Whilst doing the 30 day minimalism game, a key issue that has come up for me is how to sustainably declutter during lockdown. Afterall, if I’m clearing 465 possessions out of my life, I don’t want to send it all to landfill.
I’ve tried to take a mindful and environmentally friendly approach to minimalism. Below are some of the strategies I’ve come up with, including rehoming and recycling my unwanted posessions.
Rehoming preloved items
Rehoming items during lockdown has been easier than I imagined. It just needs a bit of extra timing and planning, but with a bit of thought, it can be done safely and within social distancing guidelines.
Some of the ways I’ve rehomed items are:
- Gifting to friends and family – As we live locally, it’s been easy to do doorstep drop-offs.
- Facebook marketplace – I’ve given quite a few items away for free to people who live locally. By arranging a time, I’ve been able to leave items in the porch so that items can be collected safely.
- Charity donations – The charity shops may be closed but we have clothes banks which raise money for local services. We also have a local charity that sources and provides housing items for people in need.
- Charity bags – We seem to get a charity bag delievered every week, these have been ideal for items that I’m struggling to rehome.
- Book buying apps – I’ve used both We Buy Books and Ziffit to help re-home books that I’ve decluttered. As an extra bonus, use promo code WXCNDIV17 to get £5.00 extra cash on your next trade of £10 or above (I get £5.00 too, so if you use this code, then thank you).
Recycling items
Some of my decluttered items have been recycled, either through our home recycling scheme or the local recycling site. However, I’ve also got inventive and recycled items myself:
- Shredded paper – has been used in the nesting box for the chooks. Although I’ve shredded so much paper that I’ve broken my shredder. After spending hours trying to fix it, unfortunately it’s had to go to the paper shredder heaven down the street.
- Fire starters – Other bits of paperwork have been used to make fire starters. They’ve worked perfectly and have helped me declutter but in a useful way.
Mindful Minimalism
Admittedly, when I started the 30 day minimalism game challenge, I hadn’t thought about the logistics of getting rid of items. In a pre-lockdown world, it would be easier. However, I’ve found many ways to help me keep my challenge moving forwards.
Sustainable decluttering definitely takes more thought and whilst some items have had to go to landfill, the majority have been rehomed or recycled.
It really has opened my eyes to what I bring into my life and I’m finding myself being more grateful for what I already have.
At the time of writing, I’ve let go of 276 items from my life and as I look around, there’s still plenty more that I will release… They’re mainly unread books, but I’m now making time and space to read them and release them.
There’s also a large stash of toiletries that I’ve vowed to use up before buying any more. How do we allow ourselves to gather such vast amounts?
So with just 7 more days of the challenge left, I’m staying focused on decluttering in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.
How do you mindfully declutter? Do let me know of any tips you’ve got for sustainable decluttering. I’d love to hear them.
Image courtesy of Nareeta Martin on Unsplash.