Adventures in De-cluttering – Leaping Over Old Electronics?

The de-cluttering journey begins, and I’m really glad I started with something that's easy to release. Cell phones with dead batteries, old computer towers and out-dated audio equipment was not so hard to part with after I found ways to recycle and re-purpose my trash.

When you consider how often we upgrade our technological devices, it’s mind-boggling to think about how much space they could take up in the landfill. The plastics and batteries also contain some nasty chemicals that we really don’t want leaching into our soil and water. Thankfully, manufacturers and consumers are taking more action to reuse and recycle electronic trash rather than simply tossing it in the garbage. Reducing would be another good practice to get into. That involves buying products that are not considered “disposable”, because cheap comes with a high price when we consider the waste it creates.

My search for places to share and recycle electronic goods lead me to lots of interesting sources. There are non-profit groups making use of second-hand equipment; government programs for recycling and sustainability; and retailers receiving the old, worn out stuff they once sold in it’s shiny, new state. To find out more check out:

• My Eco Ville - an on-line destination for local recycling and sustainability information. Just type in your province or state and the links to local resources (public and private sector) appear before your eyes.
  
  
• Freecycle - a great site for giving your electronic stuff away. Go to their site to find a group in your community. After you’ve joined, you can post pretty much anything to give away. And the best part is your treasures will be picked up right at your door!
  
  
• Call2Recycle is a link to recycling retailers in your area. Type in your zip/postal code and they’ll even tell you the distance between you and the stores.
  
  
• And finally, a great “how to” article for leads on everything from wiping your computer memory clean to finding out which retailers recycle which products.
  

A word of caution must accompany this adventure. Be prepared to:

• try, try again – I posted my old printer on freecycle. No one wanted it. Then I found the Lexmark Recycling Program (insert your brand of printer along with “recycling program” into Google to find out more about your printer options) but learned that recycling involved mailing it out of the country at my expense. I chalked it up to a sign of the times. We’re doing much better at recycling but we’re not perfect yet.
  
  
• learn and teach simultaneously – Before hauling my bag of no-longer-working goods to the local recycling sources, I decided to phone them up and make sure they were still participating in the program. Turns out that a fair number of retail employees don’t know about their company’s recycling programs. My simple little query of “does your store have a cell phone (or other gadget) recycling service” was often met by a long pause followed by being transferred to people in different departments who might just have the answer. The cool thing was that each employee seemed really interested and wanted to find out more information for me. So get used to being a bit of a public service announcement when you make your calls.

• trade junk for coupons – Even though it was tough to unload my worn out printer, the ink cartridges can be recycled and Office Depot will give an in-store credit for every cartridge. Works for me!
  
  And the best part of all? The guy I spoke with seemed to have a passion for recycling. My printer dilemma was solved when he said – as if talking me out of jumping off a cliff - “we’ll take it and figure out how to recycle it…just don’t throw it in the garbage!” I wonder if his recycling-hero-cape was blowing in the wind behind him as he rescued me and my broken down pile of plastic.

And so, I’m off to a good start. Recycling electronics cleared some physical space and made me laugh. And the trip through the house to unearth all the broken, worn out, no-longer-needed items didn’t take much time at all.

So what do you say? Will you give yourself a day or a week (or whatever feels like the right amount of time) to lighten your load of electronic clutter? Great! And then send me an email to keep me posted on your adventure.

Have fun and let it go!

Yours On Purpose,
Tara