Proper Waste Disposal

If you are like me, you go through sporatic clearings of stuff, whether papers, files, cosmetics and hair products no longer used--anything to feel less hemmed in. The trick to being effective at one of these spring/fall/whenever cleanings is to get organized. You'll do yourself and the environment a favor.

Step 1: Set a finite area to clear that's not too overwhelming, like the master bathroom cabinets

Step 2: Have two bags handy: one for trash and one for recycle. Don't get lazy on this one. You just have to rinse out those half-used bottles to recycle them.

Step 3: Reuse or recycle: Left over shampoo you no long like, or it has sulfates and you can't use it on your straight hair, can be poured into hand dispensers and used for handwashing. Check environmental websites to see what should NOT be emptied down the drain.

Step 4: Get rid of outdated prescriptions, but don't flush them down the toilet. More and more, we are finding escalating amounts of drugs in our drinking water and streams. Unless it specifically says to flush, and very few drugs do, adulterate them so they can't be used and put them in the trash.

Step 5: Durable goods you no longer want can be donated to a charity--like that curling iron you never got the hang of, or the humidifier you never use.

Sept 6: Separate business papers into those with personal information that need shredding and those you can recycle.

Then just do it. YOu will feel so free that you have cleaned out all those drawer and cabinet hoggers. And you will probably feel more like tackling that file cabinet in your office.