It’s that time of year. Spring is here and you can finally open the windows to let fresh air in, giving you a burst of energy. If you find yourself motivated to deep clean or redecorate your space this spring, I have assembled a detailed list of options for donating, re-purposing, selling, recycling or properly disposing of a wide variety of household items (plus a few resources for shopping!).

How to give items a second life – When you find yourself with items that are in great shape that you simply no longer have a use for, there are several options to get them to someone who can use them. The first is to join our local Buy Nothing group on Facebook (the group for the Bridle Trails area is called “Buy Nothing Bridle Trails/Wilburton/Spring District”). The second is to list items in the “Free Stuff” section of Craigslist. For drop-off options, consider Goodwill (multiple locations), Assistance League, Lifelong Thrift, and Mary’s Place (all donation centers located in Seattle).

Where to consign (and buy) furniture and larger accessories – There are two great options for local furniture consignment, and one is located right here in Bridle Trails! Foryu Furnishings (2299 140th Ave. NE, A, Bellevue) is a real gem and very easy to work with. They carry a full range of styles of furniture, art and accessories and their full catalog is viewable on their website (foryu.com) and updated daily. Second, consider the recently opened Bellevue Consignment (the Eastside sister of Ballard Consignment; bellevueconsignments.com). It’s near the intersection of Main Street and Bellevue Way where Sports Authority used to be located (44 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue). Besides being great resources for selling items, both stores offer a great selection of beautiful and interesting items with which to furnish your space.

Where to take large-sized or bigger quantities of cardboard – The Houghton Recycling & Transfer Station (11724 NE 60th St., Kirkland) has a drive-up drop-off lane that doesn’t require a fee payment and where you can deposit both regular and corrugated cardboard into large bins (saving you the trouble of cutting it up into small enough pieces to fit in your blue bin). They take even more items at no charge - be sure to read their fact sheet (page 2) for the full list, hours of operations and requirements for items.

Where to take styrofoam and other unusual items – You might be surprised to learn that all Republic Services customers have the option to drop off many hard-to-recycle items at their Bellevue Customer Care Center just off Northup Way (1600 127th Ave. NE, Bellevue, WA 98005). The list includes household batteries, used cooking oil, hardcover books, rigid plastics (such as coolers, lawn chairs, and laundry baskets), bicycles and bike parts, scrap metal, small appliances and electronics, fluorescent tubes and bulbs, propane cylinders, clothing, and household textiles, and most notably, Styrofoam. Please note that each category of item comes with specific instructions, so visit RepublicServices.com for hours and full details.

How to recycle items that Republic Services doesn’t take – As just mentioned, Republic Services accepts many surprising items for recycling at their Bellevue Customer Care Center. However, there are still several categories of items that they do not accept. These include plastic bags (they get caught in machinery), shoes, and a broader range of light bulbs and batteries. For a fee, Ridwell comes to your house every 2 weeks to pick up these items from a designated bin, plus a special rotating category of a featured item to either recycle or to donate to good causes. Past special categories for recycling have included items such as bottle caps, prescription pill bottles, and twist ties. Like Republic Services, they also accept textiles that have reached the end of their useful life (such as old clothes or towels). A 12-month membership paid in full is currently $168 for zip code 98005 (pricing varies depending on pickup address). Visit Ridwell.com to learn more or sign up.

How to safely dispose of paint, household chemicals and unusual items – There are so many other items you may need to part with that I haven’t covered here. Visit info.kingcounty.gov or Google “King County what do I do with” to find an extremely useful page by the Solid Waste Division. Click on “Browse complete materials list” to see their extensive coverage of where you can either donate or properly dispose of your item.

I hope you found this list of resources helpful. If you did, drop me a note at info@interiorharmony.design – I’d love to hear from you!