At Out of Chaos, we’re always looking for ways to keep unwanted household goods out of the landfill. In my research, I’ve found three weird things you can donate instead of dumping in the trash and landfill.
Wine Corks
Remember that big plastic bag of wine corks you collected to do that crafty project you saw on Pinterest a couple of years ago? You know that you will never get around to doing it. But don’t toss all those corks in the garbage! Take them to a Recork drop-off location. Recork collects natural wine corks, grinds them down, and develops sustainable materials that replace foams and plastics in certain products. For a drop-off location near you, enter your postal code on their website. If you have more than 7.5kg of corks (that’s a lot), you can ship them directly to Recork for free. Just contact them for a shipping label.
Used Mascara Brushes
I saw in the news that the Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Winnipeg collects clean, used mascara wands to brush baby animals. The staff says that these small brushes are great at getting gunk out of feathers and removing fleas and other small insects from fur.
I called the wildlife centres around the Vancouver area, and they do not accept mascara wands. However, if you have any to donate, connect with the following organizations to find out how to clean and ship your mascara wands.
- Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Winnipeg
- Project Wild Wands Canada (Facebook)
- Appalachian Wildlife Refuge (United States)
Used Toothbrushes
Does it make you squeamish about knowing that you can donate your used toothbrushes? Fear not! Kickstand, a community bicycle shop in East Vancouver, uses old toothbrushes to clean bicycles. The brush part of the toothbrush is just the right size for cleaning gears and chains. The handle means that fingers won’t get scraped by the metal bits. If you have a collection of old toothbrushes, take them down to Kickstand. They also accept all sorts of scrub brushes, rags, and of course, bicycles and bicycle parts.
Human Hair Clippings
I know this is the fourth time on the three most weird things you can donate list, but consider it a public service message rather than a decluttering tip. Green Circle Salons recover and repurpose waste beauty products – including leftover hair colour, foils, colour tubes, aerosol cans, and human hair clippings. The hair clippings are packaged in mesh bags and used to clean up oil spills. Find a Green Circle Salon near you if you want to ensure your hair does something valuable.
If you need customized decluttering and organizing services to suit your needs, send Out of Chaos an inquiry through our website. We look forward to hearing from you.
Photo by: Elisha Terada on Unsplash
