But now you might be wondering, what on earth am I going to do with this pile of stuff?

Shockingly, DEFRA revealed that British households create 26 million tonnes of waste each year, of which only 12 million are recycled. The rest, 14 million tonnes, is sent to landfill! These are eye-watering figures. We are only recycling 3% more than in 2010, recycling just 44% of waste.

Becoming more sustainable is important, and we must act now.

Being a professional organiser, the nature of my work can sometimes cause a guilt-ridden headache on the sustainability front. Decluttering, by definition, encourages you to reduce the number of possessions you own. You cannot live in a cluttered home, negatively impacting your mental health, for the sake of being a “perfect” eco-warrior! I do everything I can to recycle, donate and reuse when working with my clients, even if it means a little more effort. I’ll often take an entire car-load of donation items to deliver to the charity shop, sometimes keeping back specific items I’ll send separately to smaller, more niche charities specialising in one thing. Such as bras to Against Breast Cancer or Smalls for All.

So what can you do instead of hiring a skip without a thought?

Of course, the very first thing to change is to shop mindfully. We mustn’t just buy for the sake of it or buy too much. But that’s another blog post… I will explain what you can do right now to get rid of your clutter more sustainably.

If you no longer have a use for something, someone else likely will!

There are so many ways to donate now. You just have to do a little bit of research. Of course, we all know about charity shops; they are often the first port of call. It’s a lovely feeling knowing that you’re helping a good cause whilst making much-needed space at home.

If you have anything of a higher value you’d like to give to a good cause, The British Heart Foundation has a free postal service, so all you need to do is pack up and send it! Plus, if you have any furniture or electrical items, you can book a free collection, which is fantastic. If you have a lot of things to donate in bags and boxes, they will collect them simultaneously.

Please check what you’re sending off to them, though. Things need to be in a sellable condition! Depending on the individual shop, they often take more than you’d think.

Here is a list of charities with shops in the UK. This list does not cover them all, but type in “Charity shop near me” on Google Maps, and you’ll find one.

Cancer Research – Funding scientists, doctors and nurses to beat cancer sooner

Mind UK – Providing advice and support to anyone suffering from mental health.

Helen & Douglas House – Hospice for terminally ill children

British Heart Foundation – Cardiovascular research charity – (Offers collection)

British Red Cross – Helping people in crisis and emergency support

Oxfam – Working to end the injustice of poverty

Salvation Army – Working with people who have fallen on hard times, food and shelter for the homeless

Age UK – Providing care and companionship for later life

Sue Ryder – Provides palliative, neurological and bereavement support – (Offers collection)

RSPCA – Leading animal welfare charity

Other donation options:

Refashion

A fantastic way to recycle clothes that no longer bring you joy. Re-fashion claims that the items sold on their website gain the charity 3x more than they could earn from a charity shop. They are partnered with Labour Behind the Label, the UK branch of the Clean Clothes Campaign, who work to improve conditions and empower workers in the global garment industry.

They accept high-street and designer clothes in good condition but struggle to sell clothes from ultra-fast fashion brands like Primark or supermarkets.

Smartworks Charity

They empower women to secure employment and reach their full potential through dressing and coaching. They always need good-quality workwear, coats, smart shoes, handbags, and accessories.

Pens for Kids UK

Do you have an abundance of pens, pencils and unused stationery in working order that you no longer want? If so, don’t get rid of them in the bin. Send them to the address below, where they will be donated to children worldwide who desperately need them. Pens for Kids UK is a family-run, not-for-profit organisation that has been running (I believe) since 2010 and has sent over 1 million pens and pencils to date.

Pens For Kids UK

PO Box 864

Orpington

BR6 1JQ

Food banks, homeless shelters & apps

If you have in-date, non-perishable food items you know will not eat in time, please donate them to your local food bank or homeless shelter, unopened toiletries, feminine hygiene products, nappies, blankets etc. Often, supermarkets have a bank to leave donations.

Also, check out Olio, a free app to quickly upload an item. Let’s say you have too much bread that you won’t eat in time. It doesn’t matter that it’s open; don’t get rid of it by feeding it to the bin. Someone near you might want it. Loose, raw, cooked, opened, unopened. Here is a list, but generally speaking, as long as it’s edible, it can go on there. Plus, it’s not just food!

Toys 4 Life

You can take unwanted toys to a drop-off point if you're based in the Midlands. Otherwise, you can use their free post service. Toys 4 Life is a family-run business that re-uses and recycles unwanted plastic toys. They work with plastic recycling to reduce the number of toys going into landfills and send toys to socially deprived areas where people cannot afford them.

Next up, selling your items

Provided you have the time and patience to photograph, write a description and upload, selling unwanted belongings is a great way to turn your decluttering efforts into hard-earned cash! Just take the photographs in good, preferably natural light, especially if you’re trying to sell clothes.

I’m not going to talk in too much depth about selling clothes here, as I’ve previously written in a lot of detail in this post – 5 Ways To Make Money From Your Clothes

But in brief, for clothing and accessories – Depop / Vestiaire Collective / Vinted

Facebook Marketplace is great for almost everything; the best bit is NO FEES. Hurrah! Plus, if you’ve got things you want out of your house ASAP, especially if you’re willing to let go for free, someone will pick it up the same day. Just beware, you may get an influx of messages.

eBay is a household name. I’ve yet to find anyone who doesn’t know about it. You can pretty much sell anything on eBay.

Auction Houses are perfect for more valuable items, such as antique or vintage furniture, paintings, family heirlooms, and so on. They all differ. Some are fussier than others. Some may visit your home to see if they can take on the items. You’ll be able to drop others straight in. If you have something specialised, make sure you do your research first! You’ll need the auction house to be the right fit. Plus, they’ll take a commission.

Carboot Sales. Granted, they're not an all-year-round option, and not everyone enjoys stuff like this, but if you're game, they can be a fun way to get rid of your unwanted clutter and great for people-watching! (In the summer). The downside of this? You will need somewhere to store your clutter until you have a free weekend day to do this—not a good choice if you’re in a rush or have limited space.

Don’t have time to sell? reThread is a site that claims zero hassle when selling your clothes! In short, they do everything for you. All you have to do is post the items. This is a brilliant option for time-poor individuals. Just bear in mind that they take a commission for their work, which is understandable, but you’ll still see some profits—far better than cluttering up your wardrobe!

If you have CDs, DVDs, computer games, or other tech or mobile phones in good condition, you can send them to Music Magpie. Ziffit also accepts books, and Zapper even accepts LEGO!

A super sustainable option, reusing and repurposing

Before I start, this, of course, isn’t going to apply to everything, but it’s a great one.

Old shoe boxes destined for recycling? Save money and use shoe boxes as drawer dividers! You don’t have to have expensive Home Edit-style containers for an organised home. Shoe boxes can house socks, knickers, bras, makeup, etc. You can even use them in your food cupboards or pantry to store rice packets and herbs!

Empty make-up or beauty pots? See below how to gain rewards for recycling them. Alternatively, if it’s a nice-looking pot, you could use it to keep things like hair grips.

Before you recycle empty plastic containers, could you use them in the garden or greenhouse? I often keep fruit trays to use as seedling planters! Monty Don would be impressed, I’m sure…

Lastly, recycle your items.

There are many ways to recycle nowadays, but it still needs a lot of work. However, we can all do a little more to help the environment.

Of course, every country is different. Thankfully, here in South Oxfordshire, I can recycle quite a lot from home, but when I lived in Reading, we couldn’t even put glass in the recycling, which still utterly baffles me!

To help you on your recycling quest, I’ve linked a fantastic website, Recycle Now, with an extensive list of “what to do with”, which you can use as a resource if you’re unsure how to recycle or dispose of something.

Remember to recycle plastic bags at your local supermarket. Not all branches offer this, but Co-Op, Tesco, and Sainsburys have soft-plastic banks.

One more thing: remember to remove the tape and labels from the cardboard before recycling and rinse things out. If you don’t, all the recycling will be contaminated and may have to go to landfills!

Recycling clothes or textiles?

H&M have a recycling program whereby you can take any unwanted clothes or textiles, by any brand, in any condition to a cash desk in one of their (289 approx) UK stores. In exchange, they’ll give you a voucher to use. It’s a great guilt-free way to get rid of clothes and textiles, especially as they accept any condition. The bad stuff gets shredded into textile fibres for insulation materials. How cool is that!?

What about make-up and beauty products?

Many brands offer a service where you can take in or send back empties, and they’ll offer you money off, points, or a free product in exchange. These include:

• John Lewis
• MAC Cosmetics
• AVEDA
• Kiehls
• Lush
• Garnier
• Origins
• L’Occitane
• Boots, and many more.

Thousands of brands work with Terracycle. Most have drop-off locations, and some even offer postal recycling, which is amazing. The envelopes are prepaid, too! You can now recycle things like razors by sending them off for free. Click this Terracyle link to see what you can recycle locally that may otherwise end up in landfills, such as crisp packets, contact lenses, water filters, toothbrushes, and paste tubes. 

So you’ve done all that but still have some things left over to get rid of…Unfortunately, not everything can be reused, recycled, sold or donated, and these sadly have to go to the landfill, as much as it pains me to say.

Here are some common things found during decluttering that fall into this yucky category:

• VHS tapes & Cassette (very rarely accepted at recycling centres or charity shops)
• Wrapping paper with glitter and metallic bits (you can't recycle this; a lot of people try to!)
• Rubber gloves
• Elastic bands
• Six-pack ring holders from drinks cans (please ALWAYS cut these up; sea life can get stuck in them)
• Standard sponges (so bad, please stop buying them and buy these or similar instead)
• Ceramics
• Broken pens and pencils
• Wood
• Plastic bags, wrappers, and films (some can be recycled at local supermarkets soft plastics)
• Plastic items mixed with metal, rubber or foam (e.g hangers, but any in good condition do try taking to a charity shop or supermarket)
• Glass mirrors
• Rubber gloves
• Incandescent light bulbs
• Sticky tape (Try to buy something like this when you next run out as an eco-alternative)
• Some plastic toys and games
• Used disposable face masks!
• Some textiles

Terracycle

This list is not exhaustive. Also, some listed CAN be recycled through Terracycle and other schemes, but not in household recycling bins. 

Terracycle aims to recycle as much as possible; if you have some budget and will go above and beyond for the planet, you can pay for a Zero Waste Bag. I worked on an Instagram campaign with Terracycle, and I have an exclusive 20% discount code. If you'd like to try one, click this link and use the code AMYTHESPACECREATOR at checkout. 

I use the small Zero Waste Bags for medicine blister packets and the big one for dog food packets that can't be recycled kerbside. 

Stay tuned for the next blog post coming soon, and if you haven't already, check out my podcast, The Space Creator Show, for on-the-go tips and motivation. Sign up to email alerts or follow me on Instagram or Facebook to keep up-to-date.

Sometimes, there are no two ways, and house clearance or a skip is required.

Alternatives to skips are Hippo Bags. These can be cheaper but are often a lot easier to manage. You can pick a bag up from most DIY stores, so you can get started immediately without waiting for a skip to be delivered. The smallest bag costs £156.99, including the collection when it’s full, and the largest is £277.99.

For rubbish removal and house clearance, Just Clear is a nationwide company, and its prices start from £70+VAT.

I hope you found this helpful! If you’ve got anything to add or learned something new, let me know in the comments below. If you liked it, please share it with your friends to help them get rid of their clutter more responsibly. 

Happy decluttering!

Did you find this post useful? If so, please comment below to let me know!

Amy xx

-Your decluttering bestie

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 *NB To be clear, I’m not a specialist in recycling and refuse. All companies, charities and figure sources are linked. Like most of us, I’m learning to be more sustainable, implementing small changes as often as possible. Progress, not perfection. 

*Some links above may be affiliate links, which means if I have inspired you to make a purchase and you choose to buy something through one of these links, I may receive a small commission by way of thanks from the brand for recommending their product to you. It makes no difference to you as a buyer; the price remains the same it is not increased, but I may receive a small compensation from the brand for my efforts.