Recycling Electronics Responsibly

Can you find the item that doesn’t belong in the picture associated with this blog? Look closely at the left side of the lower shelf: “old standing mixer – not useable.” Why do you suppose they put it there?  The box has been on that shelf for decades; I suspect that the person who labeled and placed it so carefully could never have imagined that their son would be working his way through the basement with a professional organizer in the year 2022, decluttering with an eye toward a move in the coming years.

We all do it at some point – stick something on the shelf, in the closet, at the back of the garage…something that is broken, or doesn’t work right, or doesn’t fit, or isn’t right in some way or another. We might have good intentions to resurface the item – to get it fixed, to give it away, to throw it out. But life intervenes, other things demand our attention, and the act of decluttering gets similarly pushed aside for another day.

Also found in this basement was a little book titled “Don’t Throw That Out!” This family was guided by the frugality of depression-era living, when so many were struggling financially and learned to “use it up, wear it out, make do or do without.”  I have no idea what could have been done with a broken mixer back then, but I do know what we can do with it now: recycle it through RecycleForce in downtown Indy.

RecycleForce is a 501(c)3 that is committed to reducing crime through employment and job training, while improving the environment through electronics recycling. Since 2006, RecycleForce has safely recycled more than 65 million pounds of electronic waste while providing job training to thousands of citizens returning from incarceration. I love this organization, appreciate their service to the community, and routinely deliver broken electronics for my clients. Later this week I’ll happily drop off that broken mixer.

I’ve helped clients find electronics recycling outlets in others states too. If you have broken or obsolete items with cords, check listings in your local area for organizations that recycle electronics responsibly.