Be honest – Is your home full of unwanted items? Clothing, appliances, furniture, sporting gear?
Do you ever wonder what to do with unwanted items like the appliances you haven’t used for years or the beautiful clothing that’s been hanging in the wardrobe since ‘that party’ two years ago? Or the brand new bed cover that clashed with the curtains when you got it home? Things that are just too good to throw away…. so you hang on to them thinking “One day I might need that again.” But, somehow, that day never comes.
How come we accumulate so much?
The fact that we have so many possessions in the first place is a real twenty-first century phenomenon. Mass production and (sadly) cheap labour mean the cost of items has dropped dramatically.
During the twentieth century people were quite conservative shoppers. Two World Wars, rationing for clothing as well as food made people careful with their purchases. Rather than buy new items, they turned worn bed sheets (if you’ve not heard that expression before, it’s cutting the sheet in half lengthwise and sewing the two outside edges together) to make them last longer; they unravelled sweaters to reuse the wool; they resized clothes to pass on to younger family members.
These days, more often than not, we simply chuck out the unwanted item and buy a new one. That culture has led to waste on an unprecedented scale. MOUNTAINS of discarded clothing, electrical goods, furniture and whole commercial fit-outs end up in landfill.
What effect does it have?
Scientists and futurists tell us we can’t go on like this. We are polluting our water sources, poisoning the soil and building huge problems for the next generations with our rubbish. Which isn’t really ‘rubbish’ in the true sense of the word. It’s discarded items, most of which have a lot of life left in them and some of which are brand new!
Revitalise your unwanted possessions!
Sustainability is the key. It’s probably an overused – and often a misused – word but the smallest effort on our part to save items from landfill is worth a try! The world is drowning in rubbish because ‘cheap’ took over from ‘quality’ and the word ‘value’ lost its meaning. But we can make a difference!
- Don’t discard items just because you don’t like/want them anymore. Someone else will love them.
- Join the ‘sharing economy’. Barter, trade, swap and share rather than discard.
It’s so easy to throw unwanted stuff in the bin! But, before you’re tempted to chuck something else away, think about what a difference you could make by giving that ‘stuff’ a new lease of life. If you can successfully rehome or recycle your unwanted items, old and new, everyone is a winner – and, best of all, so is the planet!
So where do you start!
The first thing is it’s worth remembering that one person’s trash is another one’s treasure!
So take stock of what you really need – and what you actually use – versus all the ‘nice to have’ items that simply sit there and don’t have a real purpose in your life. They could have a far greater purpose in someone else’s. You just have to find that person.
Call it what you like…preloved, pre-owned, second hand, recycled… someone will find a new purpose for your chest of drawers, your drill bits, your leather boots and your kids’ toys. The second-hand market is huge. And, by the way, much of the so-called ‘second hand market’ is actually brand new items!
What choices do you have to rehome/recycle your unwanted items?
Choice 1. Yes, you can leave your chest of drawers and kids’ toys on the nature strip and hope people take them away. They probably will – but you risk perfectly good things being rained on or damaged and it creates a pretty messy scene for your neighbours.
Choice 2. There are traders who make a living out of scouring neighbourhoods for discarded furniture and goods which they can ‘renovate’ and on-sell to others. Nothing wrong with that! But, as with Choice 1, you risk the weather damaging goods and it isn’t very neighbour-friendly.
Choice 3. Join the ‘sharing economy’ online. Barter, trade, swap and share rather than discard. In the online world you can control how you dispose of your goods and, if it matters to you, control who gets them. Try that with Choice 1)!
How to share your unwanted goods with those who really want them!
It’s really easy! All you have to do is let people know what you have and how to contact you. With Come and Get It you don’t even have to worry about postage or freight. Your interested takers literally ‘Come and Get it’. We call them Collectors because that’s what they do! They come to your home or to a pre-arranged spot and take the goods away with them. No money changes hands so you don’t need to worry about cash or cards or PayPal. Simple!
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