Are you moving? Not sure what to do with your unwanted household items. Multiple organizations are looking to help the less fortunate. Why not donate? If your household item is too old to donate consider recycling it.
Who to contact is the major issue. Here are some great websites that can help:
Best Buy: Best Buy accepts most electronics and large appliances, with a few exceptions, and will take them at no charge. Best Buy will also take your computer monitors and TVs up to 36”, charge you $10, and give you a gift card.
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NSTAR: Refrigerator or freezer costs up to $150 a year to run. If you are looking to get rid of your second refrigerator or freezer, let NSTAR pick it up and they will give you $50. The refrigerator or freezer will be recycled into new products, keeping materials out of landfills while also saving you energy and money. You must be an NSTAR customer.
Freecycle.org: Freecycle is a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Consider giving to others.
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Bikes not Bombs: Consider donating your old bikes that are sitting in your garage. Each year they collect roughly 6,000 used bicycles and tons of used parts from their supporters around Greater Boston and New England. They ship most of these bikes overseas.
Bikes that don't get shipped often land in their Youth Programs where teens learn bicycle safety and mechanics skills in the process of earning bikes to keep for themselves.
Their retail Bike Shop also reconditions and sells some of the donated bikes that they receive, employing many graduates of their programs. The Shop's profit from the bicycle sales, parts sales, and repairs goes towards funding their youth and international work.
Cars for Kids' Sake: Donate your old car that is left rusting out in the drive way. Whether your car starts or not, donating it can certainly start something in your community. Big Brothers Big Sisters Cars for Kids' Sake helps them raise funds through the donation of your unwanted vehicle. Donated vehicles may qualify as charitable gifts and may be eligible for a tax deduction.
My Brothers’ Keeper: Consider donating the furniture you don’t need that is still in good condition. My Brother's Keeper accepts donations of basic residential furniture in very good condition. In keeping with their mission, high-quality items are important because they allow them to serve families with dignity and respect.
Don’t forget your local churches and charities.
About the author: Janine Elkhoury is a Realtor at RE/MAX Legacy and is interested in recycling. For more ideas and to learn more about Janine visit her website at www.woburnhousesforsale.com
