Creation Care Clutter Cleaning

Did you receive Christmas gifts you can’t use?  Are you struggling to find places to put new toys your kids received because they already have more than they need?  Is reducing general clutter one of your new year’s resolutions? Are you preparing to move and realizing you have items you will no longer need?  It can be hard, even overwhelming, to decide what to do with all this “stuff,” and it can be tempting to just throw it out. But caring for creation also means using and reusing resources wisely, even when you don’t need them anymore.

If this resonates with you, know that the UMC Creation Justice ministry reminds us to “keep in mind that 146 million tons of solid waste goes into landfills in the U.S. every year. Imagine that! Located in “someone else’s backyard,” landfills are notorious for environmental injustice and for methane, which contributes to global warming.”

You should also know that we can find excellent alternatives to the landfill right here in Greensboro! Instead of trashing things we no longer want, we can donate, rehome, recycle and repurpose.

Donate

Most people know that toys, clothing, and household items (new or gently used) can be donated to Goodwill. Backpack Beginnings also takes new and gently used children’s clothing and other children’s items (https://backpackbeginnings.org/donate-items), and Freedom House Thrift also takes clothing for all ages and various household items.  Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore takes furniture and household items of many kinds (https://habitatgreensboro.org/restore).  You can also donate business or formal wear to the Junior League’s Bargain Box (https://www.juniorleagueofgreensboro.org/bargain-box/).  Although they do sell the good (as does Goodwill), both organizations use the monies raised for specific charitable or work force development programs.  The Salvation Army’s Select Store is another place to bring more upscale clothing brands, and you can bring other, general clothing items to their Family Store (https://southernusa.salvationarmy.org/greensboro/family-stores-s).  

I recently cleaned out my craft closet of all those supplies I once thought would incent me to complete some inspiring craft ideas.  Thankfully, all sorts of craft items and supplies are welcomed at Reconsidered Goods (https://reconsideredgoods.org/). I’ve given them everything from old buttons to half used skeins of yarn, old holiday cards, and beads I bought for jewelry making and never used.  They even welcomed an old knitting machine my mom left at my house when she passed away many years ago.

ReHome

One option I recently learned about is the Buy Nothing Greensboro group on FaceBook. At this location you can list an item you’d like to give away (everything listed must be free), or you can advertise for something you need.  Most items are listed for “porch pickup” so don’t require interaction between giver and recipient other than a message or text. I’ve used this several times, often with good results.

If you’d like to earn some money for rehoming your things, check out consignment stores like Play It Again Sports (https://www.playitagainsports.com/locations/greensboro-nc) for sporting equipment, Once Upon A Child for children’s clothing, toys & gear (https://once-upon-a-child-greensboro.business.site/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=referral), or the Red Collection for furniture, lamps, art & other home goods (http://www.theredcollectiononline.com/blog/).  Consignment stores in Greensboro are too numerous to list here, so just Google consignment stores Greensboro for a map of all offerings in this category.

Of course it is also important to consider shopping for your own items in these stores, rather than buying new.  You are sure to find treasures and care for our environment at the same time by keeping things out of our landfill and saving money at the same time!

Recycle

In Greensboro, we are blessed to have a variety of recycling options within easy reach. In addition to the recycling pick up the city provides, glass recycling bins have been placed throughout the city.  And don’t forget the styrofoam deposit trailers located at our libraries, recreation centers, as well as at come churches. 

Repurpose 

Among what some would call “trash” are things that can be repurposed.  This is not to discourage you from donating, rehoming or recycling, but we are told that only a small percentage of what we attempt to recycle actually gets recycled.  So, imagine how some recyclables can be repurposed with just a bit of creative thinking! For example, if you have some empty jars or other durable containers, these might be used for storage of dry goods (rice, beans, etc) once the original packaging is opened, to store small items of any kind, or for yesterday’s leftovers. The cardboard tubes inside your toilet paper and paper towel rolls can be used for kid’s crafts, as seed starters this spring, or in many other creative ways. Spray paint empty containers to use as planters or storage bins. Here are a couple of ideas lists to get you started:  https://homehacks.co/35-fun-and-easy-diy-projects-used-toilet-paper-rolls/7 https://www.er.com/emilyshwake/upcycle-reuse-repurpose 

Let me know what you tried or other ideas you came up with to reuse, repurpose or donate and I will share those in a future post!  Happy clutter cleaning!