DrDeClutterBlog.com

You can do your part to help planet earth by recycling CDs, DVDs and all their packaging appropriately.

The Bad News

Each year, billions of CDs and DVDs are manufactured, while millions of these discs end up in landfills and incinerators. If you use, sell, promote, distribute, or manufacture compact discs, it is your responsibility to recycle and promote how to recycle them. Compacts Discs, when recycled properly, will stop unnecessary pollution.

The Good News

Recycling and repurposing CDs, DVDs and their packaging, meaning that the paper, polycarbonate, some media types that have as much as 20mg of gold can be reclaimed and used again.

Here is a great video showing the process of recycling and repurposing the plastic when processed appropriately. Below the video are addressed to recyclers just for CDs and DVDs.

This video is from http://cdrecyclingcenter.org/

http://www.greendisk.com/gdsite/technotrash.aspx

http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/245/1/DVD-and-CD-Recycling.html

NESAR Systems
Attn: Recycle
420 Ashwood Rd.
Darlington, PA 16115
(724) 827-8172

Plastic Recycling
2015 S. Pennsylvania
Indianopolis, IN 46225
(317) 780-6100

Digital Audio Disk Corporation
Attn: Disc Recycling Program
1800 Fruitridge Ave.
Terre Haute, IN 47804-1788
(812) 462-8323

Data Management Service
99 Mulberry St.
Terre Haute, IN 47807

Holiday storage for decorations will relieve lots of future stress: Store Smart

a) Keep all of your decorations in the least amount of containers/tubs as necessary. (Let go of those you will not use again.)*

b) Store containers in deep-storage, out of your way in the garage, basement, shed or attic.

c) Label every container on the outside with what is inside so that anyone can easily find what you want and help you decorate next year!

*Note: Whatever you might donate, put in boxes and lable DONATE, TAKE IN NOVEMBER. If you take your Holiday decorations to thrift stores now they’ll throw them out as they have no space to store them for 11 more months. Tuck them away and put a tickler reminder on your calendar for late October or early November to take them.

Over 9 billion dollars was spent on gift wrapping alone last year! YIKES! And, unfortunately, 99% of it bad for landfills and won’t be degrading anytime soon.

It’s easy to accumulate too many rolls of wrapping paper, too many bows, and now outdated bags and tags, holiday colored baskets, etc.  It also might be that you just don’t wrap and give gifts like you used to.

But when do we go through them?

Now!

As soon as you can, before you pack it all away to forget about it for another year, take an hour or two and go through all of your gift wrapping stuff, boxes of boxes, etc.

Then, what to do with it?

Give them to friends with bigger families and kids who will enjoy them!

I did that today. Some of the items are just stunning bags and boxes, but I’ll just never use that many any more. (I have always bought them during the big after Christmas sales so they were very inexpensive, yet lovely.)

Since I couldn’t leave today for Christmas as planned (snow, icy roads) I took the opportunity to go through all my closets and storage bins of C’mas wrapping, bows, boxes, accessories and culled them out. I’m giving about 20% to friends of mine who can use them next year. Feels great! Plus, BONUS #2 – I know what I have now too!

My friends have teenage daughters who will love all that extra lovely stuff, and it doesn’t cost them a penny!

It was really fun to do it. It was like going through treasure chests! I forgot two little Christmas music boxes, that are also gift card holders, that I love. I wound them up and enjoyed them!

Oh, and don’t forget to go through your Gift and/or ReGift Box too! You may find some last minute items in there to give yet this year.

Now, with everything reorganized, it’s easier to remember, find and use next year. That’s priceless!

PS  Don’t give what you’ve culled out to thrift as it’s too late this year. They have no where to store it and it will be trashed. Just give it away directly to friends, Girl Scouts (who wrap presents for free at Christmas) or others who will enjoy it.

Responsible recycling is important!

Here’s a great, easy way to recycle your old Christmas lights.

Take them to ACE Hardware … see more here. http://www.lightsforlifeinc.com/

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Don’t let your newspapers pile up outside your front door when you’re gone. Make sure to set up a VACATION HOLD asap.

And, save time! Instead of making a phone call, or forgetting to make it and put your newspaper deliver on VACATION HOLD or other request, go online and do it quickly. It also lets you check if you want them when you return, or you can donate them to local schools, etc.  

Our local Longmont Times-Call can be accessed at https://www.timescallcustomercare.com/

Check you paper and see if they offer this quick click system too!

Happy vacation/holidays!

• Is holiday shopping just too much for you?
• Is overconsumption and consumerism just too much?
• Do you feel overwhelmed and wonder how to stop it all?

America is the mecca for “Retail Therapy” and Christmas brings out the big guns!

Listen into my interview on ”It’s the Economy” Talk Show

from Thursday night, December 15th on

KGNU Radio, Boulder, CO.  

Mp3 –  http://www.kgnu.org/economy/12/15/2011

“And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more!”

- Dr. Suess

Tired of holiday hype?

No matter what event or holiday you are celebrating that includes gift giving, you might just want to sit quietly and pick out something from a shopping trip in the “department stores of your mind!”

Even if it’s a week before Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, a birthday, wedding or anniversary, think about making your gift instead of buying it at a store, keeping it simple and personal.

Consider the following:
- Bake muffins, a pie, a cake or cookies
- Cook a special meal
- Put together a picnic basket and invite others out for a hike in nature
- Create a scrapbook page of photos from something you did with them, or of their childhood or a special event.
- Put together a music CD or digital recording – download or sing songs that you know they like
- Make an ornament significant to them
- Write a song, poem or story for them

There a lots of small and fun ways to give from the heart this year and always.

TIP: Ask the what they really want and like that you could make for them, and do it!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Kim

Medications that are expired or that you’re not going to use again should not be  dumped in the toilet, down the sink or in the trash/landfill for two very important reasons. One is environmental, the other is our health. Medications of all kinds are in our drinking water now because people flush and dump them.

WHERE TO DISPOSE

1) Create a box or tub to store old medications away from children and pets.

2) Leave the medications in their original containers.

3) Contact your local hospitals and pharmacies and ask if they take them or have a ”Medicine Dump Day” where you take in what you have and they will incinerate it. 

IN LONGMONT, CO (Where I live)

Longmont United Hospital has  a ”Medicine Dump Day” twice a year. Watch the paper or contact their pharmacy. It’s usually around April and October on a Saturday.

You can also take medications to Good Day Pharmacy anytime. (They are across the street from LUH).

Here is a longer article about why not to dispose of medications at home.

IF YOU MUST DISPOSE AT HOME

And, if you must dispose of your unused medications in the trash, which is still better and safer than the sewer, you may want to place a little water into solid medications or solidify liquid medicines with a little kitty litter, sawdust or flour. This may help keep your medications from being taken accidentally by a child or pet. But, they will still end up in the environment.

Okay, here it is!! Holiday shopping madness season!

If you didn’t do it all on Black Friday, you have weeks to go yet, right?

I want to offer you a very cool tip on finding stuff for free!! Yes FREE!! Whether you’re shopping for the holidays or any event… save money, time and nerves the next time you need to shop for clothing, especially when you have children.

How?

1.  Declutter.
Yes, you heard me! When you declutter piles and heaps and boxes of stuff and things in closets, garage floors and attics you’ll be amazed at what you’ll find that you forgot to give in the past or bought two of along the way, someone gave you and you’ll never use, or… whatever!

2.  Plan on REGIFTING!
Create a “Gift Box” and put these items in it for “regifting”. Yes, REGIFTING! Why spend more money and mental anquish over things you already have!

3.  Box and Label for Future FREE Stuff!
When you get and stay organized by boxing and labeling you seasonal clothing – and children’s clothing that can be worn the next year by the same or another younger child– you will save yourself plenty of time, energy and money by going into your storage boxes and bins and finding most of what you may need “before” you go store shopping.

Yes, we already own most of what we need; we just don’t remember where we put it! So, the more organized you are and the better categorizing and labeling you do when organizing, you will find much of what you need right in your own square-foot-heaven.

This includes all kinds of items, like tape, pens, batteries, flashlights, supplies of all kinds, gloves, etc. When you keep items in “categories” and “contained” in boxes, tubs, bins and baskets, and “label” them so that everyone in the house can find them and put them back when done using the items (teach everyone!) you’ll waste less money, time and mental energy trying to locate and use what you already own.

Happy (in-home) Shopping!

The City of Longmont, CO fire stations are accepting used bicycles for donation to Bicycle Longmont’s Christmas Bike Program. Drop off unwanted, used bikes at the nearest fire station. Santa’s elves will repair the donated bikes! Go Santa!!

Kids receive repaired and happy bikes through charity organizations: The Safe Shelter of St. Vrain Valley, the OUR Center, the Inn Between and the school district’s Safe Routes to School Program.

Check this article for deadlines, drop off points, contact information and more.

For over two decades the Christmas Bike Program has been helping local children get a “pre-owned” bike to change their lives in an important way. A bike might enable a child to earn money with a paper route, see relatives who live far enough away that walking would take too long, get groceries and . . . just have some fun with friends or alone!

Scooters and tricycles are also welcome.

Make a difference this year. Declutter and old bike for a new life for a child.

Start a Christmas Bicycle Program in your community this year!