Netflix causes mass dumping. Here's an alternative.
January is usually a big month for physical donations to charity. In 2019 it's been over-the-top (literally) as charity donation bins have been overflowing with items.
The Netflix series "Tidying Up" by famous declutterer Marie Kondo (see her book) has inspired many to declutter their homes. But in the process they've cluttered the streets.
To make it worse, much of what fills the bins is not good enough to sell, and is also dumped.
We might think we're helping, but that's a lot of money we're forcing them to spend on removing rubbish. It would be much better if they could spend that money on the charity work they do.
"If you wouldn't lend it to a friend, or give it to a friend ... don't donate it." That's the advice from Omer Soker (National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations).
If it's good enough to give to a friend then sell it online. You can even list it for free if it's not that valuable.
For clothing that's no longer wearable, checkout clothes recycling.
If you can't sell an item (or give it away) you might just have to put it in the recycle bin or garbage. I know it feels bad to put something in the garbage - especially if it's only been used a little bit. But there are two positives to come from it:
1. It's a helpful reminder to think twice when buying stuff. Do we really need it?
2. At least you haven't burdened a charity with the expense of dumping it.
Fortunately for you I have made a free ebook called Less Clutter More Cash". Grab it and you'll be emailed as soon as the 2019 edition is out.
PS. If you absolutely must physically donation to a charity - like if you have a whole houseful of stuff you need to donate quickly - most charities have a number you can call and they will pick it up in a truck.
News sources: Charities not accepting donations as bins overflow
January is usually a big month for physical donations to charity. In 2019 it's been over-the-top (literally) as charity donation bins have been overflowing with items.
The Netflix series "Tidying Up" by famous declutterer Marie Kondo (see her book) has inspired many to declutter their homes. But in the process they've cluttered the streets.
What's so bad about donating?
When the bins overflow the extra items are thrown away. Having been in the weather, the rain and on the ground, they are classified as contaminated and cannot be sold.To make it worse, much of what fills the bins is not good enough to sell, and is also dumped.
Bad donations hurt charities
13 million dollars. That's how much it costs charities to deal with all the junk we dump on them - 60,000 tonnes a year. Lifeline says half its stores have stopped accepting donations.We might think we're helping, but that's a lot of money we're forcing them to spend on removing rubbish. It would be much better if they could spend that money on the charity work they do.
What's the solution?
This is one of the 4 reasons I advocate selling unwanted items online. You can be sure it's going to someone who wants it (not landfill)."If you wouldn't lend it to a friend, or give it to a friend ... don't donate it." That's the advice from Omer Soker (National Association of Charitable Recycling Organisations).
If it's good enough to give to a friend then sell it online. You can even list it for free if it's not that valuable.
For clothing that's no longer wearable, checkout clothes recycling.
If you can't sell an item (or give it away) you might just have to put it in the recycle bin or garbage. I know it feels bad to put something in the garbage - especially if it's only been used a little bit. But there are two positives to come from it:
1. It's a helpful reminder to think twice when buying stuff. Do we really need it?
2. At least you haven't burdened a charity with the expense of dumping it.
"But I don't know how to sell online"
Fortunately for you I have made a free ebook called Less Clutter More Cash". Grab it and you'll be emailed as soon as the 2019 edition is out.
"But I want to help out a charity"
That's fantastic. Good on you. Why not give half (or even all) of your sale money to charity. They'll appreciate it much more than a bag of worn-out clothes. You'll help save them millions in dumping expenses and ease the burden on the hard-working charity volunteers. You may even be able to claim a tax deduction for your donation. It's a win for everyone.PS. If you absolutely must physically donation to a charity - like if you have a whole houseful of stuff you need to donate quickly - most charities have a number you can call and they will pick it up in a truck.
News sources: Charities not accepting donations as bins overflow
I love this! "If you wouldn't give it to a friend, why give it to charity?" Having previously helped sort some very sketchy donations for a charity (ratty, stained underwear and white shirts with dark yellow sweat stains come immediately to mind), I certainly knew that concept. However, I had never really thought of the ultimate Next Step: sell your unwanted items online and donate the money to charity instead! What a fabulous idea. :) I love all the creative solutions on this blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the praise Laura.
DeleteYes we like to say we donate to charity - it sounds like such a good thing to do. But when I shared this article on social media I got so many comments from elderly charity volunteers about the massive quantities of junk they have to dispose of. I assume it's one of three things.
1. We either have a very optimistic view of what is usable. Selling it ourselves can give us a good reality check.
2. We want to give as much as we can to charity. This article and the facebook comments can alert us to the fact that most of what we are doing is actually costing charities not helping them - and making the volunteers do extra work for no reason.
3. Perhaps subconsciously we just want someone else to deal with our problem. We've over purchased, or bought stuff we really didn't need. We feel bad just throwing it in our garbage bin. I think trying to sell it ourselves (and perhaps even dumping some of the waste) might make us more aware shoppers the next time we're considering getting something we don't really need.
The idea of giving the money we make to charity is to test whether we really care about the charity, or whether our subconscious just wants someone else to deal with our mess so we don't have to.
Well said David. You provide a practical approach to a contemporary problem. Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliment. I'm glad to hear that people are finding it helpful. What did you like best about it?
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