How To Upcycle, Recycle, and Donate Hard to Get Rid of Items

Given the popularity of Marie Kondo and The Home Edit, being stuck at home for the last year, and spring cleaning, we are willing to bet you have at least given some thought to purging all your belongings. Hilary has recently gone down a wormhole of how to get rid of all those hard to get rid of items and some different ways to upcycle, recycle, or donate your items besides just bagging it all up and giving it to Goodwill. Check it out and tell us your favorite ways to responsibly purge!

1. How to recycle everything, literally everything

If you have done any deep diving at all into recycling, you know plastics are hard to recycle and many times the plastic items you throw into your recycling bin still end up in a landfill. Not to mention those mixed plastic items and plastic packaging… and batteries, not made of plastic, but what are you supposed to do with batteries anyway, ugh. Enter TerraCycle, an amazing social enterprise on a mission to eliminate the idea of waste. Through TerraCycle you can recycle anything and everything. Purchase one of their zero waste boxes (this handy quiz will help you find the right one) and you are off to the races. Yes this a little bit of an investment, but link up with a friend and share a box, maybe it will keep you both motivated to finally finish that skincare/old make up/bathroom product purge!

2. How to donate bras and bathing suits

If things aren’t fitting quite the way they used to (hello quarantine bod) or just aren’t your style any more there are a few places I’ve found where you can donate used (or new) bras and bathing suits (I can’t be the only one who can’t help but buy a new bathing suit before every beach vacation, can I?). Bras for a Cause / DonateSwimSuits.com is a 501(c)3 (read tax deductible) non-profit that will take all (doesn’t matter on the condition) your old bras, lingerie, and swimming suits, simply pop them in a flat rate box and send them on their way. I Support the Girls is another great organization that collects and distributes essential items, including bras (gently used or new), underwear, and menstrual hygiene products. They have local drop off locations around Denver Metro if you don’t want to pop your items in the mail. Check out their local Facebook Page to find a drop off location near you!

3. How to get rid of old paint & hazardous waste

It’s time to kick those old cans of paint to the curb (responsibly of course). Check out PaintCare.org to find a participating paint retailer near you who will take all that old paint off your hands. If you are planning to sell your house soon (don’t forget to contact us!) we recommend holding on to the paint you used most recently for wall touch ups and to pass along to the new owners. There are some items that Paint Care does not accept such as spray paint or paint thinner, but, if you live in Denver, you are in luck! Through the city you can schedule a once a year pick up off all your hazardous waste items (batteries! glue! rust remover! oh my!) for a small $15 fee. If you don’t live in Denver county, check out this website for hazardous waste recycling options near you!

4. How to make some $$ while cleaning out your closet

There are so many options for upcycling clothes you don’t love any more. If you have time, patience, are looking to make a little extra money, and your clothes are on the newer side (or so old they are cool again), I like selling items on Poshmark. If you don’t want to spend time putting your clothes up on Poshmark, I also recommend ThredUp. ThredUp is an online consignment store, so they do not accept everything you send them and you end up making very little money off the items they do accept. There are a few reasons I like ThredUp. For starters, it is super easy and convenient, you can print a free label and box up your clothes or they will mail you a bag to ship back. The items they don’t accept you can either have mailed back to you (for a fee) or they will donate or recycle them, so it’s a win win for you. There is also the option to just mail them items for donation and you are able to pick from a list of charities where your donation goes. Here are a few other sites place to sell clothes that I haven’t tried yet but might be worth checking out: ReRuns.com, Depop.com, Crossroads.com, Tradsey.com, Mercari.com.

If you don’t have the time or have no interest in making money off your closet, check out these great organizations for clothing donations: Dress For Success, Denver Rescue Mission, SafeHouse Denver, Clothes to Kids of Denver.

5. How to donate reusable water bottles

Every good house cleaning purge usually ends up with a box full of items that you have no idea what to do with. In my house, it seems like we always have about 20 more reusable water bottles than we need. We really only use the same one or two water bottles every day, so I am so happy I found this place to donate all those extra bottles to!