America Recycles Day is November 15, 2022. In addition to the usual cans, bottles, paper and plastic there are lots of other items you have at home that can be recycled or better yet, re-used or re-purposed. Recycling has gotten so much easier over the years, I still remember not so long ago bringing these items to my local store for recycling. We've gathered a few ideas including lots of resources for you to sell, recycle or donate your longer needed items in Conejo Valley, Malibu, Calabasas and nearby.
Rebecca Jaciuk, publisher of Macaroni KID Downriver, Mich. shares:
My sister and I decided to rid items from our home every day for 40 days as part of Lent a few years ago. I didn’t want to throw everything in the landfill, so I had to find creative ways to remove things from my house. It made me really think about how to find new purposes for old items and I've made much more of a conscious effort to reduce without waste the past few years. I also highly suggest a challenge of getting rid of things for 40 days, it made me feel so much better!
Here are five ideas how to reduce, reuse and recycle:
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1. Sell it
Have an old-fashioned garage sale or better yet join forces with your neighbors or local organization and have a community sale. The internet has made it so easy to resell items — just be careful of scams! There are many to choose from, but my favorite is Facebook Marketplace, which I've found a good place to sell practically anything. Baby clothes, furniture, you name it! Many local community Facebook Groups allow you to sell your items too, but check the rules first.
Love at Second Sight, Westlake Village - a luxury consignment boutique where you can sell you trendy / brand named items
- Play It Again Sports, Newbury Park - quality used sports and fitness equipment
- Nextdoor, post items online to sell locally to your neighbors
- ebay, Online - a great option for collectibles or other items
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2. Give it away
You can donate many gently-used items to nonprofits that help people. For instance, foster care agencies like James Store House might be in need of kid clothes or cribs. A home that provides refuge for women escaping abuse might need bottles or gently-used women's clothing. Organizations that help women in need like Sara's House Maternity Homes, Simi Valley. An animal shelter can typically use things like blankets and towels. Goodwill and Salvation Army are always possibilities too! I was able to give away a lot of baby and kid items I no longer needed to a foster agency in my town.
There are also “buy nothing” groups in many communities like freecycle and on Facebook where you can give away items, or you can offer items to your neighbors on Nextdoor. Local charity thrift shops are another option. Be on the lookout for donation bins - you'll often find them in shopping center or school parking lots - each of the Oak Park School sites have a usagain clothing and shoe bin in their parking lot. Many accept all textiles including shoes, belts and pursed, some even take worn out items to be recycled. How about cleaning out your pantry and donating to a food bank.
Local Thrift Shops:
Visit their website or call to inquire about what items they accept and if they have pick-up options.
- Assistance League of Conejo Valley
- Mad Attic Thrift Store
- Senior Concerns Bargain Boutique
- Merry Hall Tree Thrift Store
- Arc Foundation of Ventura County
- Coalition Thrift Store
- Luther's Attic Moorpark
- National Council of Jewish Women - Thrift Shop
- Assistance League of Santa Monica
- Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission
- Los Angeles Mission
Animal Shelters
Call or visit their website to see what they are accepting
- Agoura Animal Shelter
- Ventura County Animal Services - Shelters in Simi Valley and Camarillo
Food Banks
- Manna Conejo Valley Food Bank - visit their website for their New address
Wheelchair Donation
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3. Books and textbooks
I don't know about you but I have a lot of books. Also as you kids get older you might want to go through your books and donate or sell the ones they have outgrown. Utilize the above options for selling or donating your books. In addition consider asking a local school if they would like your gently used children's books. Did you know that most local libraries have a Friends of the Library store and accept donations of all kinds of books, some even accept DVDs and CDs? Do you have old textbooks sitting around from college collecting dust? I did, and I learned that you can actually sell them back! There are a bunch of sites that buy back old textbooks. I used Go Textbooks, which allowed me to look up the ISBN of the book and know exactly how much money I would be getting. How about adding a few books to a community share library? Each of the Oak Park Schools have one out front, also look for a Little Free Library near you.
📚 Libraries in Conejo Valley, Malibu, Calabasas and nearby
4. DVDs, CDs and video games
In my town, there are stores that sell used or old DVDs and video games that they purchase on the spot. We were able to sell a box of video games we no longer used there and make some cash. GameStop with location in Simi Valley, Canoga Park and Northridge offer trade-in options for video games and equipment. Most of the Friends of the Library stores also accept DVDs and CDs for donation.
5. Odds and ends!
It's amazing the nonprofits and companies out there now that are recycling in amazingly creative ways. There are dozens of creative companies out there that are working to find new and innovative ways to re-use / recycle. Find one whose mission you love and support them!
- TerraCycle™, for instance, develops recycling solutions for waste streams that are not typically curbside recyclable and gets them to manufacturers who turn those items into everything from outdoor furniture and decking to athletic fields. Some communities have TerraCycle™ drop-off boxes, or you can order a Zero Waste Box sent to your home to fill. Take a look here at the many different items they recycle, wow!
- CReATE Studio is looking for all kinds of things from bottle caps to wrapping paper and all sort of things in-between. Take a look at the items you can rescue from the trash or recycle bin for kids to turn into art. Reach out and, they offer curbside pick-up.
- Habit for Humanity ReStore accepts new or gently used home furnishings and building materials Ventura County and Los Angeles
- Trick or Trash - Halloween candy wrappers
- Tennis Ball Recycling - Choose Tennis Ball Recycling or Recycle Balls
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Reduce
Now that I'm recycling more, I'm also considering my purchases more carefully. We're making swaps in our house for more sustainable items, such as choosing reusable water bottles and avoiding single-use plastics. Look around and think about all disposable items you can swap for reusable.
Here are just a few easy ones to start:
- Reusable Grocery / shopping bags
- Reusable water bottle
- Reusable lunch container and utensils
- Reusable straws - I like the stainless steel ones with a little bend and comes with a cleaning brush
- Cloth kitchen towels
- Cloth napkins
- Just say NO - when getting food to-go let them know you don't need napkins or utensils if you are taking it home
Every little bit helps!
Rebecca Jaciuk is the publisher of Macaroni KID Downriver, Mich.
