I hate disposing of perfectly functional items

Talk to some charity shops. They'll always be willing to take your old, perfectly good stuff in. Or talk to homeless shelters and stuff. There should be some recycling centers as well that will help you.

 

I used to work at a thrift store, and we would have to throw out stuff on a daily basis to make way for new junk. What was even more crazy was the employees weren't allowed to take any of this stuff before it was being disposed of, or else we would get fired. They would literally take all the merchandise that wouldn't sell, and put it in a giant trash compactor and smash everything into giant bricks, which would be bundled up and sent off to the landfills.

I know it might sound crazy that they won't accept certain items, but the reality is they need to turn down stuff they know will only sit around and take up space at their shops.

There are other options though. You can check to see if there is a local "Freecycle" group in your area, as well as post some listings on Craiglist to see if anyone is interested in your stuff. You may also want to reach out to your local universities' art department, sometimes they will welcome stuff like old furniture and other odds/ends to use for sculpture projects and other artwork.

 

In my country charity institutions will take all of your used items, even old technology, as there are plenty of people who really don't mind a few home comforts in shelters for homeless people. I don't know if it is allowed in Canada, but here you can just place your items in front of your house or building with a sign that says "free". Usually it doesn't take long until someone takes them away. Failing that, a lot of newspapers have a freebie section in which you don't have to pay for your ad.

 

I don't like Craiglist but they have have a section where you can post an ad where you give away you stuff to anyone who is interested. While there's no telling how long you'd have to wait for someone to respond to your ad or how many times you have to post an ad to get attention, I think it's a good way get the items off your hands and know that someone may find it useful.

 

I would definitely try listing it on Craigslist. Or, if your area has a yard sale-type Facebook group, you can post there. Someone will surely want these items.

 

This is what I was going to recommend, too.

There's also a site called Free Cycle that's good for getting rid of free items. List what you have available and if someone wants it, they can come pick it up. Then you don't have to worry about it being wasted by a charity shop.

 

You can try Freecycle, CraigsList and Omjlist(dot)com. OMJ stand for One man's junk.

If local thrift stores don't want it, contact shelters in your area. Don't forget Domestic Violence shelters. It may be harder to donate to them due to the reason they exist, but they always need help. If they can't use it, the woman getting ready to find their own place could definitely use the items.

You can also contact local churches. They may know someone who could use the items or know who to contact.

 

That's a good idea, too. Even if they are unable to take the items themselves, they may keep your name in mind for a future need. For example, someone whose house just burned down is going to be incredibly thankful for a TV as a luxury replacement item...even if the TV is several years old. They can always upgrade it later, but for the time being, some people are going to love having an old item compared to no item at all.

 

Exactly, Jessi. Sometimes you just have to think outside of the box. When people suddenly find themselves in need, they often turn to their church or local churches. Churches do communicate with each other or join groups to help the community. So, the Catholic church may not have any parishioners in need but they know someone from the Methodist church up the road needs some help.

 

This seems insane honestly.I mean, I get that they can't be seen to be giving this away to their employees when it should have went to charity, but if it's literally going to a dump, I don't think anyone would mind.

 

I would wait for a day with nice weather and place the items on the sidewalk with a "free to a good home" sign on them. I gave away my old toaster that way. It was gone in two hours.

 

I do too and that is why I donate them to my local thrift store. You know that donations are tax write offs right? You get receipt from the thrift store and you give it to your accountant when you file your taxes. Donating is a very great thing! Don't junk the functional items! Donate them!

 

Wow thanks for your input I was really curious as to why this happens and now that you've explained it then it sounds a bit more sensible to me. Such a shame that employees aren't able to take home unwanted goods but if I'm not mistaken this is also true for restaurants because some might make schemes to take advantage. Where I'm from, small electronics shops will always take old TVs and other electronics because they can use them for parts.

 

Yes, I am the same. I will always try my best to sell any items that I'm getting rid of, as it seems to make a lot more sense to do this and get some money for it rather than just get rid of it. I will then send things to the charity shop if they don't sell, because then other people would be able to make the most of the things that I no longer need. But yes, I certainly hate to waste things, which is why I will always be very careful before I get rid of things.

 

The rice cooker is the current issue in our home. The original one that we were using for more than 10 years broke a leg of the stand. We used our spare rice cooker but the cooking was not as good so I bought a new rice cooker. Right now we have 3 rice cooker, all functioning except for the broken leg of the original. Now, if you ask me if I can give away the excess, hmm, I probably would snub you. Sentimentality always prevails so until the items are functioning, they stand as spare or reserve... to be stored in our stock room.

 

I also wouldn't give away something that still works or sell it at a throwaway price. Since there's no telling when what you are using will stop working or die having something you can use stored somewhere might come in handy and actually save you some money since you won't need to buy a replacement.

 

I offer these types of items on Freecycle / TrashNothing. Also, there are local groups on Facebook for sale and/or free items. I like for my items to go to those who really need and want them, not to resellers or the greedy people who grab up everything that's offered, so I will post, then give it about a day. That way, those who aren't sitting on their phones waiting for each item and jumping on them, who are busy with real life, or off working/taking care of people can have a chance at it. If you hang out in a group for a bit, you will start to recognize the names of the greedy people, and can ignore them. Some groups on Facebook will have posts by people ISO (In Search Of) items, and if I have something a person's looking for, I'll make a decision about whether I really need it, and if not, I'll offer it to them.

 

I value space over hanging onto too many stuff, especially if I'm running out of space. I love big, open spaces with clean lines, and hate feeling crammed. So as soon as I feel something needs upgrading; if it still functions, I donate it to charity. In the UK you even get charities and organisations who are all too happy to pick up stuff you don't need to either recycle or sell for charity. There are options depending on where you are.

 

I think I would also suggest that you just place the item on your front yard and let the people get them. It's more convenient too in the sense that you don't even have to bother leaving home and you just dump them in front of your house. We have disposed clothes and shoes that way.