Decluttering
Your Home the
Eco-Friendly Way

Decluttering Your Home the Eco-Friendly Way

If you've taken a look around your house and thought, "Where did all this stuff come from?" you're not alone. No matter how tidy you are, clutter seems to appear out of the blue. Things accumulate under your nose without your permission, creating a chaotic atmosphere. Decluttering improves your home's functionality and promotes a sense of peace. As you declutter, it's easy to fill up bag after bag with items you no longer need or want. Before you toss those bags in the garbage, consider eco-friendly alternatives. Follow these green house-cleaning tips the next time you declutter.

• Add To Your Compost Pile
• Reuse Jars and Cans
  
• Store Decorations by Reusing Materials
  
• Donate Items
  
• Cut Back on Paper
  
• Sell Used Devices Safely
  

Add to Your Compost Pile

Kitchens can get cluttered faster than any other space. As much as you try to keep your kitchen clean, you're bound to accumulate food waste. When tidying your home, the kitchen is a great place to start. First, clear out your fridge and pantry, checking for any expired or unwanted food items. Compost any expired food you can, and reuse or recycle the rinsed-out containers. Donate any non-expired food items to your local food bank. Make sure they can accept your donations. In many cases, food banks can only take non-perishable items.

Keeping the kitchen organized might seem an impossible task, but certain methods can be helpful. To avoid fridge and pantry clutter in the future, you can use these strategies: 

• Come up with meal plans. Once a week, plan the meals you want to make. That way, you'll know exactly what to buy at the store instead of choosing random ingredients. Meal-planning is also a great way to improve your health, as you can make sure each meal provides balanced nutrition.
  
• Use a "first-in, first-out" system. When you buy new food, place it towards the back of the fridge or pantry. This will help you remember to use older items first, reducing your home's food waste.
  
• Plan regular clean-outs. Schedule a time for regular fridge or pantry cleaning, about once a week or so. Cleaning will feel easier this way, and your leftovers will have less chance to get moldy and unsanitary.

Reuse Jars and Cans

Jars and cans have so many uses — they need not go to waste. One of the best recycling tips for decluttering is to remember the jars and cans, making use of them in creative ways. If you have disorganized craft supplies or toiletries, reuse jars and cans from the kitchen to create a useful system. All you have to do is rinse them out and decorate them to your taste. You can add strings, labels, stickers or scraps of fabric for a stylish finished look. You might even gather up some junk mail paper and try your hand at homemade papier-mache. Jars and cans also make great planters. You can use them to build an herb garden along your windowsill. If you have no use for jars and cans, go ahead and recycle them.

Store Decorations by Reusing Materials

You can extend your eco-friendly decluttering to your seasonal decorations. Reuse egg cartons, wrapping paper rolls and gift boxes to store your seasonal decorations for next year. Use egg cartons to wrap up lights without tangling. Store ornaments in wrapping paper rolls with the ends blocked off with tape. Use gift boxes to store loose decorations, rather than buying expensive new containers. You'll be reusing materials, improving your organization, protecting your decorations and saving money!

Donate Items

You're bound to have clothes, toys, books or other items sitting around unused, especially if you have children. Kids outgrow their clothes and toys at the blink of an eye. Before you toss these items in the garbage, consider donating. Plenty of charities and community groups are glad to take such things. Contact any of the following organizations to see if they'll accept your items:

• Second-hand stores.
  
• Non-profit organizations.
  
• Daycares.
  
• Scouting troops.
  
• Religious groups or churches.

You might also advertise your items on social media, noting their availability for local families in need. Keep in mind that you can write off charitable donations on your taxes, which makes the act of giving even sweeter. Moving forward, consider buying items second-hand — you'll save money and help reduce the environmental burdens of production.

Cut Back on Paper

Paper and paperboard are the largest components of municipal solid waste. In 2018, 17.2 million tons of paper and paperboard ended up in landfills, which was 11.8% of all municipal solid waste that year. You're likely to have some paper waste in your home. Save what you can for craft projects and be sure to recycle the rest. To help reduce paper waste, you can take a few steps:

• Unsubscribe from any monthly catalogs or magazines you never read.
  
• Sign up for electronic bill payments — it's convenient, allows easier filing for your records and helps save trees.
  
• Make your to-do lists on your electronic devices, using less paper when possible.

Sell Used Devices Safely

If unused electronic devices are adding to your home's clutter, consider reselling them. It's important to make sure electronics get reused or recycled rather than sent to landfills — once they're in a landfill, an electronic's precious metals aren't recoverable. You can extend the lifespan of any electronics you no longer need by reselling them, earning a quick buck in the process.

Traditional resale methods have some disadvantages. Buyers might undercut prices, and you may have to meet up with strangers, presenting possible danger. Additionally, putting your item up for sale online requires significant time and effort. Instead, consider using an ecoATM kiosk to resell your old cell phone. The kiosk offers cash for used device. The devices will be sold for reuse or recycled. All you have to do is factor reset and charge your phone, and then bring it to an ecoATM along with your identification. The machine will make you an offer and payout in cash if you accept! This is a fast and convenient way to declutter old devices.

Find an ecoATM Kiosk to Sell Old Phones

When decluttering, you're bound to amass piles of things you no longer want or need.

Find an ecoATM Kiosk to Sell Old Phones

When decluttering, you're bound to amass piles of things you no longer want or need. Some of those things might be old phones, stored away in the back of a junk drawer. You can keep your unwanted devices out of a landfill and earn some quick cash by reselling them to an ecoATM kiosk. With over 4,000 ecoATM kiosks available, you're bound to find one near you.

Help us make a positive difference by selling your old cell phone. So far, we've collected over 37 million devices, the equivalent of 6.25 million pounds of electronic waste. If you want to help do your part to reduce electronic waste, find an ecoATM kiosk near you.