Guide to No-Junk January

It’s common practice that we receive a lot of abundance in the month of December. And then in January, it’s time to clean up and organize that abundance. Many big box stores have perpetuated this and evidence of it is easy to spot: Costco highlights their plastic storage bins and industrial shelving; the Container Store used to promote their Elfa storage solutions; Ikea highlights their organization bins; Target prioritizes plastic storage bins and lines aisle centers with organization for your life as well as things to put into and onto your new organized shelves, including bulk items like laundry detergent, packaged foods, and toilet paper.

The level of abundance I’m talking about is all the “stuff” we needlessly buy during the holiday months, for whatever reason we tell ourselves. Did you know about 80% of Black Friday purchases, including their packaging are discarded after minimal or no use? That’s $7.8 billion, from the pockets of regular consumers like you, completely wasted. Not too mention store returns. For corporations, it’s often cheaper to throw returns away instead of clean them, re-package them, and put them back up for sale. So they simply throw their returns away. Low estimates say that retailers send 25% of all returns to landfills.

The first Monday of January is known as “National Returns Day" because it’s the day when most people return their holiday purchases and gifts. But what happens to these returns? As many as 9.5 billion pounds of returns ended up in landfills in 2022 - equivalent to 10,500 fully loaded Boeing 747s.

This is somewhat aligned with the ‘New Year’s Resolution’: the “New Year New You” mentality. I fall prey to it too. I often crave the minimalism and need to clean out everything following the maximalism that builds up through the last 4 months of the year. It’s nice to start fresh and with somewhat of a blank slate. But this very push for maximalism and overabundance in the last months of the year are really just overconsumption. And even with the purchase of new plastic bins and shelving units in the new year, it’s still overconsumption. Even when your junk is organized, it’s still junk. Organized junk.

I’m here to remind you that you don’t need to simply organize your stuff to feel less overwhelmed and frankly, overstimulated. You need to get rid of that stuff. The stuff…the junk…the clutter.

This is so much easier said than done. Because it’s a lot of stuff! And having a garbage and recycling bin at home makes it really easy for us to just toss anything within our line of sight when we’re feeling overstimulated and overwhelmed. And it can be confusing. What can you recycle? What can you throw away? If you know it can’t be thrown away, where CAN it go?

This blog post is to help you declutter your stuff and your life but also do so responsibly by keep things out of the landfill!

It’s a wealth of information (though geared heavily toward Denver/CO resources) that includes a checklist of areas and items to clean out, as well as a schedule to keep you on track. I break down the checklist into micro-tasks that avoid the feeling of overwhelm and burnout. I’m hoping to have you feel empowered to make informed decisions and take control of decluttering your life.

Ridwell: Give them your stuff, they’ll put it to good use. It does cost a monthly fee, but the amount of stuff they recycle is insane and worth it’s weight in gold. Ridwell takes A LOT of what we can’t normally recycle. They are also hugely transparent about where everything that they take goes.

They will take:

• underwear

• shoes

• towels/sheets

• batteries

• lightbuls

• plastic bottle tops

• metal bottle caps

• plastic bags

• cereal bags

• bubble wrap

• produce bags

• ziploc bags

• bread bags

• amazon mailers

• chip bags

• pet food bags

• granola bar wrappers

• frozen food bags and so much more!

Facebook ‘Buy Nothing’ group: You need a Facebook account and typically need to request approval to join. It’s for your local region and. you can post anything you’d like to get rid of for free. I’ve had huge success getting rid of pretty much anything.

If joining a group isn’t for you, you can post FREE items on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.

If Facebook isn’t for you in general, join the Freecycle Network

compost:

• Denver has rolled out a compost collection service at no additional cost to your regular solid waste services that will accept your food scraps and yard debris.

  • the organic material collected through the Denver Composts program is sent to a commercial composting facility in Keenesburg, Colorado that is run by WM. The material is then ground into fine pieces by an industrial grinder and then composted under controlled conditions, so it can break down quickly and contribute to making quality compost. WM offers bagged and unbagged compost for sale back to Denver Residents at a discounted price each year at the Annual Mulch Giveaway & Compost Sale.

• If you have a yard, you can simply start a compost pile for all your food scraps. Remember, no meat, sugar, or dairy in your pile.

  • if you don’t have a yard, you can purchase a tumbler for patio or side of house.

string lights:

• if you sign up for Ridwell in time, they will take your broken lights in early January.

• check with your local services: in Denver there are a few drop off locations available through early January for broken string lights

• Many thrift stores including Goodwill and the Salvation Army, accept working lights for donation. Some thrift stores may also recycle non-working lights.

• consider donating your lights to a church, after-school program, shelter or assisted living center.

• you can also list your lights for free on Freecycle, Facebook marketplace or Nextdoor.

• you can also gift them to friends, family or neighbors

real christmas trees:

• check with your local community for drop off stations

• Denver hosts a Christmas tree recycling program called Treecycle you can drop real trees off at specific locations through the end of January that they turn into mulch for customer pickup.

fake christmas trees:

• there is not much you can aside from selling or giving away your trees

• plastic christmas trees are not recyclable at this time

• prelit christmas trees are often broken in some capacity and thrift/donation centers will not take them back

kids toys:

• hand me down to someone you know

• list on your local ‘Buy Nothing’ FB group

• donate to donation centers like Goodwill and Salvation Army

• In Denver, there’s Weecycle & A Precious Child - both accept baby gear to help meet children’s basic needs and contribute to a cleaner environment.

shoes:

At least 200 million pairs of shoes and sneakers end up in landfills each year, which can take 30-40 years to decompose. Harmful chemicals are emitted into the soil and air which pollutes surroundings.

• GotSneakers - since they got started they’ve stopped 105 million lbs of CO2 from entering the atmosphere and recycled and reused 3.5 million pair of shoes. They partner with the sneaker community to recycle and reuse quality pre-loved sneakers. Reusable sneakers are recirculated to second-hand markets so people can access quality pre-owned footwear at affordable prices. Heavily used and damaged footwear is recycled to reuse materials or to convert waste into energy. Sign up and request your free sneaker recycling kit. Once you get your bag with prepaid shipping label, fill your bag and drop them at any FedEx location.

• Soles4Souls accepts all styles and sizes of new and gently worn shoes an sneakers. Use their website to find a donation location and fill out a donation form prior to dropping off OR donate as many shoes or items as you’d like for FREE up to 50lbs with Zappos for Good. They’ve prevented 91 million lbs of textile waste by sending unwanted shoes and clothing to people in need rather than to landfills. 91% of donations they were able to put to good use. The other 2% that were beyond repurposing were disposed of responsibly through a waste to energy partner.

• Nike: When your athletic shoes reach the end of their life, send them into Nike. They accept any brand of athletic sneakers (but not sandals, boots, etc.). 

clothes:

• Americans throw away 26 billion pounds of clothing a year, meaning 85% of used clothes end up in landfills. Those clothes then take up to 200 years to decompose, releasing methane. Clothing dyes and chemicals also build up in landfills, contaminating nearby groundwater and soil.

• Prioritize donating items in good condition to thrift stores or charities, explore textile recycling programs for worn-out clothes, consider selling gently used pieces online, and only throw away clothes that are truly beyond repair and cannot be recycled, checking for local options first; and avoid dumping clothes in a landfill if possible

• If you’re in the Denver area, please consider donating to The Gathering Place, The Delores Project, or ARC Thrift stores who provide members with several vouchers so they can shop for free

  • sell:

    • `The RealReal: If you have clothing from luxury fashion brands you’re looking to sell, the RealReal is the place to do it. Check out their Designer Directory to see what they’ll accept.

    • Poshmark: You’ve probably heard of Poshmark by now. Take a picture of the item you’re hoping to sell, and list it on their app (or website). They even provide prepaid shipping labels.

    • Depop: If you’ve heard of Poshmark, chances are you’ve heard of Depop, too. It follows a similar model—take a picture, list it, and sell. Easy peasy.

    • thredUP: Sign up, request a clean-out kit, and ship your items for free. They’ll list your items and pay you for what they’re able to sell.

    • Tradesy: Not feeling Poshmark or Depop? How about Tradesy? They’ll send you a prepaid, pre-addressed shipping kit each time you make a sale.

    • Vinted: Vinted follows the same model as the last three.

    • Crosslist: want to easily list your clothes for sale on multiple platforms? Try this one.

    • RE/DONE: Committed to circular fashion, RE/DONE creates clothing you can buy from their website. The twist? When you’re ready, you can sell it again on the same website, and they’ll reimburse you with store credit.

  • donate:

    • Career Gear If you’re looking to donate professional menswear, consider Career Gear. They help men in need get a fresh start by setting them up for success.

    • Brides Across America: If you have a wedding dress less than four years old, Brides Across America will take it and give it to a first responder or military bride.

    • Donation Town: Donation Town helps you find charities willing to take your clothing … most of them will even come to your home to pick it up! Visit their website to see if Donation Town is available in your area.

    • USAgain: Local to Southern California and Chicago, USAgain plants a tree every time one of their TreeMachines fills with clothes. Find a location near you on their website.

    • Freecycle: Give and get local stuff for free on Freecycle. Just sign up for a free membership, and browse what’s available in your area.

    • Goodwill and Salvation Army - keep in mind only 10-20% of donated clothing is actually sold, and the majority of it is exported to less-developed countries, where it has the potential to harm their economies. Make sure the clothing you donate is truly in good condition, so there’s a higher chance it will be resold. If it isn’t, it might still end up in a landfill.

  • recycle:

    • KNOWN SUPPLY: You can buy a Second Chance Bag and they’ll recycle your old clothes for you. They’ll also give you a credit to use on a future purchase from their website, equal to the amount you spend on the bag.

    • Pact: Send in your old clothes, shoes, jewelry, and accessories for free! Just fill a box with clean items in good condition and print a free shipping label to mail it in.

    • Blue Jeans Go Green: Drop off your old jeans at a Levi’s, Ariat, Industry Standard, or InJeanius … or mail them in for free!

    • Earth911: If you prefer to recycle locally, this online platform can help you find a textile recycling program near you.

    • The North Face, Clothes the Loop: You can drop off clothing from any brand in any condition at The North Face, and they’ll recycle it through their partnership with Soles4Souls. They’ll even give you a $10 credit toward your next $100 purchase.

    • Terracycle: Most of the fabrics that make up our clothing can be turned into something new. Purchase a box from Terracycle, fill it with clothing and fabric, send it back, and they’ll repurpose it for you. 

    • The Bra Recyclers: You can probably guess what the Bra Recyclers do. Fill out their form, and they’ll send you a non-postage paid mailing label to send in your used bras.

    • Wearable Collections: Local to New York City, Wearable Collections makes it easy to recycle your clothing in New York. Sign up to request a bin, schedule a pickup, or host a drive, and they’ll work with you to keep clothing out of landfills.

    • HELPSY: You can find HELPSY collection bins in the Northeastern United States. They also offer home pickups. Check their website to see if they’re near you!

business casual clothes:

• Dress for Success - their mission is to help unemployed and underemployed women achieve economic independence by providing developmental tools and professional attire to thrive in the work and life environment. You can donate your gently used clothing to help give women a fresh new start and confidence when going on interviews.

socks:

• these are the most discarded pieces of apparel. If they’re quality socks you should mend holes in them (called darning).

• Smartwool - has a project called the Second Cut Project that is committed to eliminating the need for new materials and to keep perfectly good materials from being thrown away. You can order a free sock recycling kit. Print your own label at home and find a retailer to either ship or drop yours off.

• SUBSET - also collaborates to create Supercircle that will also allow you to package up your pre-loved socks and use a shipping label to send it directly to them.

• Ridwell - also takes your old socks in the clothing and textile bag

• Goldtoe in conjunction with Terracycle have partnered to create a free national recycling program where you can send in your used clean socks to be recycled.

underwear:

• SUBSET will take what they call pre-loved innerwear, meaning they will accept underwear, bras, socks and tights of all kinds. And as a reward, you’ll earn $15 to use on your next order from Subset which makes eco-friendly and non toxic underwear.

• Hanky Panky is partnering with Greentree dedicated to stopping unwanted post-consumer textile materials from entering the landfill and will accept ANY of your underwear, whether they have holes in them, stains in them or you just hate them. And again, they’ll reward you for doing so by giving you money off another purchase. Request a shipping label, pack up your stuff and drop it with your postal worker.

• Free the Girls: Bras in good condition can be sent to Free the Girls, where they’re turned into an economic opportunity for women who have escaped sex trafficking.

electronics:

• According to the EPA each year in the US, we collectively discard between 300 and 400 million electronic items per year. Over 80% ends up in the landfill.

• Disposing of electronics in solid waste landfills is illegal in Colorado. That means it is unlawful to place electronics on the curb or in waste bins for collection or disposal. There are extreme amounts of lead in electronics which can be released into the air from landfills and are harmful to humans and the environment. Electronic recycling is not always free. There might be a weight or size limit with some private recyclers. Not all electronics are recyclable. Things like refrigerators, heaters, tools using gas or oil and various appliances have differing rules that will vary from one electronic recycler or junk removal service to another.

• I recommend looking for recyclers that are certified as E-stewards or with the EPAs R2 Certification.

• The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has a full list of registered recyclers in the state. Denver residents can request an e-cycle coupon through the city and county of Denver for a significantly discounted recycling rate.

  • the drop off location is at Blue Star Recyclers, and they’ll take televisions and monitors, laptops, tablets, CPUs, desktop units, small appliances, printer scanners and other electronics.

• Ridwell - accepts batteries, light bulbs and power chords on a regular basis

• Trashie - is a tech take back box that will take cellphones, smartphones, cables, and power cords, chargers, laptops and Chromebooks and tablets. It costs $20 to $25 to shop your box.

• Staples also has a recycling program and will take a number of tech products. There is also an option for online tech recycling where. you order your box, you pack it and ship it off where equipment is recycled and the data is securely destroyed The cost for this ranges between $14-$400

  • It’s easier to list what they CAN’T recycle:

    • air conditioners

    • floor model, printers and copiers

    • lamps and bulbs

    • records and record players

    • scissors and other blades

    • smoke detectors

    • televisions

    • vaporizers

    • heavy batteries over 11lbs

• Staples and Office Depot also happily take back your used ink cartridges and toners

garage:

• If you’re cleaning out your garage and you come across paint cans and other hazardous waste:

  • if the paint cans are empty and completely dry, they can be placed in the trash. But you should remove the lids that the waste hauler can see that they are empty or dry. If you’re not sure they are dry, it would be best to treat them as hazardous waste.

  • paints can be toxic and dangerous to the environment if it’s not disposed of properly. It is important to know how to throw paint away safely. Disposing of latex and oil-based paints are different. Remember, different areas may have different requirements and restrictions for paint disposal procedures.

  • if you’re wondering how to dispose of paint, paint recycling is an excellent option. Consider donating your paint to a community center, charity, place of worship, local theatre, or a Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

• Colorado: the Architectural Paint Steward Act allowed for the creation of PaintCare, a non-profit organization to collect unused paint in Colorado. Unused latex paint is either reused or recycled into new paint. Unused oil-based paint can be used as a fuel source.

  • paint thinners, solvents, aerosol cans, lead-based paint cannot be recycled through Paint Care. They have over 180 permanent drop off locations participating. If you have over 100 gallons of paint they will arrange a large volume pickup with no associated cost.

• If you’re going through your garage and you come across car oil: most auto parts stores like AutoZone or Advance Auto Parts or even a local mechanic will take your containers of car oil.

  • never pour it down the drain or on the ground and ensure its stored in a sealed containers before you dispose of it.

  • if you cannot find an auto repair shop to take your car oil, use Earth911.com to help you locate a recycling center.