Thanks, that’s a great way to frame this!
I’m trying really hard to carry over the insights I have when I’m not overwhelmed into other times. It’s not going great, but I’m at least aware that it’s a thing that will help in the long run.
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Sometimes I use something for one more task- like wiping a bike chain- for which I would otherwise need a paper towel. If you do not have lots of those then skip this step!
I can’t find the meme now but I had seen one that was like, when I buy new underwear I don’t throw the old ones away, I just push them aside where they make a nest for my precious new underwear. That’s what your rags made me think of 
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In my house a hole-y sock doesn’t get thrown away until it is used as a dust rag. Then we can finally lay it to rest 
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I have a cloth draped over the pipe under the sink for this. Is that not a common approach?
I have put the old tea towels to be washed one more time before we put them into textile recycling. That is probably weird. (and textile recycling is probably just greenwashing)
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I like this idea. I’ve never seen it done!
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Definitely depends on the company. There’s one reliable company in australia but i think most of the restaurants doing it are greenwashing, unfortunately
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If they make it to the facility, tea towels have a good chance of being recycled! They are usually 100% cotton. As of 2021 I believe there was one machine in Canada that could recycle mixed fabrics, but others that broke them down for other uses too.
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I use old clothes, tea towels etc. instead of sponges to wash dishes. I don’t hem them or put them in the dryer, but hang them up on clamp pant hangers out of the washer.
It works for us. The minorly stained/ragged ones get marked “/” when they get truly ratty, I add " \ " and give them to DH, who uses them for cleaning machine oil, caulk, paint, etc . Then they’re thrown away. I don’t know of a fabric recycler in my area, although your post will get me to do some research!
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Our house’s main floor is officially functional! It only took us four months after baby arrived.
I started working on our basement. It’s two rooms, one finished and one unfinished, for a total of 800 sq ft. We use it for storage: right now it’s so chaotic that there is only a small path to walk through. The goal is to turn the finished room in the basement into an office/guest room.
I ordered a Bagster for some obvious trash (nothing gross! Things like broken cheap furniture no one wants), started a goodwill pile, and did some consolidating.
Here are my questions for you all:
- I have four small styrofoam coolers. Is there anywhere that would want all four, besides posting on buy nothing?
- how would you get rid of a bunch of items of electronic trash? Biggest item is a broken microwave. Ideally a service that would take everything, we have too much to go item by item.
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Try ridwell? I can’t use it here, they aren’t here yet. The coolers might be welcome at animal shelters vets’ offices?
All the styro coolers I have, except the biggest, I got at our dump. I use them in the summer when I’m getting produce from farms. So, if the vets’ offices don’t want them, there may be someone like me in your community?
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Your city might have an e waste/hazardous waste event yearly or more often. My work has one once a year too.
You can take things 3 at a time to Best Buy but that is slow and painful
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I would look into county or city e waste recycling. My county even has a thing where you can schedule an appointment for them to pick up your e waste from your house.
Styrofoam coolers go pretty quick on my Buy Nothing group. I don’t understand it, but it made me happy when my meds were getting shipped in those.
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For ewaste - definitely start by searching for ewaste or hazardous waste centers near you. Or possibly your local regular dump will take ewaste. Here it varies wildly from town to town. We end up having to bring ours to the next town over. Our town has a “hazardous waste day” but it’s only twice a year and I always miss it.
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This is so smart! I live one burb over from a more affluent, outdoorsy college town. I bet their e waste options are solid. Will report back
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A food pantry might take the coolers.
Do you have electronics recycling? I think we would have to buy a tag for each item, but there’s a dropoff at the same city site that takes yard waste.
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We do, but it’s once a year, and I keep missing it. Annoying!
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Staples also does this, you just have to bring the tech piece to hte store.
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My new idea:
We bought some small clear plastic bins Sunday. I filled the first 2 with books and put a card, you can see from the side, with a deadline, a month from now. The idea is that I fill them and have to empty them, BEFORE the deadline.
Things get unpacked here and then just become part of the landscape and this is an attempt to change it? We’ll see how it works…
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I have thrown away the waxing kit that I brought with me when we moved to this house in 2006. I simply don’t care enough about hairy legs, and if I am in a situation where it is meaningful from a societal perspective, I have a razor.
I was struggling because I could use it up, but really, the time and pain seems silly.
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Certainly the 18 year old wax has degraded beyond the ability to be a viable hair removal implement.
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