AARP’s Guide to Getting Rid of Anything

Declutter your home, closets and life from A to Z — and find new homes for your stuff

Ashley Abramson, Trey Barrineau, Sara Schwartz and Eric Spitznagel,

AARP

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Published April 09, 2025

Kate Wong

Several studies have found that a cleaner, more organized home can reduce stress, anxiety and depression. It’s also absolutely necessary for most people looking to downsize as they grow older. But as you look around at all your stuff, you probably realize that most of it won’t be a big winner on Antiques Roadshow.

So where does it go? Once you’ve decided what to get rid of, how do you get it out of your house (and life!) without resorting to the landfill? That’s where our guide comes in. We list more than 100 items that can be sold, donated or recycled. Whether it’s books, workout equipment, plants or a dining room table, here’s your game plan for giving your old junk a second chance. (And here’s how to keep it out of your house in the future.) Scroll below to see an alphabetized list — and let us know what we forgot! We’ll continue to update.

To sell or get rid of a few items that are still in good shape

There are several national groups that facilitate easy one-off decluttering close to home. Always follow safe practices when giving away items — leaving the item on your porch or curb, for example, or meeting in a safe area, like a parking lot or nearby police station. And if you are swapping or bringing in new items (we understand the temptation!), inspect them closely before bringing them into your home. No one wants a bedbug infestation with that free dresser.

The Buy Nothing Project operates locally; join a nearby community to start. Members give away items they no longer want and can request items they are looking for.

Around since 1995, Craigslist is a simple way to sell or give away items you no longer want and is based on your location. You can email through Craigslist and stay anonymous.

Connected to Facebook, Facebook Marketplace allows users to sell, buy or give away items. But be vigilant: scammers aim to take advantage of both buyers and sellers. Here’s how to spot and avoid them.

Another site for giving away and requesting items, Freecycle is used locally, and membership is free.

Part of the NextDoor neighborhood social media site, NextDoor Free Finds allows members to get rid of items in their neighborhood and surrounding area.

For larger declutterings

If you're willing to spend some money and time to get rid of a lot of your stuff, consider holding an estate sale or using a reputable auction house. Or, try these national spots if you’re looking to drop off a car- or truck-load:

The Arc is charitable organization that “promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.” There are multiple local chapters that may accept physical item donations.

The national nonprofit organization Goodwill sells donated items in retail stores and online. They accept clean, gently used clothing and household items. Check ahead to see what they accept.

Habitat ReStores are independently owned national reuse stores operated by local Habitat for Humanity organizations. Here you can donate new and gently used furniture, appliances, home goods, building materials and more.

The Salvation Army is a Christian not-for-profit organization. To donate items, find your local donation center’s hours and see which items it accepts. You can also arrange for a truck to pick up your items.

If you have something really specific

Ammunition: For unwanted, nonfunctional or corroded gun ammunition, the National Rifle Association (NRA) suggests checking with your local police station, gun range, gun store or local household hazardous waste program about pickup or drop-off options.

Appliances: If you purchase new appliances, many companies will remove your old ones free of charge. You can also check with local Habitat for Humanity ReStores to see if they’ll take still-working appliances. Additionally, the Salvation Army says it will accept donations of “gently used” appliances such as air conditioners, microwaves, TVs, and washers and dryers. Goodwill accepts toasters, coffee pots, electric frying pans, irons, mixers, blenders and microwaves.

Baby items: Donation Town is an organization that arranges pickups for local charities to collect a wide range of goods, including baby items. Local women’s shelters, shelters for people without housing or day care centers might also accept both small baby items and larger baby gear like swings, playpens or cribs.

Backpacks: Nonprofit organization Bags4Kids accepts backpacks in usable condition through the mail.

Batteries: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), only alkaline and zinc-carbon batteries can be safely discarded in the trash. For others, like single-use lithium or button-cell/coin, you can drop off at your area’s e-waste recycler, or Ikea. Or find a local drop-off site through Call2Recycle, which also accepts batteries in the mail.

Bibles: For bibles in good shape, nonprofit religious organizations Bible Senders and Love Packages accept donations through the mail. Another nonprofit, Mission Cry, takes mail donations of bibles and other religious books. Recycle bibles by removing the cover and binding.

Bicycles: The nonprofit International Bicycle Fund, an organization that promotes bicycle transportation, has a community bike directory organized by state that lists bicycle donation programs and organizations. Some local bike shops have in-store donation programs, too. For example, if you live in the Pennsylvania/Maryland/Virginia/Washington, D.C., area, you can donate to the Bikes for the World organization.

Blankets: Churches, shelters for people without housing and senior centers may accept new or gently used blankets. To donate blankets in any condition, contact local animal shelters, or search for a Planet Aid donation bin.

Board games: A local school, children’s hospital or library may take board games in new or near-new condition. Check with your local Ronald McDonald House chapter about donating board games that are new and in original packaging. Hasbro has a recycling program where you can download a free shipping label and send your old games directly to recycling company TerraCycle. Also, see if you live near one of the nearly 50 locations of 2nd & Charles. The store will buy your old games, books, CDs and more.

Books: Operation Paperback is a national nonprofit that accepts gently used books to ship to overseas military locations. The Boston-based Prison Book Program sends books to incarcerated people. You can also inquire with your local library or hospital about donating books in good condition. If your neighborhood doesn’t have a Little Free Library, you can create your own and stock it up with books. Finally, there are around 1,800 used-book stores across the U.S. Many (if not most) will pay you for the books you bring in. Or, sell online through Bonavdendi, Half Price Books, eBay, and Sell It Back.

Building supplies: Local branches of Habitat for Humanity ReStore accept building materials such as flooring, unused lumber, light fixtures, doors, windows, bricks and fencing. Also, the Construction & Demolition Recycling Association has a searchable database of local organizations that will accept salvage building products. And the Building Materials Reuse Association, in partnership with the American Wood Council and the Canadian Wood Council, has a location-based database of businesses that accept donations of wooden construction materials.

Kate Wong

Business suits: Inquire with your local shelter about donating business suits and gently used professional clothing. Dress for Success, a nonprofit that strives to help unemployed and underemployed women, accepts in-good-condition women’s professional clothing at its local affiliates. You can also mail your professional wear to Bottomless Closet, a similar nonprofit that helps disadvantaged women in the New York metropolitan area. Donate men’s professional wear to That Suits You, a nonprofit that provides business suits to men who have completed job-training programs that it partners with.

Cardboard or moving boxes: If they’re in good enough shape, you can try selling cardboard boxes on sites like BoxCycle or Facebook Marketplace. If you just want to donate them free of charge, list them on Freecycle, Craigslist or the U-Haul Box Exchange. Most curbside recycling programs accept cardboard, including broken-down boxes. Cardboard can also be composted.

Carpeting: Local Habitat for Humanity ReStores accept unused, leftover carpeting. For used carpeting, use Earth911 to find a local recycling center that accepts carpet.

Car seats: First, check your car seat’s expiration date, which is typically six to 10 years after its manufacture date. If it’s expired, it shouldn’t be passed on to a new owner. While most curbside recycling programs don’t accept car seats, Target stores host a car seat trade-in event every year. (In 2024, it happened over two weeks in late April.) To find another facility that recycles car seats in your area, visit RecycleYourCarSeat.org, a state-by-state directory of recycling programs for car seats. (There is also a mail-in option at carseatrecycling.com.)

CDs: If you can’t find a buyer on sites like eBay, Bonavendi or Half Price Books (yes, they buy CDs too), send your compact disks to GreenDisk, which calls itself “the leading recycler of electronic media in the United States.” You’ll have to pay shipping, but you can opt for U.S. Media Mail for a cheaper rate. Additionally, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of used-record stores and pawn shops across the U.S. that may buy CDs (and vinyl records as well).

Cellphones: Before recycling, make sure you remove all of your personal information. (The FTC has instructions for resetting just about any device to its factory settings.) Most cellphone recycling services, like the for-profit Big Sky Recycling and the nonprofit Cell Phones for Soldiers, are free. Others, like SellCell and Gazelle, will pay for your old phones. Some stores, like Best Buy, Staples, Verizon and AT&T, also offer trade-in/recycling services. MOM’s Organic Market, an upscale grocery chain in six East Coast states and Washington, D.C., also takes cellphones for recycling.

Christmas trees: For artificial Christmas trees in good shape, see if any senior center, church or other nonprofit organization in your area would want one. Some city and town recycling programs will take artificial trees — check locally. For live trees, many cities will pick them up as part of the weekly trash or recycling collection. They may also set up temporary drop-off centers for trees. Check with your local municipality. Additionally, some Home Depot stores will collect old Christmas trees to recycle. Another possible way to get rid of an old Christmas tree is to mulch it for use in your garden. In some states, you can donate your old tree to a coastal nature reserve, where it can help stabilize sand dunes.

Cleaning chemicals: Contact your local household hazardous waste program about how to properly dispose of chemicals and other potentially hazardous waste. In addition to potentially entering your local community’s water supply, many chemicals can damage your plumbing or septic system.

Clothes: For clothing in great or good shape, you can try selling on eBay, or through app-based platforms like Depop (great for vintage items), Poshmark (great for name-brand) or Mercari (broader audience). All four charge a fee to use, however. Vietnam Veterans of America will pick up clothing donations in most states. Another veteran-specific charity, AMVETS, also accepts gently used clothing that it resells at its nationwide network of thrift stores. GiveBackBox accepts clothing donations for a number of charities from which you can choose. Just order a box (prices vary) and pack it with gently used clothes. Drop off tattered or unusable clothing at an American Textile Recycling Service bin, PlanetAid bin or a USAgain bin. And, of course, there are old standbys like Goodwill, Salvation Army and thousands of local thrift stores.

Computers: Donate laptops in working condition to Computers With Causes or Globetops. Send working laptops or desktops (including flat-screen monitors) to another charity, World Computer Exchange. GreenDisk recycles computer hard drives, but not monitors. Office Depot/OfficeMax has a recycling program where you can get store credit for your old computer, and stores like Best Buy and Staples recycle most computer equipment.

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Cords and chargers: Recycle cords, cables and chargers at your local Best Buy store. Even outdated cable cords and chargers may be useful to some STEM programs at nearby schools. (As always, call first before you show up.) You can also use Earth911’s search locator to find an e-waste recycler near you.

Cosmetics: Makeup doesn’t last, and it should be regularly checked and disposed of. Project Beauty Share takes mail donations of new or barely used cosmetics. You can use clean, dry mascara wands as household cleaning tools or for pet care.

Crayons: The National Crayon Recycling Program accepts old crayons through the mail. Donate usable crayons to a local women’s shelter, school or foster program. The nonprofit Crayon Initiative accepts drop-offs of crayons at any Staples store, or you can ship directly to them.

Crutches and canes: Global charity Project C.U.R.E. takes physical therapy and mobility equipment through the mail. Faith-based international charity Samaritan’s Purse takes these items, too, but requests a call to confirm they’ll use your items before you ship. The nonprofit You Cane Give Initiative accepts all types of new or used mobility canes and sends them all over the world. MedShare accepts medical equipment donations from individuals, hospitals and corporations/manufacturers. A nursing home or care facility in your area may also accept donations of crutches. You can also recycle aluminum crutches at most scrap metal recyclers, which will pay you a small fee.

Cameras: Donate or sell new or near-new working film and digital cameras and camcorders. Drop off devices for recycling at Best Buy or Staples. Some camera manufacturers, like Canon and Samsung, have recycling and take-back programs. Film cameras in working condition can be sent to the Film Photography Project, a volunteer-run organization whose mission is to help keep film-based photography alive.

Coats and jackets: One Warm Coat is a national nonprofit that collects winter coats at its drop-off locations. There are plenty of local options for coat donation across the country, many of which ramp up their programs as the weather turns colder. If you have a fur coat, you can send it to a rehabilitator, PETA or Born Free USA, all of which use coats to keep animals warm.

Kate Wong

Dishes: Some local municipalities may recycle plastic dishes. Cracked or broken dishes should be thrown away. Dishware in great or good condition can be donated.

DVDs: Many local libraries accept DVD and Blu-Ray donations. Pawn shops and used-record stores are another good bet (and will give you a little bit of money to boot). To recycle, send yours to GreenDisk.

DVD players: Drop off DVD players for recycling at Staples or Best Buy stores. Otherwise, donate a DVD player to a local nonprofit organization, such as a school, shelter, senior center or nursing home.

Electronics: If the items are in good working condition, sell or donate. If they are broken, recycle them through a company that specializes in electronic recycling, like Best Buy, Staples or your city recycling center — never place small electronics in the curbside bin.

Eyeglasses: Many opticians and eyewear chains, including Lenscrafters, Pearle Vision and Walmart, will take your outdated but in-good-condition glasses. You can also mail eyewear to the Lions Club.

Fabric: Ragfinery takes donations of fabric greater than 1 square foot. Send like-new, 100 percent cotton quilting-weight fabric to Quilts of Valor, which provides handmade quilts for members of the military For fabric scraps, try an animal shelter, art class or local children’s museum.

Fire extinguishers: Call your local fire department to see if you can drop off old fire extinguishers. If they don’t accept them, take your extinguishers to a hazardous waste disposal facility in your area.

Fitness equipment: Play it Again Sports has stores across the country that will purchase your old fitness equipment. Sideline Swap is an online marketplace for sports equipment. Sideline Swap also partners with Dick’s Sporting Goods for sports equipment trade-in events.

Foreign coins and cash: UNICEF’s Change for Good accepts foreign currency via several major airline carriers on international flights and sometimes domestic flights. You can also exchange foreign money at many U.S. banks, online exchanges services and low-fee ATMs. Airports will exchange currency at International Currency Exchange locations for a fee.

Formal dresses: Brides Across America is a nonprofit that accepts donations of special-occasion dresses. Another nonprofit, Becca’s Closet, seeks recent dress styles in great condition that can be used for high school proms.

Furniture: Vietnam Veterans of America picks up furniture in many states, and local Habitat for Humanity ReStores take couches, chairs and media furniture. Local schools, shelters or churches might also be seeking couches. Call your local solid waste office to find out if your city has a bulk waste program to pick up larger items from the curb. Goodwill or the Salvation Army will accept furniture in good condition.

Gift wrap: Wrapping paper that contains glitter, foil or plastic isn’t recyclable, and neither are most ribbons or bows. A local school or holiday toy drive may take unused wrapping paper, bows and ribbons.

Golf clubs, balls and equipment: Local chapters of First Tee, a nonprofit that seeks to introduce kids to golf, accept golf club donations; you can also ship golf equipment to the nonprofit Tee It Up for the Troops or the not-for-profit Bunkers in Baghdad. Local high schools or colleges with golf programs or a golf course offering classes might also accept your clubs.

GPS devices: Stores like Best Buy and Staples recycle GPS devices of all kinds. And if your GPS was made by Garmin, you can mail back your old device directly to the company for recycling (though you’re responsible for shipping costs).

Greeting cards: Most curbside recycling programs will accept paper greeting cards. Remember to remove any accessories like batteries, ribbons, stickers or fabric. Cards with glitter and plastic can’t be recycled. If they are unused greeting cards, consider donating them to a senior center or retirement home.

Hangers: While plastic hangers can’t usually be recycled, wire hangers can be recycled in many scrap-metal facilities. Wood hangers can’t usually be recycled because of the varnishes and other chemicals used in construction, but you can donate them to local thrift stores, dry cleaners or shelters. (Call ahead to make sure they accept hangers.)

Hearing aids, batteries, cleaning tools and accessories: You can recycle your old hearing aids by mail via the Starkey Hearing Foundation. The Hearing Aid Project accepts hearing aids, batteries, cleaning tools and accessories. Or, you can contact your local or state Hearing Loss Association of America chapter about donations.

Holiday string lights: You can pay to ship old LED string lights in any condition to Holiday LEDs, and they’ll send you a discount coupon to buy new ones. Ace Hardware stores also recycle string lights in select cities.

Hotel toiletries: Donate unopened miniature soaps, lotions, shampoos and conditioners to local shelters, or check with a Ronald McDonald House in your area to see if they accept toiletry donations. You can also send your mini-shampoos, soaps and other hotel freebies to Operation: Care and Comfort, which delivers thousands of donated toiletries to military personnel deployed overseas.

Houseplants: Swap a plant (or give it away) through your local PlantSwap group. Alternatively, donate your houseplants to a local organization, like a nursing home or women’s shelter.

Inhalers: Inhalers are considered hazardous waste, so they belong at a local hazardous waste collection center. In some cases, a local pharmacy may recycle them for you.

Jewelry: Brides Across America takes jewelry appropriate for weddings and special occasions, and Becca’s Closet and I Have Wings Breast Cancer Foundation are looking for costume jewelry. Support Our Troops also accepts donations of all jewelry styles, including fine-jewelry pieces in poor shape or in need of repair.

Keys: Many recycling centers accept keys in the mixed-metals bin, so look up your area’s requirements online.

Kate Wong

Landline phones: AT&T has partnered with Electronic Scrap Recycling, Inc., to accept AT&T corded, cordless and answering systems for disposal.

Lawn mower: Call ahead to local thrift stores to see if they accept working lawnmowers. Give away working or non-working mowers on giveaway websites. Many local recycling agencies recycle riding, push and walk-behind mowers — check with your recycler to learn how to prepare your lawn mower before you drop it off. There are also junk-removal services such as LoadUp and 1-800-GOT-JUNK that will charge for picking up and disposing of an old lawn mower.

License plates: Check with your state’s vehicle licensing department about dropping off or mailing in your license plates. You can also put them in an aluminum recycling bin at your local recycling center. Make sure to remove and destroy the stick-on renewal tags first.

Light bulbs: Compact fluorescent light bulbs should never be put in the trash. Ikea and Home Depot stores operate recycling programs for fluorescent bulbs. Business-supply company Uline will also let you mail in old fluorescent light tubes.

Liquor: You can safely pour opened liquor down a drain, but only dump a few bottles a day to avoid damaging your septic system. Check the recycling label and recycle empty bottles accordingly.

Luggage: Donate or give away luggage in good shape. Your local foster care agency, department of social services or homeless shelter may accept gently used luggage. For a fee (between $133 and $319), TerraCycle Zero Waste Box will recycle suitcases in just about any size. You can also turn old luggage into under-bed storage, so it has a purpose and isn’t just taking up space in your closet.

Magazines: Glossy paper is recyclable curbside. You can also inquire about donating magazines to libraries, daycare centers or schools.

Mattresses and box springs: Call your local curbside recycling to see if they’ll haul your mattress and box spring. If you’re buying a new mattress, some stores, like Mattress Firm and Ikea, will take your old one.

Medication (prescription and over-the-counter): The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hosts a Take Back Day, listing areas for dropping off medications. The Justice Department and DEA run a website for looking up drop-off sites year-round. Several pharmacies including CVS, Safeway and Walgreens also accept medication; use the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy directory to locate ones near you. Note that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends flushing some medications if a drug take-back site is not available.

Mirrors: Donate or give away mirrors. If your mirrors aren’t broken or damaged, contact a local school or arts program about donating them. In general, mirrors can’t be recycled, although some cities do make exceptions. Check with your local recycling facility for more details. If you decide to throw them out, make sure they’re wrapped, either in bubble wrap or newspaper, to protect handlers from getting cut.

Motor oil: AutoZone stores will recycle old motor oil, old filters and other automotive-related recyclables, such as car batteries. The same goes for Advance Auto Parts. Some service stations will also take old motor oil. Learn about other options by contacting your local hazardous waste collection center.

Musical instruments: Sell or donate instruments in great or good shape. Call local schools to see if they are accepting instruments for students. Hungry for Music, a nonprofit that seeks to expand musical opportunities for children, takes any instruments, including those in poor condition, except for pianos. Volunteers pick up donations in many U.S. cities, or you can send your instrument directly to them. The nonprofit Guitars 4 Vets accepts guitars and guitar equipment at its local chapters or through the mail.

Notebooks: Non-binded, soft-covered notebooks belong with paper recyclables. Separate binding or non-paper material from notebooks or pads of paper before recycling.

Packing materials: Drop off packing peanuts or other packing materials at a local shipping store. You can also inquire with local businesses about donating shipping supplies.

Paint and supplies: Give away new or nearly new paint and painting supplies on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or other sites. Used paint and supplies can be dropped off at local sites via the American Coatings Association’s PaintCare program. Learn how to dispose of it properly through your area’s hazardous waste program.

Paintings: Helping Hands of America is a nonprofit that accepts art donations and offers a tax deduction. Or, sell or give away canvas paintings or framed artwork on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or other sites.

Paper shopping bags: Clean, dry paper bags can typically be recycled. Be sure to remove metal grommets and cloth handles.

Pens: Staples will also accept pens for recycling, or leave them at your bank or restaurant.

Photos: Photos developed from film are considered hazardous waste, so don’t recycle them in your normal bins. Printed digital photos belong with your recycled mixed paper.

Pianos: Pianos for Education is a nonprofit that picks up working, good-condition pianos for free, as does the nonprofit Beethoven Foundation. Another organization that accepts piano donations is the Piano Finders Society History Museum Project.

Pillows: Most recycling programs do not accept pillows in curbside bins. Some animal shelters may accept pillows in good shape to use as pet beds — call ahead to confirm. You can also use them for your own pet, drop them off at a clothing recycling bin or throw them in with your regular trash.

Plastic bags: You can recycle plastic shopping bags curbside in any area that accepts them. (Many grocery stores and other retailers have bins specifically for this.) Or, check Plastic Film Recycling, a program from the Plastics Industry Association, to find a retailer in your area that accepts plastic bags.

Playing cards: Recycle your old playing cards with other paper through your curbside recycling program.

Pots and pans: Most recycling companies accept scrap metal, so call yours to find out what to do with cookware. Before donating to Goodwill, the Salvation Army or Habitat for Humanity, make sure the cookware isn’t warped, scratched, or that nonstick pots or pans aren’t flaking, as they may no longer be safe to use.

Printer ink cartridges: Many retailers, including Canon, Office Depot, and Best Buy, recycle used inkjet cartridges.

Purses, handbags and tote bags: Becca’s Closet seeks small, dressy purses and handbags, and Dress for Success accepts in-good-condition women’s handbags and totes at its local affiliates. You can also stop by or call your local shelters to inquire about donating your purses.

Puzzles: Send new and in good condition puzzles with all the pieces to Puzzle Warehouse. Schools, libraries, senior centers or hospitals may also take donations of puzzles that are in good shape and aren’t missing any pieces, while art programs may accept incomplete sets.

Reusable totes: Inquire with a local food bank or shelter about donating reusable totes. If you donate food or other goods, pack them in a clean tote bag. Or, you can mail your tote bags (in any condition) to ChicoBag, a maker of reusable bags, containers and cutlery.

Rugs: Donate rugs in good condition to your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, local nursing home, shelter or other charity.

Sewing machines: You can ship a sewing machine in excellent condition, along with the manual, to the Sewing Machine Project, a nonprofit that sends sewing machines to those in need around the country and the world. You can also inquire about dropping your sewing machine off at a local school or your municipal recreation center.

Shoes: The nonprofit Soles 4 Souls has shoe donation centers around the country, or you can send your shoe donations for free through their program with Zappos. Mail gently used athletic or running shoes to the volunteer-run nonprofit One World Running, or drop off Nike athletic shoes in any condition at a local Nike store.

Skis: If you have a ski hill or ski shop in your area — or a high school with a ski club — inquire about donating there. Otherwise, consider Goodwill, the Salvation Army or your local thrift store.

Small appliances: Drop off small appliances like toasters, microwaves and blenders at a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. You can also inquire with a local shelter or group home about donating appliances.

Splints and braces: Send splints, braces and ACE-type bandages to Project C.U.R.E. Samaritan’s Purse also takes these items, but the organization requests that you call ahead to confirm they’ll use them before you ship.

Stuffed animals: Your area’s police or fire department may accept new or gently used stuffed animals. The volunteer-run nonprofit SAFE (Stuffed Animals For Emergencies) accepts donations of stuffed animals that are given to children in traumatic situations. For stuffed animals in less-than-good condition, inquire with an animal shelter near you.

Televisions: Best Buy’s electronics recycling program includes TVs for a $29.99 fee. Dropping off TV accessories, like wall mounts and antennas, is always free at Best Buy. Some manufacturers, like Sony, Samsung and LG, have recycling drop-off locations. Local organizations like shelters, churches, schools or nursing homes may accept working TVs, too. You can also use Earth911’s search locator to find an e-waste recycler near you.

Toys: Local women’s shelters, children’s hospitals, churches or doctor’s offices may take gently used toy donations. Donate used toys in great shape to Toys for Tots through a local donation box or campaign. Second Chance Toys is a nonprofit that accepts plastic toys at drop-offs in the New York metropolitan area.

Tires: Some dealers will take old tires when you buy new ones. Generally, curbside collection programs don’t pick up tires with your regular recycling. Call your municipality to see if you can schedule a pickup. Additionally, used-tire stores in your local area will purchase your old tires if they’re in acceptable condition.

Kate Wong

Tools: Your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore will take all kinds of tools off your hands, as will Vietnam Veterans for America, Goodwill and the Salvation Army.

Towels: Donate poor-condition towels to a local animal shelter and good-condition towels to a local shelter for women who have been affected by domestic violence or people who are unhoused.

Tupperware: Most local recycling programs accept plastic food storage containers and lids. But be sure to check the bottoms for their recycling number.

Vacuums: You can drop robot, stick and upright vacuums off at your local Best Buy store for recycling. Local thrift stores and national charities such as Goodwill and the Salvation Army will also accept vacuum cleaners.

VCRs and VHS tapes: Best Buy accepts VCRs through its recycling program. Check Earth911’s location search to find drop-off recycling options near you. VHS tapes can be donated, sold or sent to GreenDisk for recycling.

Yarn and knitting supplies: Contact your local chapter of Project Linus, a nonprofit that provides hand-knitted blankets to needy, ill or traumatized children, to see if they’re accepting donations. Additionally, Loose Ends, which matches “volunteer handwork finishers with textile projects people have left undone due to death or disability,” has a state-by-state list of organizations that accept donations of yarn and knitting supplies.

Yearbooks: Without the binding and cover, glossy pages inside yearbooks are recyclable with mixed paper. You can also check with an online alumni group to see if anyone wants your old yearbook. Other options include donating them to your old school or a local library, or giving them to sites such as Ancestry, FamilySearch and Classmates.

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