Collector Care: 4.5 Tips On Making Your Garbage Green

Hello Collectors! Do you like to recycle or compost? Did you know that we throw away a lot of things that can be recycled in our garden bins? In California, ours are green for garden/compost items. I hope your respective state provides the same option.

Here are 4.5 tips on composting items out of your own trash can(s) at home.

1. Pizza boxes can be put in the green cart. Food residue on pizza boxes makes them hard to recycle but easy to compost.
2. Food soiled paper products can be put in the green cart. Paper:  plates, towels, napkins, cups, coffee filters and tea bags are included!
   
3. Meat, bones and grains. All fine in the green cart, but not for a backyard compost pile or worm bin.
4. Donate "junk" on large pickup days. These are usually mailed out by your local waste management company.
5. Remember to recycle used motor oil, filters and batteries. See if your local sanitation company can collect oil or household filters with weekly pickup. Where I live, you can put all used household batteries in a clear plastic bag on top of your recycling bin and they take them away on weekly pickup. By taking the time to

Seven 15 Minute Clutter Busting Ideas

SEVEN 15 MIN CLUTTER BUSTING IDEAS

We’ve all been motivated to de-clutter our homes but don’t have the time.
I believe if you take 15 minutes a day dedicated to clutter busting a specific area - your results will be visible at the end of the week.
Visible results provoke enthusiasm and consistency making you more motivated and less stressed. 

Below are 7 “things” that you can easily get rid of in 15 minutes or less.

1. Hangers from the dry cleaner. Go into your closet(s) and remove all of those wire hangers from the dry cleaners. Most dry cleaners recycle these back - or toss them into the recycle bin. They are awful for your clothing not to mention unsightly. If you have clothing wrapped in those plastic dry clean bags, remove the bags and recycle them right away. According to Mary Marlowe Leverette from About.com “Leaving freshly cleaned laundry in the bag can cause yellowing, staining and weakening of fibers”.
2. Plastic stadium cups. Faded from love, who knows what’s in them. Recycle them. This counts for plastic children’s cups too.
   Are we positive that the BPA standards are being met here?
3. Clothes with stains. These do not double as rags. They are not donate-able. Toss them.
4. Florist’s vases. Great for donating or tossing. Keeping these only take up valuable space in your kitchen or pantry.
5. Expired coupons. As a single mom I coupon a lot. I do not have a binder or a stock room. I have one envelope where I keep the most relevant coupons. No matter how detailed your couponing is you are bound to have a lot of expired ones. Go through them and recycle the ones that have expired or that you really won’t use.
6. Junk Mail. It’s easy to spot, easy to recycle folks and not helpful to anyone! Do not bring junk mail into the house. Immediately put it in the recycle bin if you can.
7. Receipts from the grocery store. If the receipt is over a week old, you’re probably aren’t planning on returning anything. With the price of gas plus time and effort, would that return be worth it?
   Shred or recycle these out of your purse, pockets, drawers etc.

Rachel Seavey, Professional Organizer
I am located in Pleasanton Ca, and serve the San Francisco Bay Area.
I specialize in Hoarding Disorder, Chronic Disorganization and helping the overwhelmed with clutter. I love what I do, and I provide realistic expectations and timelines. Don't suffer in chaos any  more. Every breath is a new beginning! Please visit my site at www.collectorcare.com
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