I am remodeling my bathrooms and have two large mirrors that I want to dispose of. Any thoughts on the best way. I'm going to call a couple of glass shops on Monday and see if they have any ideas or can recycle them. Wanted to get some ideas here as well.
----- Darrell snipped-for-privacy@covad.net
St. Vincent De Paul, Goodwill, any other second hand store. Why waste something that someone else can use.
Find out which local radio stations have "swap" or "trading" programs then call the program. I sold lots of items (fast) that otherwise I'd have haul off to the dump.
most areas have builder recycle shops, locally its construction junction...
some real bargains too.
if all else fails break into small pieces and put in boxes taped shut for garbage.
secure so kids dont get hurt and boxes dont burst when being put in truck...
HA ! .... the old adage of "beggars can't be choosy" does not apply to many of these goodwill places.
they DO in fact screen out whatever is offered to them. heck, i had an almost brand new washing machine the Salvation Army declined. then, i offered a kitchen table set (brand new) and was told, "sorry we need another piece of furniture to go with it".
i was like F-U, you ungreatful mother f'ers ! talk about doing a disservice to people "in need".
i suppose they don't want to be the dumping ground of all the unwanted "junk" people get rid of. however, i recall the old days growing up as a kid back in the 60's and early 70's when my mother would always go to the Salvation Army store to get us things - and they would never screen out what was given to them. if you had un-needed stuff, you gave it to them, and someone would always find a use for someone elses unneeded items.
not anymore, they appear to want show room quality stuff.
had an old car (that ran), old 1978 chevy malibu - ran fine. was told "nope, sorry it's too old".... no one wanted it ! go figure.... maybe i didn't try hard enough - but why should i ? finally ended up calling a junk yard, here gimme $50 bucks it's yours !
you're just better off leaving those mirrors out on the curb for the trash pickup. people nowadays are expecting to be "entitled" to the "finer things in life" and would probably find slumming with second hand stuff beneath them.
...snip rant...
Having been involved w/ several local organizations, I can assure you that is a prime problem any more that didn't used to be an issue. We had to finally close the local Salvation Army donation center simply because we couldn't afford the manpower it took to clean up the junk dumped in the collection centers overnights and weekends. Every organization has to maintain its own policies otherwise they will virtually certainly get overwhelmed.
And, while it is true that a portion of it is that there isn't the demand for used goods in some areas as much as there once was, mostly it is that the proliferation of "giving" for the tax benefits or the cost-avoidance of dump fees, etc., has innundated the recipients and they've been forced to be more selective.
A year and a half ago when hurricane Ivan dumped 6" of rain in our area (SW PA) many people lost everything due to flooding. They had a big drive for donated goods.
Well I was watching the news coverage of this and saw people just dumping the junk that had accumulated in their basements. The worst was someone unloading an old stove from at least the forties. You know the 40" wide stove your Grammy had that can't fit in any kitchen built after the fifties. I just thought of how much money someone was going to have to pay to haul this junk to the landfill. I know some of you will say its better than nothing, but I'm sure they would much rather have had Sears or Whirlpool donate so many new stoves and deliver and install them where they are needed.
As for second hand stores being more selective. They know what sells and now that we have a consumer driven economy people are replacing more than ever.
A local dance school or Karate school....
Oren
Cliff Hartle wrote: ...
Yep, that's the scenario to a "T" but it doesn't happen only in drives, it happens all the time. As noted above, it was breaking the local SA to the point of either support the secondhand store at the exclusion of most other charitable work or fix the problem. Unfortunately, the only practical fix was to close the secondhand collections and store.
We've _always_ had a consumer-driven economy! :)
For the actual for-profit secondhand stores, it's easy for people to understand their selectiveness in what they take. While nonprofits and charities have different financial objectives, they have to operate in a financially responsible manner or as in the example above they run the very real risk of jeopardizing their primary mission.
Craigslist.com if available in your area has a section for free stuff. Or you could just do the obvious.
Try calling some local gyms, Yoga studios, Martial Arts schools.
Lewis.
****Darrell Dorsey wrote:
Post them on craigslist or freecycle for your area.
Bob
Donate to one of the charitable organizations that have stores that sell used stuff. Usually run by a church, e.g., Catholic, Mormon, or some organization that cares for children.
I'm going to call a couple of
If your location allows you can put them on the curb with a 'FREE' sign on them. I do this every time I clean out the garage or basement. Nothing is ever left by late afternoon.
Hi Darrell,
Depending where you are, there is a new website set up to give things you no longer need, to someone either in or close to where you live. They'll even come and pick it up from you.
Here is the website:
Thanks for all the ideas. I think I'll give the craiglist a try. I have several vanities, a whirlpool tub as well. Usually someone would pick up the vanities. But the tub and mirrors may be harder.
Darrell
If you're turned off by all the legal/political crap surrounding freecycle.org, there are plenty of other sites that promote freecycling, regiving, re-gifting, or whatever else you want to call it. (Brief background: freecycle.org is trying to trademark the term freecycle, even though it was in generic use for many years before the organization was started. See
.......or list it in the free stuff section on Craig's list...
try freecycle if there's one in your area.
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