even broken items for that matter because there are all sorts of ways to re-use and recycle that you may never have even thought was possible.If people are puting computer parts and desks on the street they obviously must know how to use one so I wish they would just Google their stuff away instead of leaving it out in the rain to be ruined.
I was amused by the irony of a sticker I saw stuck on the side of an old TV on the curbside, it read…
DON’T BE A TOSSER EVERY PIECE OF LITTER IS HARMING THE ENVIRONMENT
My Give Away-Thow Away-Sell count just goes to prove you don’t have to be wasteful.
ITEM 140 OF 365 LESS THINGS
The last of the eBay ski gear auctions this pair make $20.60
One of our local charities calls every month to ask if we have anything to donate. I keep a bag/box in a closet that is dedicated to give away. When I get the call I always say yes, come and get it! It’s so easy to get on a call list and not difficult to accumulate several bags of still useful items to pass on.
Yes willow you are right I had forgotten about that I used to do the same thing in Seattle when I lived there it was great. I would just put things in boxes in the garage and then they would call and set a day for pick-up and if I was going to be out I would just leave it under cover on the porch and it would be gone when I got home. How easy is that, and in America you get a receipt that you can claim on your tax, we can;t do that here in Australia unless it is a cash donation.
I know what you mean. A disregard for the environment and throwing away perfectly good items upsets me also, probably because I am so frugal. With a little diligence, new homes can be found for many items that get thrown away. Thanks for the reminder.
Hi Di, nice to here from you. I have just checked out freecycle.com and was surprised to find out that there is one in my own town here in Australia. I also took a boot (trunck) load of donations to Lifeline today. It is so good to know the items will find a new home and also that it is no longer in mine.
In partial defense of bulky trash folk, where I live, cruising around, savaging bulky trash is the vocation of some and a hobby of others – including myself. People save their larger items for bulky trash week specifically because they know that folks will be ’round to inspect and collect it.
Now I’ve scavanged stuff directly out of dumpsters and trash cans – THAT makes me insane. I should probably explain that I do not normally dumpster dive. However, I saw a ride-on tractor peaking out of the top of a dumpster. I assumed it was broken but investigated. Not only was it in perfect used condition, but underneith were more than a dozen large, complete toddler toys, a box of never-worn t-shirts, and a lacross goal. I was so mad, I nearly busted a seam. THAT’S wasteful. At least with bulky trash, there’s a possibility of scavange.
Hi Cindy
Sadly you are correct, there are some very wasteful thoughtless people out there. Who would throw away something like that when there are so many people who would love to induge their kids with such things but can’t afford to? Such thoughtless people with more dollars than sense.
Perfect example: We had a desktop computer that was older & slooooooow. I did not want to just toss it and living in Italy, could not really Google places (don’t speak/read Italian….hubby’s military). Sooooo one Sunday at church, a couple of girls (teens) that have hearts for missions wanted to donate stuff for a couple of homes that take in orphans in Croatia. We had one of the church guys “wipe” the computer & take it back to factory settings. Another person donated one of their old ones and both homes were thrilled to have a computer for their “kids” to learn on. 🙂