5 Ways to Donate Smarter Without Fueling the Landfill (Ep 324)

If you're decluttering the chances are that there is a bag in your trunk right now, isn't there?

You did the hard part. You went through the closet, you made a hundred decisions in a row, you got everything bagged up and loaded in the car. And then you drove past the donation center. Twice.

The problem is that there are two decisions inside every declutter, and almost nobody warns you about the second one.

In Episode 324, Deanna is answering this question in real time. Her house is selling, her family is moving, and she is decluttering 500 items right now while her husband recovers from back surgery. Some of it is going to Buy Nothing. Some of it is going on Vinted. Some of it is going in the trash. None of it is happening perfectly, but it is happening.

She is also going to tell you the truth about where donated items actually end up, because she thinks you can handle it, and because knowing is going to make you feel better instead of worse.

In this episode:

• The two decisions inside every declutter, and which one stalls you out
• What percentage of your donations actually make it onto a thrift store shelf
• Where the rest of it goes, including the millions of garments that arrive regularly in Ghana
• How to tell in 30 seconds whether a parking lot donation bin belongs to a real charity
• The 1938 labor law behind the unease people feel about big box thrift chains, and how to research your own local one in two minutes
• Why the guilt you are carrying is not keeping a single item out of a landfill
• The donation Deanna found while volunteering that made her want to throw her hands up
• Five places your decluttered stuff can go, ranked in the order you should try them
• The new Target Textile Drop Spot that takes stained and torn clothing in every California store
• Where to send shoes, makeup empties, electronics, and batteries
• Full permission to throw away actual garbage
• Why we need a lot of people doing this imperfectly instead of a few people doing it perfectly

FREE RESOURCE:

• The Guilt-Free Exit Plan One page that tells you where anything goes, a short vetted list instead of forty links, and the 30 second donation bin check. Comment the word TRUNK on Instagram to get it, or grab it here.

LEARN MORE

• Show notes and free resource: wannabeclutterfree.com/324
• The 19 for $19 Ultimate Decluttering Bundle: wannabeclutterfree.com
• Go to https://OmahaSteaks.com and use promo code BEEF at checkout for $35 off. Minimum purchase may apply.

CONNECT

• Instagram: @wannabeclutterfree

LISTEN

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wannabe-clutter-free-declutter-simplify-find-freedom/id1485473251
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ATUIVONi0kyoVUKOQV4OT?si=f555de5388164b10
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wannabeclutterfree

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