Going minimalist? Planning a big declutter? If so, you’re about to create boxes and bags full of clutter. And those will need to go somewhere. I’ve written guides on how to sell and donate clutter. But some things won’t fit in either of those categories. You’re going to want to clear out clothes with holes or stains, worn out shoes, and random household items. If you feel guilty about throwing them away, you can use this guide to figure out how to recycle clothes and as much other clutter as possible.
That being said, I’d like to issue a warning at the outset that you shouldn’t overthink decluttering. If you get too overwhelmed by planning where to take all your clutter, you’ll never start. There’s a reason that most people can relate to memes like this one:
Even just dropping off bags at a location you don’t usually go to can be a daunting task. So, don’t get so caught up in researching where to take everything before you actually declutter.
Similarly, don’t let guilt about throwing things away stop you. As I wrote in a previous post, decluttering is always going to be “wasteful” to a degree. But that’s not a reason not to do it. Do it once and then change your habits so that you’re not overconsuming in the first place. That will ultimately do more for the environment than telling yourself that it’s fine to keep buying stuff you don’t need because you can always donate it or recycle it later.
A Note on Recycling Clutter
Below I’ll outline how to recycle more unusual items like clothes, shoes, electronics, and household items.
While the articles on how to sell and donate items in good condition was easy to put together based on my own experience, I have to be honest and say this one was much harder to research. The reason being that it’s hard to figure out how to recycle anything beyond what can go in a recycling bin. Most cities in the U.S. at least don’t have very good programs for this kind of recycling. And if you want to do things properly, you’ll have to sort things and take them to separate drop-off sites – maybe even dissemble things that are made from a combination of materials.
I don’t say this to discourage you from decluttering and recycling. I say it to make the point that there are many good reasons not to overconsume in the first place. Before you mindlessly buy something you don’t need, or grab a freebie you don’t even want, consider how much effort it will take to get rid of it. One experience of a deep declutter and trying to ethically discard all your extra stuff can be just the wakeup call you need to create new, minimalist habits.
How to Recycle Clothes
According to the EPA, 70% of the clothing and shoes created ends up in a landfill. That’s nine million tons every year. And that’s just clothes! 92 million tons of textiles go to landfills annually. It’s hard to even wrap your head around numbers like that. And yet, when you think about the ubiquity of fast fashion, it sounds about right.
Most people will donate their unwanted clothes when they do a closet declutter. But you really should only donate clothes in very good condition. If they’re not good enough for a nonprofit like Goodwill to sell, they could end up in a landfill anyway.
Recycling clothes is the alternative.
I mentioned in a post about How to Make Money From Your Clutter that ThredUp will recycle any of your clothes that won’t sell.
H&M is another option. You can bring a box of clothes from any brand into an H&M store, and they’ll recycle it for you. They’ll even give you a coupon to use toward your next purchase. Of course, as a minimalism-themed blog, I recommend that you throw that away!
You can see view this list of other brands that have similar programs, but I haven’t found others that are quite as easy and seamless.
How to Recycle Denim
I’m putting denim in a separate category because there are some services that specialize in denim recycling.
Madewell has a program similar to H&M’s, but for jeans specifically. You can bring jeans from any brand into a Madewell store, and they’ll recycle them for you. They’ll also give you a coupon towards your next pair of jeans. But again – I don’t recommend filling your closet back up right after decluttering.
They offer this service through Blue Jeans Go Green. Through this program, you can drop off denim at a one of the retailers on this list or mail it in.
How to Recycle Old Shoes
Shoe recycling is handled separately from other clothes because shoes are made up of a variety of materials.
During my big declutter a while back, I was lucky to have a My Organic Market in my city. That allowed me to simply drop off shoes in poor condition into a recycling bin. However, while they still accept a variety of items for recycling, they no longer accept shoes. If you look up “shoe recycling + [your city]” you may get lucky and find a similar service nearby.
Otherwise, GotSneakers offers a recycling program for athletic shoes. You can register online to request a free Sneaker Recycling Kit. Use the kit to ship your sneakers via FedEx. They even offer small payments $1-$7, depending on the style, condition, measurement, and brand.
You can also order a Zero Waste Box through Terracycle, but it does cost money. The benefit of paying is the peace of mind that you’re not adding items that aren’t biodegradable to a landfill. And on top of that, the cost of recycling your excess shoes could be a great deterrent to buying more than you need in the future.
Finally, Nike will take used shoes. Nike Grind transforms old athletic sneakers into sports surfaces.
How to Recycle Electronics
I have personally recycled my old electronics through my city’s program. You’ll need to search for “electronics recycling + [your city]” to find out where to go and exactly what’s accepted. Generally, there will be a specific drop-off point as well as periodic events at other locations. After a declutter, it’s easy enough to put all your old electronics together and make one trip to a drop-off point.
Stores like Staples and BestBuy also offer recycling. You can just bring your old electronics into a store, and they’ll take care of it for you.
Again, you can order an E-Waste Recycling Box through TerraCycle, but it costs money.
And finally, Amazon offers a mail-in recycling program for personal devices.
How to Recycle Household Items
I wanted to include information here on how to recycle furniture, but to be honest, I couldn’t find a lot of great programs for this. The one practical option I found was Bye Bye Mattress, which will help you recycle old mattresses. Certainly better than leaving it out on the street!
As for other household items, you may be surprised by what you can recycle, but it will depend on your location. I recommend using Earth 911’s database to search for recycling centers for various items (cookware, CDs, cables, batteries, light bulbs, etc.) by zip code.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, the more clutter you have, the more thought and effort you need to put into thoughtfully and sustainably removing it.
After you declutter, focus on not accumulating so many items again. You don’t want the stress and the guilt of sorting, selling, donating, recycling, and throwing away.
What about you? I’d love to hear of any programs you know of to donate clutter in the comments!