Doris Puls

As I am organizing and decluttering with people, I find myself moving items from “throw away” to “donate.” If something can be used by someone else, why not donate it instead of throwing it in a landfill?

I also think it makes people happy to think someone else will use things they no longer want or need.”One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” is a saying that goes back as far as the 1860s. Even back then they were giving to others instead of being wasteful. Often these items go to those who cannot afford new items so it’s helping in multiple ways.

There are so many ways to keep our possessions out of a landfill. If they cannot be used, a valuable asset we have in our community are our recycling centers. We know this takes much more effort to save items, break down boxes, wash out containers, etc., but it is definitely a good way to reuse and keep less in landfills.

What about composting? It is another way to use what we would otherwise throw down the disposal or in the garbage. We are turning waste into useable materials. Then there is food that we waste. Maybe we need to evaluate how and why we throw away precious food whether it is fresh, frozen, or canned. We might need to make changes in our habits so we don’t waste it. People call me occasionally to ask where they can donate items. I am known for my willingness to try to find the right “home” for things. Right now I am trying to find “homes” for two large desks, some office room divider screens, a couple of dozen “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books, and other odds and ends. Do you know of someone who can use any of it?

When it comes down to it, our garbage should be very minimal. One thing I sometimes do is put my garbage out early and place something I don’t want in front of it. I did that just this week with a yard game we no longer played. It was gone the next day. In my mind it wasn’t worth donating but it could be cleaned up and used. It made me feel good that it still had “life.”

Sometimes I hear of people cleaning out a relative’s home, getting a dumpster, and filling it up, throwing away everything they didn’t want to keep for themselves. It makes me sad for our environment and for people who could use things being thrown away. We need to make more effort to take things that can be used to places like St. Vincent’s, Salvation Army, and Habitat for Humanity, to keep things out of the landfill and to help others so they can purchase items reasonably. Don’t throw away what others can use.

Doris Puls, of D & O Decluttering and Organizing, is a professional organizer whose mission is to make a difference in the lives of the people she works with in homes and businesses. Contact her at organizealpena@gmail.com or at 989-356-9545.