I am here to share spring cleaning resources I used to ditch dead weight and enjoy a simpler, springier home without sending everything I dumped to the landfill. I’m talking about things like old medications, the bridesmaid dress you’ll never wear again, an old laptop, or a bulky piece of furniture you have no way of transporting. You know the stuff.

I spent the past month of weekends in my filthy yard clothes, work gloves, and gardening boots attempting a spring clean-up of my yard, garage, and basement. Between raking and hauling and lifting precarious objects up and down staircases, the whole endeavor was like self-punishing Marie Kondo CrossFit session.  

The reality is, my house is far from sparkling Marie Kondo-perfection. I cohabitate with a stinky-hairy dog who comes home covered in grime and happy as a clam nearly daily. I own more than I need and use. I refuse to eradicate the mess of enjoying life outdoors from my life. But I would like to contain the havoc and to abide by Marie’s golden rule: ditch things that don’t spark joy. Whether it’s a bottle of shampoo that smells like a dream in my shower, or the box of cedar balls fending off mildew in stored clothes, each item I own—however simple and small—should have a home and a purpose and bring me delight.

In order to achieve that vision, I need to own less. Simultaneously, I want to minimize my impact on the environment. So, how do I dispose of the unwanted “stuff” filling the dark corners of my home and simplify responsibly?

These are the solutions I ran across on my decluttering journey for…  

RECYCLING APPLIANCES, ELECTRONICS, BATTERIES, LIGHT BULBS, ETC.   

Bay Area Recycling for Charities (BARC) is an outstanding resource for disposing of nearly anything in our community. They say that if they do not recycle it, they will help you find out how to recycle it. I am consistently amazed by BARC’s breadth of services and programs and the way they are working to make northern Michigan a greener community.

If you’re like me, you have a pile of batteries, light bulbs, old laptops and iPods laying around. This spring, I finally sorted all of that and dropped it off (along with an old broken air conditioner) at their donation center near Chum’s Corner and I feel good knowing that it will all be recycled responsibly.

BARC’s Traverse City location accepts drop offs Monday-Friday 9am to 4pm. If you have a larger item or cannot make it out to their facility, they also offer a pick-up service where you can schedule a pick up (starting at $30) to have your appliances, mattresses, TVs and other items picked up from your home or business.

DITCHING EXPIRED AND UNWANTED MEDICATIONS

I found a half-dozen or so canisters of expired vitamins and prescriptions when I cleaned out my medicine cabinet. I know throwing them in the trash is not a good thing (for many reasons), so I put them in a bag and Googled the most responsible way to dispose of medicine in Traverse City, here’s what I found:

Prescription and Over the Counter Drug Drop Off | Law Enforcement Center 851 Woodmere, Traverse City 49686

They will take prescription drugs, over the counter medicines, pet medicines, supplements and vitamins, medicated ointments and lotions, and liquid medications in sealed containers or plastic bags. Simply drop them in the drop box in the lobby any time Monday – Friday 8am to 5pm.

GIVING CLOTHING & HOUSEWARES NEW LIFE

I’m on a perpetual mission to collect high-quality, responsibly-produced clothing and houseware staples. But I’m not there yet. I still give in to temptingly cheap and stylish options like Target and somehow always have a big donation pile, no matter how much I try to simplify and pare down. Throughout the year, when I put something on that is ill fitting, or notice an item I haven’t used in months or years, I toss it in a bag in my closet (clothing) and a box in my garage (housewares). Every few months, I do one of three things:

Attend/Organize a Clothing Swap: This is my favorite way to give my unwanted clothes a new home. It involves wine, snacks, women I love, and coming home with a bag of fun, new, (free!) clothes. Every 6 months or so, we take turns hosting a clothing swap. Here’s how it works: 1) everyone brings clothing they don’t wear any more, 2) we lay it all out on the floor, 3) we all go through the pile trying on our friends’ discarded pieces, 4) we donate what is leftover at the end of the evening. It is so fun to see a friend totally rocking a piece of clothing that’s been collecting dust in your closet.   

Donate Gently Used Items: Women’s Resource Center (WRC) is a thrift store gem that does incredible things in our community. Some of my favorite possessions come from WRC (a 12-piece set of glass mixing bowls, a stained-glass snowflake Christmas tree topper, and a muted-raspberry oval vase) I consistently take my donations to WRC (They accept donations from 11am-5pm Monday through Saturday) and always stop in to look through the furniture, houseware, and clothing treasures in the store.

Find Unique Solutions for Unique Items: There are always a few outlier clothing items that aren’t fit for consignment or donation. These are a couple unique ways I’ve disposed of odd-ball items:   

• Single Shoes: Has anyone else had a beautiful brand-new pair of shoes destroyed by a puppy? Unfortunately, this has happened to me several times. I once invested in a nice pair of Dansko booties and my border collie puppy annihilated one shoe in the pair. The remaining shoe stood alone, in pristine condition… so, I turned to Google and found an organization that that serves Amputees. I sent in the like-new shoe to them and received a tax deduction voucher. Win-Win! Learn more here.

• Fancy Dresses: There are several organizations that take prom dress donations for students in need. Becca’s Closet has several chapters in Michigan and is a wonderful organization to support if you have beautiful formal dresses hanging around that you will not use again.

• Trashed Clothing: H&M (located in the Grand Traverse Mall) has bins to collect old clothing that is not fit for donation. Simply bring in your clothing and you will receive a coupon for a discount at H&M. Your local recycling center may also a textile recycling solution.

Consign Like-New Pieces: Occasionally I have an item I invested in that just doesn’t work out. That’s when I turn to Evergreen Consignment. They consign housewares and clothing and always have a great selection of unique items. Once, I consigned a much-loved mustard-yellow overcoat that had grown too small on me and one of my dear friends unknowingly purchased it. Now it is one of her signature items and I love that it has a whole new life.

Undoubtedly, there are more reusing and recycling solutions where that came from. What are your trusty spring-cleaning/recycling resources?

p.s. Many of these resources are local to Traverse City, but it is likely that your locality has similar resources.