We’ve spent a good chunk of time talking about the benefits of decluttering your living space, specifically that making a habit of doing so will make selling your home infinitely easier. What you may not know, is that most of what you are throwing away can probably be recycled. While this article doesn’t require you to accept that climate change is real (it is), it does require you to acknowledge that recycling is just a good idea in general. According to the nonprofit Recycling Partnership, the average home has the potential to recycle approximately 800 pounds of goods per year (50,400,000 tons across America!), rather than sending it to the dump. So what are these obscure items that you could have recycled?
Animal Fur
That’s right, that perpetual layer of nonsense on your floor can be recycled! The San Francisco based Matter of Trust will take your recycled animal fur and turn it into booms to protect the beaches from oil. Do that, then make your Facebook profile picture a picture of your dog saving the beaches.
Recharge the Environment by Recycling Your Batteries
Billions of batteries can be found in landfills, but they don’t need to be. Call2Recycle has numerous drop-off locations across the country, including most Lowe’s Home Improvement stores, a 5-minute trip for you can help the environment – you should do that instead of throwing them out.
You Can Get a Running Start on Recycling (Shoes)
Look in your closet right now, don’t pretend there are some shoes in there that should never be worn again… by anybody. Nike will take Nike brand shoes and use the material to create new products, while North Face will take any footwear (or clothes), and they will give you a coupon for purchasing their products; pretty sweet deal.
Denim Jeans
I hope you didn’t think you were done looking in your closet for things to recycle, you can also recycle your ratty jeans that you shouldn’t be wearing anymore, but just can’t part with for one reason or another. Madewell will take your old jeans and turn them into housing insulation; they’ll also give you a voucher for your efforts!
Contact Lenses
This is a physically demanding article, run to your bathroom and find your old contact lenses; actually walk, you can’t see great without your lenses and we don’t want you getting hurt. Bausch & Lomb will pay for the shipping for your used contacts as well as the packages you get them in!
At the Chernov Team, we believe in efficiency in all things; two birds with one stone is a good goal. While you’re decluttering your home to make it more presentable, why not accomplish to noble goals at the same time; clean your house, clean the environment.