How to Get Rid of Stuff

It doesn’t make a lot of sense to hold on to things you have no reason to keep, as we learned last week from Chanel Dubofsky’s story. But dragging everything to the curb to be hauled away by sanitation workers to a landfill doesn’t make a lot of sense either. Dumping old electronics that contain toxins like lead and mercury: bad. Getting rid of old medication by flushing it down the toilet: also bad, unless you want to contaminate your water supply and create mutants. Over at Diablo magazine, Deborah Burstyn talks about how she got rid of most of her parents belongings after they passed away. There are the expected ways to get rid of stuff (Craigslist, Goodwill, your local library), and the no-so-expected (you can donate old towels and linens to wildlife centers to keep animals warm!).

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