Garage Sales: The Morning After

Garage Sale Season is here! Many of us enjoy treasure hunting among the local garage sales and holding a garage sale is a great way to downsize, unclutter your life, make some money, and put your old items to use.

…but then what?

No matter how good you are, you won’t be able to sell everything. But, don’t worry, we’re here to help! Use the following list of organizations and resources to find the perfect way to sell, donate, recycle, or dispose of your leftover garage sale items:

USABLE ITEMS:

• Goodwill: Donate clothing, media, house ware, and furniture. Some Goodwill stores will even offer donation pick up services.

• Value Village: Donate clothing, media, house wares, and furniture.

• Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore: Donate appliances, furniture, home accessories, and building materials.

• 2good2toss: Advertise to sell or give away items within the county for free.

• Craigslist: Advertise to sell, trade, or giveaway items for free.

• Freecycle: Advertise free items within local groups.

• KAOS Community Billboard: Free radio advertising to the local community about items that you wish to sell, buy, giveaway, or trade.

• Other: Call around to local non-profits, churches, theater groups and other organizations to see if any of your goods might be needed.

UNUSABLE & UNSELLABLE ITEMS:

• Thurston County’s HazoHouse: Free disposal & recycling of hazardous waste (anything with “danger, caution, warning, flammable, corrosive, toxic, persistent, or reactive” on its label) from homeowners, including:  fluorescent lights, solvents, oil-based paints, glues, pesticides, propane tanks, batteries, cleaning supplies, pool and hobby supplies, and products that contain mercury.

• E-Cycle: Free recycling of televisions, computers, monitors, laptops, tablets, e-readers, and portable DVD players. Accepted at: Dimension Computers, Goodwill stores and donation centers, Midway Recovery Inc., Thurston County Waste and Recover Center, Value Village, 4^th Dimension Computers.

• Keyboards, printers, toner cartridges and cell phones: Free recycling at Best Buy, RadioShack (cell phones only), and Staples.

• Light Recycle Washington: Free recycling of fluorescent lights, CFLs, and HIDs. Accepted at: Ace Hardware (Olympia and Lincoln Creek Lumber), Batteries Plus Bulbs, and Thurston County’s HazoHouse.

• Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center at Hawks Prairie:

• Recycle (for free) plastic  jugs and bottles, aluminum and tin cans, glass bottles and jars, #6 foam, corrugated cardboard, mixed paper, and cooking and motor oil. Also, drop-off items for E-Cycle, Habitat for Humanity, and Goodwill (see details above).
• Dispose of (for a fee) yard and food waste, construction and demolition debris, and general garbage.

• Rainier and Rochester Drop Boxes

• Recycle (for free) plastic  jugs and bottles, aluminum and tin cans, glass bottles and jars, #6 foam, corrugated cardboard, mixed paper, and cooking and motor oil. Also, drop-off items for E-Cycle, Habitat for Humanity, and Goodwill (see details above).
• Dispose of (for a fee) non-refrigerated appliances, furniture, tires, and construction and demolition debris.

STILL UNCERTAIN?

• 1-800 Recycle: Washington State Department of Ecology’s database of recycling opportunities in Washington State, the hotline is available Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m.- 1:00p.m.

• Where do I Take My: Thurston County’s searchable database for unwanted goods disposal.

• Thurston County’s Solid and Hazardous Waste Hotline: 360-867-2664 Call during regular business hours with questions or concerns.