Recycling Help

Recycling;
All of us are familiar with the concept of recycling. What many people do not know is how difficult and time consuming it is to get rid of unwanted stuff. There are numerous web sites devoted to recycling that offer the scary facts about how much waste we generate each year. It should be everyone’s goal to reuse as much as possible and donate unwanted items to others who can reuse them. Over the years of doing Estate sales I have had to learn many ways to dispose of unsaleable items. I try very hard to keep items out of the landfills. The bulk of our unsold items go to charities (usually of the family’s choice) however many charities have specific needs or limited space for donations. Below are some ideas and links that have helped me to recycle the things that are left over.

Humane Society:
We donate old towels, blankets, throw rugs and cleaning supplies to the So. Oregon Humane Society.  They use these up and are always grateful.
Here is their web site link to what donations they accept.
http://www.southernoregonhumane.org

 Veterans Homes:
In the Rogue Valley there are several transitional homes for Veterans who are making the transition back to the work world. They accept furniture and clothing for use, not resale. They seem to always need household items, such as refrigerators, and toasters. All items need to be in useable, working condition. The Veterans Programs manager can be reached through the office of ICC 779-8564 in Medford.

Local Recycling:
Jackson County has an online directory of where to recycle items that are not saleable.
You can print it out and keep it on the fridge!
http://www.roguesmart.org/directory.html

If an item is saleable I have found Craig’s List to be a great resource.
Craig’s list a centralized network of online communities, featuring free classified ads.
http://medford.craigslist.org

To give away items Freecycle is a good thing to try.
Freecycle is a movement of people keeping stuff out of landfills while building a sense of community.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MedfordFreecycle/

Non Profit Charities:
Here is a National website guide to Charities and what donations they accept and how to reach them.
http://www.justgive.org/html/ways/ways7.html