2015 - No Clutter To Be Seen

jillbe

31-40 bags of worn out clothes, pens, miscellaneous items - binned
41 various cardboard boxes, envelopes, paper - recycling
42 plastic milk container - recycling
43 Xmas cards - recycling

PixieDust

Aura - you could take them to your local doctor's surgery, or offer them on Freecycle, or simply recycle them in your normal collection

Good: CS all of DS' undies
Bad: Had to go to A$da and buy all new (huge growth spurt, 15 year old)

Liz_M

Hi everyone,

I hope it's ok to pop in with a question. I've been reading this on and off but not joining in as I don't think I'm organised enough to remember everything I've got rid of and post everyday. Reading everyone else's posts has been spurring me on though, and makes me realise how all the little bits do add up. I'm currently at home with a broken foot so have been doing little bits at a time, which can feel like I'm not getting anywhere. However, seeing people post 3 or 4 items at a time, and seeing the totals they're at has made me realise that 3 or 4 things at a time turns very quickly into 20 or 30 things! So thank you everyone for the inspiration and well done on what you've all done so far! I will probably try to keep lurking to spur myself on when I start slacking.

So now for my question - what do you do with old clothes that aren't suitable for giving away or the charity shop etc? I've got several tops that have patches on where I've melted them with the iron over the years (didn't realise how many times I've done it till I bagged them up!). I never throw them away because it usually happens to a top that I love (obviously!) and I either tell myself that I can cut that bit off and make them into a new top (never gonna happen if I'm honest) or just can't bring myself to throw them away (sad I know!).

But I've decided that they're never going to be worn again and they're not doing me any good sat in a carrier bag, so I want to get rid. I know I could just throw them in the bin, but if there's any way of recycling them then I'd rather do that. I think most clothes banks want clothes in decent condition only? Also I've got loads of old pairs of tights which don't have ladders in etc but are used, pretty sure a charity shop wouldn't want those so I would probably get rid of them at the same time if there's any places that take rags etc for recycling somehow?

Thanks in advance for any help!

LadyMorticia

Please may I join?

We're moving soon (to a bigger place) but I don't want to take all the clutter I've accumulated with me! I'm hoping it will be a good starting point - to declutter before we move and then keep the new place clutter-free!

Miss_Behaving

29 Oven (still in garage waiting to go to recycling)
30 Grill pan and handle (recycling)
31 oven tray (recycling)
32 Paper scissors (CS)
33 Old medicine spoon (bin)
34 Hotel complementary nail care kit (bin)
35 Packaging from new oven (dump / recycling)
36 Mattress protector (recycled)
37 Shredded bank statements for 2006
38 Shredded bank statements for 2007
39 Old fabric bag (CS)
40 White planter (freecycle)
41 5 china cups / saucers (freecycle)
42 Old coat hanger (bin)
43 Old lighter (bin)
44 Small set of screwdrivers (CS)
45 Small screwdriver (CS)
46 Random sachet of Lemsip (bin)
47 4 sundae dishes (CS)
48 Disposable cutlery (CS)
49 Gas hob lighter (CS)
50 Part used hair conditioner (bin)
51 Make up bag (CS)
52 Old Flannel (bin)
53 Part used honey body scrub (bin)
54 Kinder egg toy (bin)
55 Cake decoration (bin)
56 Part used Clarins night cream (bin)
57 Eye cream sample (bin)
58 Cotton wool roll (purchased for daughter's GCSE art project) (CS)
59 Black court shoes (CS)
60 Part used Sanctuary foot lotion (bin)
61 Empty jewellery box (recycling)
62 Satin robe (CS)
63 New set of travel bottles (CS)
64 T-shirt (recycling)
65 Table runner (CS)
66 Square vases x 2 (CS)

I'm exhausted.... off for a glass of wine now!

camelot1001

Sorry to butt in!

Liz_M - We have a rag bag collection at school every now and then and there is a big metal container for everything to go in that sits in the playground. Any clothes, any condition go in, they get weighed and the school gets some money.

Liz_M

Thanks for butting in camelot1001!

I don't have any children so I googled Rag Bag to see if they have a list of places doing collections etc (couln't find any). However while googling it, I came across a Salford Council web page which says textiles of any condition can be recycled. I live in Manchester and was sure I'd looked it up for this area previously and didn't see anything like this - so I looked on the Manchester Council site again and all it says is that anything in good condition can be taken to charity shops, and anything else can be taken to the tip. I always assumed that this meant it would have to go into normal waste/landfill, so I chekced the Recycle for Greater Manchester website (knowing it covers both Salford AND Manchester) which says that recycling centres have textile banks where 65% of items are reused and 35% recycled.

I assume that the Manchester website saying 'take them to the tip' actually means they can be recycled at the tip, not that they need to go to landfill.

Anyway that was a very longwinded way of saying thanks (I can't seem to write short posts)! Going to make sure my own 'rag bag' doesn't get buried again (might even add to it!) and when my foot is better I will keep an eye out for Rag Bag bins at schools I pass - if not then they can eventually go to the clothing bank at the tip/recycling centre.

So even if I don't find a Rag Bag bin, your advice got me googling the right things

Frogletina

Our local Age Concern charity shop takes clothes for recycling - I believe they get paid for them by weight. They also took a pair of boots from me for recycling which were damaged.

I'm not sure if all charity shops do this.

frogletina

System

Out:

A jumper that's seen better days.

sillyvixen

sorted out the kitchen cupboards today - it seems most of my just in cases stores expired a good few years ago!! never worked out who put the brown sauce in the back of the cupboard - hang on - it was ketchup expired 2009!!