of course, not all of the junk can go. which is where the rest of the work begins--what to send and where to send it. normally i send everything to the goodwill, but this time around am listing a few big-ticket baby items on craigslist with the hopes to make a bit of money so that we can purchase new things that we need.
we managed to get rid of a full-sized bedframe, mattress and box springs by posting in craigslists free category. never underestimate the power of free--it was off of our lawn (thank goodness) within a couple of hours of making the post. i mean, how can i make fun of my neighbors for keeping a headboard on their porch when i have an entire bed on my front lawn?
i'm donating old pillows, blankets and rugs to my local animal shelter (or attempting to, anyway). i've heard that shelters are often hard-up for things to keep animals cozy, while goodwill-type places are often overrun with blankets and the like.
the rest of the stuff is set for an upcoming goodwill pickup. in a perfect world, there's probably a better way to go about donating certain items (women's clothing, for instance, could go to a battered women's shelter; art supplies could go to a low-income school) but the level of work involved totally exceeds my capabilities at the given moment.
as far as other donations are concerned, here's a story for you. i've been saving up all of my #5 plastics lately, as my waste management company only accepts #1 & #2. my local whole foods (which is not really so local at 20 minutes away) accepts #5's in a partnership with preserve--the company that makes toothbrushes, razors, etc out of recycled plastics.
well, i didn't know too much about the program, but i decided to save up my stuff and bring it in. on donation day, i had a large garbage bag filled with #5's. i expected there to be a large drop off station in the back of the store or something, but during my shopping didn't see anything. so at checkout, i asked the clerk where to bring the bag of plastic. he advised me to go to customer service, and that they would take it upstairs for me. okay. sure thing.
after loading my groceries into the car, i shlepped the big bag of (very clean) plastics into the store. this is whole foods, remember? filled with (generally) snooty shoppers who stare at people who are bringing large bags of trash into the store and standing in line with it. they especially stare when a pint-sized person tries her best to tear into the bag and remove said plastics. anyway, finally it was my turn at the desk.
me: you take #5's, right? the plastics?
guy: oh, yep, sure, just hand it over.
me: (lifting big bag). here you go.
guy:( totally speechless). uh.
me: what? what's wrong?
guy: (starting to laugh). that's a lot of plastic you have there.
me: isn't this where i can recycle them?
guy: uh, i guess.
me: what do you mean, you guess?
guy: (pointing to a miniscule collection bin--the size of a milk crate). it's just so much!
me: (feeling a little dumb). oh, well, i guess it's alot. i don't really live close so i kinda saved it up...
at this point a very lovely whole foods worker intercepted the conversation and assured me that it was quite all right to bring so much in at one time, they'd just never seen anyone do it before.
that's right, people. i'm well on my way to setting an example for everyone down there at the whole foods. leave to to me, your loyal blogger, to lead the way. next time you use your preserve toothbrush, just think: it might be my old salsa or yogurt container that made your brush.
to see if your local whole foods accepts #5 plastics in partnership with preserve, click here.
1 comment:
I will always think of this now if we use the preserve wear lol...I've been saving mine to to mail to them seeing as the nearest whole food is a hour and half away
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