How to Properly Dispose of Your Home Junk
Regardless of how well you clean, your house will never be perfectly cleaned until the junk vanishes. Here’s how to get rid of it with a clean conscience.
No matter how hardworking you are during your spring cleaning, it seems that there are inevitable piles of junk that can’t fit in any place.
Things like old light bulbs, batteries, and boxes of tangled wires will be stacked into the back of the closet again away from sight till spring.
In case you’re ready to handle those confusing stuff, here’s what to do with them properly.
Unused electronic wires and remotes
All of us have that leftover box of unknown cables, wires, and remotes. Some of them have dangerous chemicals in them that are released when they’re incinerated.
So, don’t throw these in the trash because they have copper in them.
Cables can be used by recyclers. However, finding a recycling facility does require some research. Click here to find recycling official facilities or just do Google search for an electronics recycler in your area.
Broken glass
If just put into the trash, broken glass is like a hidden weapon. It can simply cut through paper and plastic and cause serious injury to yourself or others.
The best solution to handle it is to wrap glass in an old cloth and hammer the glass so that it breaks into smaller pieces. Put the cloth in a box or bag and label it “broken glass” before throwing it in the trash.
Light bulbs
Most LED lights can be recycled since they don’t have any dangerous toxins. Incandescent and halogen bulbs can’t be recycled.
Instead, they can be put
in the trash. The best thing to do is to put them in a plastic bag to contain
any broken glass.
Since CFLs, compact fluorescent lamps, and fluorescent tubes have mercury in
them, it becomes illegal to put them in the trash in some areas.
Your city may have a local spot to drop off these bulbs, or you can look for large retailers that offer recycling services for bulbs purchased through their stores. You can also click here for more options.
Glass dishes can be recycled but ceramic dishes are much more complicated. Thrift stores are normally the perfect place to get rid of your ceramic dishes even if they’re chipped or cracked.
People may need them for crafts. If you have ceramic dishes that are entirely damaged, search online for an art class or a craft group that requires mosaic materials.
Batteries
There’s a debate about them. Generally, it’s a great idea to recycle batteries because they have trace amounts of mercury.
They even contain more
mercury and other chemicals if they were made before 1997. So, you can’t throw
them in the recycling bin. Talk to your trash-removal company for safe
recycling ways.
It’s illegal to throw away rechargeable batteries in many areas. This includes
cell phone and laptop batteries which have toxic metals.
Most consumer electronics chains provide recycling services for dry cell and recyclable batteries. You can also contact a battery recycling facility in your area.
Expired canned food
Frankly, you’re not going to eat that last can of lima beans. It’s time to throw those expired cans and spices.
Some food banks will take expired food cans within a certain time frame. Contact your local food bank and ask what its policy is.
Or simply, throw the food into your garbage disposal or compost bin and clean the can for recycling.
Plastic bags
Plastic bags can be
recycled but not in a regular recycling bin. Many supermarkets have plastic bag
recycling boxes.
Generally, it’s always a great idea to reuse
plastic bags many times before dumping them.