Decluttering? Downsizing? Filling up a giant dumpster with stuff we don’t need is a great feeling, but It’s not very planet-friendly. There are countless organizations and companies to which you can bring or mail your unneeded items and make a few dollars or enrich the lives of people who aren’t as fortunate. Here’s a small sampling:
The Lions Club International has an eyeglass recycling program that accepts donations and distributes them via ?humanitarian distribution teams.? Either drop them off in your local community or mail them to the main recycling centre in Calgary. Your unwanted glasses could bring someone the gift of sight!
You’re so finished with that math textbook, but no local used bookstores seem interested. However, online book buyback site Books Into Cash may take it?along with other texts and even school-appropriate classic novels. If You’re based in Canada, be sure to check their FAQs for information on how to apply for a credit for some of your shipping fees.
If your kids have outgrown their gently used books, consider donating them to the children’s Book Bank. The Toronto-based program helps provide reading material to disadvantaged kids.
Excess Access is a unique program that matches donors and non-profit organizations. Donors post items they have available?usually larger items like furniture, appliances, larger toys, and office supplies, although many smaller things are listed?and non-profits post their wish lists. Excess Access matches donors and non-profits within a certain postal code radius. Typically the non-profits are responsible for pick-up arrangements, although donors may handle the drop-off themselves.