Service Spotlight: Recycling and Disposal
April is earth month, and all of us at The Little Details love to talk sustainability. Some people see our work as being counter to sustainable behaviors – carts full of plastic bins, piles of packaging from closet renovations, and curating a pantry to perfect rainbow order are not anything to write to the EPA about. But for most of us, sustainability is at the center of everything that we do. Getting organized allows our clients to better understand what they have so that they can use those things - and not buy more. Creating systems that make every day a little bit easier gives our clients more time to do the things that matter to them and to the world, like going to the farmers market instead of the grocery store. And a lot of what we do is help people identify the things that they don't want and take them away, to somewhere that they can be used or disposed of properly.
We have written about our donation network and all of the wonderful options for letting go of items that still have life left in them. But there will always be items in a home that are not suited to be reused. This is where our knowledge of disposal and recycling comes in!
But first, some hard truths. If you are still reading this blog, you have an interest in living a more sustainable life. Remember the 3 R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Recycling should always be the third step in your process - reduce and reuse must come first. The United States does not have a federal recycling program and the quality of recycling services varies widely across the country. If you do make an effort to recycle, it is critically important that you understand the recycling standards in your community and stick to them. At the absolute most basic level, this means fully washing out any container that you recycle and double checking that whatever you are throwing into your recycling bin is actually recyclable. Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville all have easy lookup tools for proper recycling or disposal.
With all that in mind, we do everything we can to help our clients recycle or dispose of items in their homes in an ethical way. Many clients will opt to use some of their time with us to get these items out of their homes and to the right place. You can review a longer list of disposal resources on our resources page, but check out the list below for a few of our favorites. These are listed in order of frequency of use by our team!
Electronics & Small Appliance Recycling
Somerville City Recycling - electronics and some hazardous waste can be disposed of during drop-off hours at the Department of Public Works with proof of residency.
Cambridge City Recycling - electronics and some hazardous waste can be disposed of during drop-off hours at the Recycling Center with proof of residency.
Boston City Recycling - electronics and some hazardous waste can be disposed of on scheduled Zero Waste Days with proof of residency.
Byte Shop - free repair, recycling, and computer museum!
EcoATM - kiosk-based phone recycling.
Earth Worm Recycling - for a fee, Earth Worm can pick up and recycle large volumes of electronics waste.
Fabric Recycling
Somerville City Recycling via Simple Recycling - free home pickups!
Cambridge City Recycling via Helpsy Recycling - free home pickups!
Boston City Recycling - clothing and textiles can be disposed of on scheduled Zero Waste Days with proof of residency.
Upcycling and Creative Re-Use
Are you sure that it’s trash? Old magazines, calendars, stationery, and even pill bottles and tupperware containers can be reused. I personally turn old takeout containers into shrink plastic jewelry!
Make & Mend - drop off craft supplies (be sure to review their donation guidelines) for re-use.
Community Fridges - drop off clean, empty tupperware or takeout containers for re-use.
Facebook Marketplace/Everything is Free Facebook Group - if you have a large volume of something that you think someone may want to use, consider offering it up for free on an online marketplace. Set a firm deadline for how long you will let it sit on the marketplace before you dispose of it.
Junk Disposal
Clean Out Your House - for a fee, Clean Out Your House will take anything and everything and either consign, donate, recycle, or dispose of it.
Junk Luggers - for a fee, Junk Luggers will take anything and everything and either donate, recycle, or dispose of it.
Building Materials Disposal
Habitat for Humanity ReStores - donate building materials, hardware, and paint to help build homes for those who need them.
Facebook Marketplace/Everything is Free Facebook Group - offer up your materials! Set a firm deadline for how long you will let it sit on the marketplace before you dispose of it.
