When cleaning, the easiest way to get rid of junk is to toss it in the trash. While this may work for some items, the best way of getting rid of your clutter is by finding new uses for it. Below, we explore some alternatives to throwing out your junk that might be useful to you.
Cars
As a junk car owner—a car that’s spent a long time in a junkyard—you’ve probably done a quick “junk cars for sale” Google search to find ways to get rid of your junk vehicle. If you’ve never had to deal with the sale of an unwanted car, finding a junk car buyer can be difficult, especially if you’re looking for a buyer to pay you in cash. Depending on the condition of your car, several salvage lots would be willing to pay top dollar for your old car.
Before selling your junk cars at salvage car auctions, you’ll need to prove that you own your vehicles. A copy of your car title or auction sale receipt will suffice. Next, consider working with a junk car business that offers free junk car removal or free towing services. If you have an older model Mazda, for instance, it may be difficult to determine the car’s best price. To ensure you’re getting the best offer, get at least three different price quotes.
Clothes
If you have old name-brand fashion pieces—shoes, accessories, clothes— that no longer match your style, consider selling them online. Some online marketplaces you can use for this include Poshmark, thredUP, and Facebook Marketplace. These websites allow you to take pictures of the clothes you want to sell and post them to be viewed by interested buyers.
Once a sale is made, they’ll help you generate a shipping label to ensure that your transaction goes off without a hitch. Considered “the world’s largest online thrift store,” thredUP stocks over 35,000 name-brand items. They accept all types of clothes and accessories and are particularly keen on carrying inclusive sizes. To become a vendor, visit their site, fill out a vendor request form or “Clean Out Kit,” and list all your high-quality pieces.
Used Vegetable Oil
If you run a fast-food business in Portland, OR, for instance, you know how difficult it can be to get rid of used sunflower or vegetable oil. This is mainly because, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, state regulations, such as those stipulated by the Oregon Department of Energy have strict laws that govern the disposal of fats, oil, and grease (FOGs).
A great way to get rid of used oil is by scheduling a used cooking oil pickup by an oil collection service like Oregon Oils. Famously known for bio diesel production in Portland, OR, Oregon Oils partners with local community businesses to recycle used vegetable oil and turn it into renewable fuel.
Books
If you have a ton of books sitting in storage and haven’t any idea of what to do with them, consider donating them to a local charity or non-profit organization. Before you send your books to an organization of your choice, first call ahead to find out if they need the kind of books you’re looking to give away. Doing this will make your donation more meaningful because you’ll be meeting an actual need.
If you have reference books—language dictionaries, almanacs, guide books, atlases, encyclopedias—textbooks, and history books, consider donating these to a prison library. Some organizations involved in prison book drives include Books to Prisoners, the Prison Book Program, and Books Through Bars. They’ll collect your book donations and distribute them to prisons across the country.
It’s important to note that most prisons only allow paperback books, so keep this in mind as you pack your donation boxes.
