Earth Day Ideas from a Professional Organizer

Spring is springing up all around us. The daffodils are blooming and the forsythia is blossoming into that amazing yellow color.

April is a month of renewal. Easter is a time of new beginnings. This is also the month we celebrate the earth. Earth Day began in Philadelphia in 1970. (Belmont Plateau anyone?) In the organizing and productivity industry we consider every day Earth Day.   

Recycling opportunities in your community this month.

Part of what professional organizers do when working on home organizing projects is teach clients about recycling. There is so much that we can currently recycle and those lists are growing. 

Here are some power resources that we use to assist you in locating the most appropriate place to donate and recycle in our area. 

Recycle

• Your county, township, and trash hauler are your primary resources- their websites have information on what you need to recycle, how it needs to be prepared and when their hazardous waste and recycling events are (usually in the spring and fall).     

• Google.com/+what you want to recycle+ your zip code will help you find more resources.

• Earth911 - This is an informative website that also has lists of locations that accept all types of material for recycling by your zip code.

• Freecycle - This is a community board where you can post items that you no longer want and hopefully there is someone out there who is looking for what you want to move on to a better home. I found a woman who needed notebooks, I had tons of notebooks...she came by and picked them up one day! Out of my office! Professional organizer favorite.

• Grocery Stores-are great places to recycle those pesky plastic bags

• Whole Foods -currently has containers for corks, #5 plastic, and cell phone donations.

• Staples and Best Buy  take most electronic recycling.

Upcoming Shredding Events 

• ProShred in addition to a National Association of Professional Organizers - Greater Philadelphia Chapter shredding event at Ikea on April 30th, you can take document for shredding to ProShred in Malvern. There you can drop off your shredding for $10 a box. As a professional organizer, I am dropping off clients’ shredding here on a regular basis. It is a very secure operation.

Donate

• - accept fiction non-fiction books, CDs, DVDs & VHS tapes. Do not give them old text books, encyclopedias or VHS tapes that you recorded from your TV. Call your library to double check. 

• Habitat for Humanity -These folks use your donations to raise capital for their projects. I have had them pick up a jacuzzi, doors, furniture and windows. Call your local store because what they accept changes depending on what they have in stock, sometimes they will pick up.  

• My preference is to donate electronics to Team Children in Audubon, they repair and refurbish computers for those in need.

• Clothing and household goods including small furniture can be donated to:

           Paoli Hospital             

           Bryn Mawr Hospital  

           Lankenau Medical Center

           Goodwill they accept computers and furniture here

           Neighborhood League – Wayne 

           Trading Post- Paoli

           Community Clothes Charity

These organizations will pick up from your home:

          Vietnam Vets  

          The Salvation Army 

          Purple Heart

          St. Vincent de Paul 215-288-9540

Consignment stores are an option as well, however I have found that the time involved is usually not worth the money you get, unless you have plenty of time.

There are places like Play It Again Sports and Chic and Simple in Berwyn that will purchase from you outright.

Finally, there are many auction houses along the east coast, most of which have their own niches. Depending on what you have there is usually an auction house or specialty sale that items can go to.

Have a great month. Next month we will talk about new and favorite organizing tools.