Spreading the Word About the DDG

The Downsizing Donation Guide, funded by a grant I received from Recycle CT , has been posted online since early in May. The Downsizing Donation Guide. It has been shared and posted on a number of sites, including the home page of HomeHaven, the agency that served as grant sponsor (www.homehavenvillages.org.).

I am in the process of trying to determine its impact thus far, but I am also hard at work at promoting it in person.

If you are in the New Haven area, I cordially invite you to the next edition of New Haven Green Drinks: Wednesday, October 23, from 6:00 PM to 8 PM at Nolo, a brewery restaurant on the former site of Jet Cleaners, 687 State Street, New Haven. Come to learn more about the The Downsizing Donation Guide and enjoy some friendly conversation. Hope to see you there.

Ready to Go!

It’s online! The Downsizing Donation Guide was funded by a grant I received from Recycle CT one year ago. The Downsizing Donation Guide is available on the home page of the HomeHaven website for all to read and download (www.homehavenvillages.org.).

The goal of The Downsizing Donation Guide is to keep useful items being removed from people’s homes or businesses as they downsize out of the waste stream and out of recycling bins. Its broader mission is to help residents of New Haven County find a new life for these items with groups that will use them.

Forty-three organizations from across New Haven County participated in the project. Each supplied a wishlist of needed items and instructions on how to donate them. Most wishlists are very specific. Some are very short, others long. Some items are for immediate consumption (food); others are meant to provide a lifetime of joy (musical instruments, golf clubs). Most requests are for goods for use in ongoing programs. Some will be sold to raise funds for programming. 

Wishlist requests range from alarm clocks to violins, from garden tools to wheelchairs, from bicycles to pickup trucks [on three wishlists!]. Some wishlists contain such challenging to donate items as musical instruments, pet supplies, medical equipment, and knicknacks!  Many requests are items to fulfill basic human needs: bed linens, canned goods, cleaning supplies, diapers, paper products, toiletries, and towels, all items likely to be left behind if a person is making a long-distance move, transitioning to assisted living, or settling an estate.

The project proved useful even before The Downsizing Donation Guide was completed. One of the participating organizations contacted me to ask if I knew of anyone who might be interested in 200 chair covers they had been offered but could not use. I was able to connect them with someone who was looking for that very thing! 

While the primary purpose of this guide is to find new life for still useful things, it is my hope that as you explore The Downsizing Donation Guide you may also discover some new organizations of interest, or even of service, to you or someone you know.

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”- Vincent Van Gogh

If you make a donation as a result of The Downsizing Donation Guide, please tell the organization how you heard about their needs.

Please share the The Downsizing Donation Guide with friends and colleagues whenever you have the opportunity. Happy downsizing!

Things Worth Knowing: 4.30.16 is a National Drug Take-Back Day!

Unwanted medications are something most of us have — whether it is aspirin past its “use by” date or prescribed painkillers we did not take. We have all heard about the alarming epidemic of prescription drug abuse; none of us wants our unwanted drugs to get into the wrong hands. What is the best way to dispose of them?

Let’s start with what NOT to do. The CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) warns: Do not flush prescription medicines or over the counter products down the sink or toilet! While this method of disposal does prevent someone from taking the medications (either accidentally or intentionally), it also causes water pollution and has adverse effects on fish and other aquatic wildlife. Trace amounts of all kinds of drugs pass through septic systems and sewage plants untreated and have been found in some drinking water supplies.

Consumers have several safe disposal options.

Take Your Unwanted Prescription Drugs to a One-Day Collection

April 30, 2016 is a National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). You can find a collection site in your neighborhood here. Americans turned in 350 tons of prescription drugs at more than 5,000 sites on the September 2015 Drug Take-Back Day. In its ten Take Back events to date, the DEA and its partners have collected over 5.5 million pounds—more than 2,750 tons—of pills. Why is this initiative so important? According to the DEA’s Drug Take-Back Day press release, studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, many from the home medicine cabinet.

Deposit Unwanted Medications in a Locked Drug Box

• If you live in Connecticut, you can find out from this interactive map whether your local police department has a locked drug drop box. These boxes are secured in the lobby of the police department and are accessible anytime the department is open. No questions asked, just drop the unwanted medications in and they will be safely and securely destroyed.
• You CAN discard: Over-the-counter medications, prescription medications, medication samples, medicated lotions or ointments, and medications for household pets. 
• The following items are NOT accepted: needles or other “sharps,” hazardous waste, or thermometers. For disposal of “Sharps,” follow the recommendations  of the FDA listed  here. Hazardous waste and thermometers should be brought to HazWaste Central  when it opens in mid-May. 

Dispose of Them in Your Trash (after following these simple steps):

• Keep medication in its original container. Cross out patient’s name or remove label.
• Modify the medications to discourage consumption and to prevent unused prescriptions from being retrieved and abused. For pills or capsules: add a small amount of water to partially dissolve them. For liquid medications: add salt, flour, charcoal, kitty litter or a powdered spice to make a pungent, unsightly mixture that discourages anyone from eating it. For blister packs: wrap pack containing pills in multiple layers of duct tape.
• Seal and conceal. Tape medicine container lid shut with packing / duct tape. Place inside a non-transparent bag or container (such as an empty yogurt tub) so it cannot be seen. Do not conceal medicines in food products because animals could inadvertently eat them.
• Discard the container in your trash can. Do not put container in your recycling bin!
• Be sure to follow these steps for pet medications, too.
• For more general information see this downloadable guide prepared by the CT Department of Consumer Protection Prescription Monitoring Program. 

Finally, an Important Warning: 

Remember to keep all your medications secure and out of sight of any young ones, in your home and when you travel. According to WebMD, medications are the leading cause of child poisoning in the U.S. Each year more than 60,000 kids ages five and under are treated in emergency rooms in the U.S. after getting into medications. Those handy daily pill reminder boxes are particularly enticing to young explorers, as are colorful pills dropped and left on the floor.

NOTE: One of the many hats I wear is graphic designer of HomeHaven News, the monthly newsletter for HomeHaven, a member of the Village to Village Network. This article is an expanded version of my “Responsible Downsizing” column in the April, 2016 edition. HomeHaven and the growing network of villages around the country are an extraordinary resource for people who want to “live life to the fullest in the comfort of their own home.”

I hope you find all of this info “Things Worth Knowing.” Check for more stories like these as time goes by. [And search this blog for more posts in this vein.]

Things Worth Knowing 1.30.16: What to Do with Unwanted Clothing

Now that winter is finally here, many of us are spending more hours indoors. What better time to clean out our closets and chests of drawers? There are many theories about how to decide what to keep and what to get rid of, but chances are no matter which criteria you use, if you tackle this project you will end up with a pile of stuff you no longer want.

Don’t throw any of it into the trash — no matter how many holes in a sock or how frayed the towel edge. Even if your donation cannot be sold as gently used apparel, there is an excellent chance that it can have a second life as a new product such as home insulation or stuffing for a car seat. And, it will not end up in the waste stream, saving both natural resources and tax dollars!

Donating to a Charitable Organization

One way to rid yourself of these unwanted items is to donate them to a charitable organization. Some organizations deal directly with a specific cause and only want textiles in good condition to pass on directly to their clients. Others operate thrift stores in which donated goods are sold to generate revenue to support the organization’s mission. The best goods are sold in their retail outlets; the others are sold to processing facilities. 

Goodwill Industries, with a network of independent, community-operated stores and collection centers around the country, is one charity that will gladly accept all your textile donations. Locate a convenient donation center by entering your zip code here. If you have a large amount of goods, call to see if your local Goodwill is willing to make a pickup.

Another charity that will accept a full range of textiles is the Salvation Army. This Christian ministry operates 7,546 centers in communities across the United States, providing a range of services including food distribution, disaster relief, drug rehabilitation centers, and children’s programs. You can find a drop-off location for your goods or schedule a pickup by entering your zipcode here. 

Donations to a charitable organization may be useful to you at tax time if you itemize and can submit an itemized donation valuation form. Goodwill and the Salvation Army each have valuation guides to help you with this process. 

Although it is convenient to drop off items in the collection bins you see in so many parking lots, if it is important for you to know that you are helping a charitable organization, take a second to verify that the bin has been placed by such a group. Goodwill prepared this handy guide to help you make informed decisions about how to put your donations to best use.

Donating at a Retail Store

If you have specialty shopping to do and would prefer a financial incentive over a tax deduction, there are a growing number of retailers that offer in-store coupons to those who recycle shoes and clothing at their locations. Some collect only their own products, but there are several retailers in our area that accept any brand for recycling. Click on the links for details:

• H&M: Any brand of clothing and home textiles
• Levis: Any brand of clothing or footwear
• Nike: Athletic Shoes any Brand
• The North Face: Any brand of clothing or footwear

For more information

The “What do I do with…?” section of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) site is a great resource for residents looking to recycle their goods. Here is the link to the What Do I Do with my Clothing/Textiles section.

NOTE: One of the many hats I wear is graphic designer of HomeHaven News, the monthly newsletter for HomeHaven, a member of the Village to Village Network. This article is an expanded version of my “Responsible Downsizing” column in the most February, 2016 edition. HomeHaven and the growing network of villages around the country are an extraordinary resource for people who want to “live life to the fullest in the comfort of their own home.”

I hope you find all of this info “Things Worth Knowing.” Check for more stories like these as time goes by. [And search this blog for more posts in this vein.]

Happy Saturday.