Okay, you have had a yard sale, twice. You have taken lots of stuff to the charity drop box. You have taken a few high quality items to the consignment shop or offered them for trade via Freecycle. Unfortunately, you still have a lot of junk around, and it’s too much stuff to leave by the curb for the garbage man. You can’t burn it either, so what are you going to do?
Start by shredding any papers that contain personal information. These can then be added to the trash. A paper shredder is not very expensive and it’s well worth the piece of mind you’ll have, knowing that identity thieves cannot obtain your information by rummaging through your trash.
Next, recycle as much of the other stuff as you can. There are articles in this column and in Frugal Living that offer ideas for recycling common household items.
Finally, if you have no other choice, you may need to take your items to a local landfill. They usually charge by weight. If so, you will be asked to pull your vehicle onto a scale before and after dumping. The difference in weight is how the charges will be calculated.
Check with the disposal company before loading your vehicle. Certain items may not be dumped, such as paint cans or certain other types of chemicals. Computer monitors usually cannot be dumped either and need to be disposed of properly (check with a computer store in your area for information). Other small appliances may also be disallowed including televisions and microwaves that no longer work. You may be able to find a haul away service in the newspaper, or a used appliance store that will take these items. Sometimes they repair appliances and sell them.
Tires are another item that you may not be able to dump. You may have to consult with a shop that sells tires to find a local depository.