We offer these donation and recycling links for professional home organizers and clients alike. Decluttering your life frees your spirit and creates freedom and ease in your living and working spaces.
It feels good to know that items you no longer love or need can be recycled responsibly or used to help to serve people in need. Don’t miss some of the quirky specialty links in our “donating specific and specialty items” section!
See also our free printables and downloadable PDF resources!
Though this page focuses primarily on resources for donating, we also include some places where items can be sold.
American Girl Dolls
GirlAgain is a resale boutique for American Girl dolls, operated by Yes She Can Inc, a not-for-profit dedicated to developing job skills and employment opportunities for young women with autism. Accept donations of gently used American Girl dolls, clothes, furniture, accessories, original boxes, and books to resell after cleaning, cataloging, and tagging for our boutique.
Antiques
Replacements, Ltd: Sell any inherited china you no longer want
Chairish: List and sell your antiques
Vintage Cash Cow: Get cash for your old and vintage items – even if they are broken or damaged!
Appliances
This appliance recycling guide explains how from an environmental perspective, recycling old appliances can be very beneficial. Most appliances contain damaging chemicals, which can cause problems for groundwater or for animals.
ARCA Inc Committed to energy efficiency, ARCA has been the pioneer in appliance recycling programs. Through partnerships with Energy Star®, the Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) program and industry affiliations, ARCA has helped promote and advance energy conservation programs and technology.
Arts & Crafts / Fabric
SCRAP Accepts new or gently used artist’s materials and tools. They also accept odd packaging and waste materials through Terracycle.
Batteries
4 Things You Should Know About Battery Disposal And The Environment this resource was shared with us by Ms. Martin’s classroom. Thanks kids, for being such good researchers and stewards of our planet. 
Find resources for recycling batteries at EARTH911.
Bicycles
Books (see also Textbooks below)
In the Book Donation Map of America: This map was created by Tom and Meegan Matthews to encourage people to donate their books locally and reduce their carbon footprint, as well as reuse and share books they no longer wish to hold on to
Donate used books for veterans: Schedule a pick up at your convenience
Free Little Library: Donate used books to a Free Little Library in your community, or start one yourself!
BookFinder.com is a one-stop e-commerce search engine that searches over 150 million books for sale—new, used, rare, out-of-print, and textbooks. They save you time and money by searching every major catalog online, and letting you know which booksellers are offering the best prices and selection. When you find a book you like, you can buy it directly from the original seller; they never charge a markup. The way that this site can be used for decluttering is that you can see whether a book you would like to sell actually has value.
American Library Association: The ALA has a wealth of other tips for where to donate used books
Bras
What to do with old bras: This guide by Tommy John includes statistics about the need for bra donations, 6 places to donate bras as well as a bra donation and re-use checklist.
The Bra Recyclers: The Bra Recyclers, LLC is a clothing recycling company specializing in recycling bras. Our mission is to ignite a ‘Bravolution’ to decrease the number of bras entering our landfills while providing substantial social benefits to women and girls escaping domestic violence, human trafficking or surviving breast cancer without the necessary insurance.
Free the Girls: The mission of Free the Girls is to help women rescued from sex trafficking reintegrate into their communities. Survivors can earn a safe income selling bras in the second-hand marketplace. We journey with them on the path to restore who they were designed to be – whole, worthy, and powerfully FREE.
Building materials (new or gently used)
Cars
Goodwill Car Donation program Towing of your vehicle is free for you and the IRS allows you to claim a car donation tax deduction.
Many NPR radio stations accept car donations to support their programming. Check with you local NPR station.
Veteran Car Donations Pickup and towing is always FREE and your donation will transform the lives of our nation’s heroes
Cell (mobile) phones
Cell Phone Recycling: Learn about how to recycle used cell phones, the benefits of recycling your phone, and the dangers of not doing so. Learn about 13 ways to repurpose your cell phone here.
Clothing
Dress for Success: This non-profit empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Donate used professional clothing here.
In addition to donating clothes to a consignment store or thrift store in your area, you can also sell your clothes online using ThredUp, Poshmark, or eb
Selling, donating, and recycling old clothing This green guide offers useful suggestions for how to get rid of old clothing responsibly. Special thanks to Kelly Garcia, who located & shared this resource from her research project about reducing her environmental footprint on the earth.
MotherhoodCloset.com is an online consignment store that buys and sells name-brand maternity clothes. A portion of the sales price goes to a non-profit.
For more places to donate your used clothes, check out this guide on mymove.com which includes 10 charities that accept donations, what items they accept, and how to donate.
Computer & Electronics recycling
DONATE computers to be refurbished for students in need at Computers With Causes!
Apple devices such as computers, phones, I-pads, etc can be recycled through Apple’s Giveback Program
MOM’s Organic Market, a organic grocery chain in the DC area, offers recycling for lots of items, including an annual “e-cycling” drive for recycling electronics (and year-round e-cycling at their Rockville location)
Electronics Recycling: Provides a database of electronics recycling companies, categorized by activity type and geographical location
Best Buy: Stores will take just about anything electronic, including TVs, DVD players, computer monitors, audio and video cables, cell phones, and more. Most things are recycled absolutely free, with a few restrictions.
Basel Action Network: Find responsible recyclers to dispose of anything with a cord or battery that you no longer use.
Sustainable Electronics Recycling International: Use this websites search tool to find a certified recycling facility near you
Gadget Gone: A re-commerce company that accepts trade-ins of old electronics (for cash!)
Diapers
National Diaper Bank Network: 1 out of 3 families in the US experiences diaper need. Use this directory to donate leftover diapers in your area. You can also learn how to host a diaper drive here.
Food
Feeding America: Find a local food bank to donate non perishable items
Fabric and textiles recycling and downcycling
Fabric and textiles Secondary Materials and Recovered Textiles Association (SMART) reports that about 45 percent of discarded clothing is reusable. Of the remaining 55 percent, most of it can be recycled: 30 percent is downcycled into industrial rags and 20 percent is processed into fiber that can be used in products like carpet or insulation. The remaining five percent is unusable because of contamination, and will end up in a landfill.
Glasses/Contacts
Lions Club International: Search for a center near you to recycle used eyeglasses
Bausch & Lomb, which sells contact lenses, partnered with TerraCycle, which recycles unusual items, to launch the ONE by ONE program. The recycling initiative accepts used lenses from any brand. It also accepts empty blister packs and foils, which most curbside recycling programs are not equipped to process.
Hazardous waste disposal
Earth911 Hazardous Waste Disposal locator Simply enter your zip code to find locations near you.
How to Safely Dispose of Cleaning Products, by Earth911
Call2Recycle: Enter your zip code to find places near you that accept used batteries and cellphones.
Holiday String Lights
Environmental LED
Holiday LEDs
Legos
Mattresses
This helpful mattress disposal guide will support you in learning about your options to donate your mattress or recycle it depending on its condition.
Medical supplies
Hospital Beds: Once you’ve recovered from your injury or surgery, learn where you can donate your used hospital bed or other medical supplies
Crutches: Consider donating your used crutches or other mobility aid once you’re finished with it.
Miles – yep thats right! You can donate unused miles!
Donate unused credit card rewards and miles
Miscellaneous recycling opportunities
Target: Recycling stations at the front of each store offer a convenient way to recycle aluminum, glass and plastic beverage containers, plastic bags, MP3 players, cell phones and ink cartridges.
Musical Instruments:
Hungry for Music: Accepts donations of musical instruments and uses them to teach underserved children to play music
Instruments in the Clouds: Donate your instrument here to be distributed to classrooms across the country
Paint
PaintCare is a 501C3 whose mission is to make it easy to recycle leftover, unwanted paint. They operate paint stewardship programs on behalf of paint manufacturers in states that have passed paint stewardship laws.
STOP mail!!!
Learn how to stop junk mail at the FTC Consumer Advice website.
Shoes
1. Soles4Souls ~ Donate a pair of gently worn shoes (shipping is FREE via Zappos for Good), host a shoe drive, or make a monetary donation. For more information, visit the Soles4Souls NAPO Fundraising page.
2. Share Your Soles ~ Donate HERE.
3. Nike Shoe recycling program. Learn more HERE.
Textbooks
Sell Back your Book: It’s just what it sounds like!
Toys
Visit ToysForTots.org to find drop-off spots to donate new and gently used toys.
Trophies
Total Awards and Promotionsruns a program that will recycle your trophies and donate rebuilt trophies to non-profits nationwide. Any 501(c)(3) can apply.
Wedding dresses & formal dresses:
Brides Across America Brides Across America (BAA) is a non-profit committed to loving one another by gifting weddings and wedding gowns to our military & first responders.
Brides Against Breast Cancer Kindly donated wedding dresses are made affordable for others and help fund Breast Cancer Causes. Read the guidelines carefully to make sure that your donation meets their criteria.
Glass Slipper Project The Glass Slipper Project is a non-profit organization that collects new and almost-new formal dresses and accessories and provides them, free of charge, to high school juniors and seniors who are unable to purchase their own Prom attire.
WestCoast Angel Gowns: West Coast Angel Gowns is a project of the Phoenix Leadership Center, a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization that transforms gently used donated wedding dresses into beautiful infant burial garments called “Angel Gowns.” If you add a $20 contribution with your donated dress, you will receive in the mail a 10″ x 10″ hemmed piece of your wedding dress as a precious keepsake.
Becca’s Closet: Donate gently used prom, cocktail, and bridesmaid frocks to this charity that gives party wear to economically disadvantaged high school girls.
Organizing Resources:
5 Garage Organizing Ideas Cool infographic on garage organization