Back to Search
Unwanted and too much stuff? How to help the environment when decluttering.
The winter is a great time to take stock of what we need and don’t need for the year ahead. Whether it be clothes or household items, when we declutter, it’s important we make sure to dispose of the items properly. In this month’s Climate Corner, we share ideas of how to reuse or repurpose items you are not using, and if you can’t, then where to donate or dispose of them.
Reuse/repair:
- Many times, we have clothing items that have a small rip or hole, or are too long or short, etc. but we may not be proficient at sewing. If you are interested in learning, there are many great tutorials on YouTube you can watch to learn the basics of sewing. This video goes over five different basic clothing alterations.
- If you and your group of friends, family or neighbours have clothes you don’t want anymore, consider having a clothing swap. Everyone brings a bag of clothes, shoes, or accessories, and you can trade with your friends for things that you need. At the District, the Green Committee is hosting four clothing swaps this year for District staff!
- If you have electronics or appliances that are not working, consider looking to get them repaired before throwing them out. Last year the Knox Presbyterian Church in Bracebridge hosted a repair café. Keep an eye out for similar events happening in your community this year.
- Old t-shirts or sweatshirts can be cut up to be used as cleaning cloths, saving you money buying new cloths and keeping items out of the garbage.
- If you have a collection of glass jars from sauces and jams here is a great list of ways to repurpose them. As well as ideas to reuse plastic bottles.
Donate:
- Check out your local buy nothing group – you can usually find them on Facebook to give away anything you don’t want to others for free.
- Diabetes Canada Textile bins accept donations of accessories, bags, clothing, curtains, general household textiles, shoes, boots, sleeping bags.
- Habitat for Humanity ReStore accept donations and sell the following items: appliances, cabinets, décor items, doors, windows, lighting/plumbing items, upholstered/wooden/metal furniture, flooring, area rugs, lumber, renovation materials, hardware and tools. You can drop off items, schedule a pick-up or book a salvage for large renovations. The ReStores in Huntsville and Bracebridge sell these items to the public and can be a great way to purchase affordable household items and ultimately reduce the amount of waste that we send to our landfill in Muskoka.
- Salvation Army thrift stores in Bracebridge, Gravenhurst and Huntsville accept donations and sell the following items: accessories, antiques, collectibles, clothing, computers, electronics, houseware, media/books, seasonal items, textiles and toys. These thrift stores are great for finding affordable clothing and items for purchase too!
- Animal shelters/rescues/OSPCA often accept blankets and towels you can reach out directly to the shelters to see what they might need.
- Winter Coat Drives – The District participated in the Algonquin Outfitters 2024 Winter Coat drive and received over 250 coats from the community to distribute to those in need. Keep an eye out for their coat drive next November.
Dispose:
Sometimes there are things we just can’t give away or fix and they do end up needing to be disposed of. The District of Muskoka Waste Wizard can help you figure out what goes where so it gets disposed of properly. Remember the District is switching to clear bags for curbside pick-up in March, so anything you are putting out for collection should be in clear bags next month!
By being conscious when we declutter and trying to reuse, repair or donate our unwanted items means we prioritize the planet and the climate when we do our winter and spring cleaning this year.
Did you know? You can share this article on your social feeds by scrolling to the top of this page and clicking on the share icon located next to the printer on the ride side of your screen.
View all Climate Corner Newsletters
Subscribe