Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
Leave No Footprint
When I first work with a client, they are often shocked and appalled (and simultaneously thrilled) by the sheer volume of garbage we create. Not give-away stuff that can go to the Goodwill, but stuff that isn’t worth the trip around the corner: plastic tchotchkes from kiddie-party gift bags, all manner of free calculators, one-station radios, plastic Duane Reade bags and complicated packaging from old electronics. Garbage. “Phase 1,” I always tell them, “is painful. It is where you really get to see the wreckage of how we (because it is all of us) live now.” Obviously, one way of dealing with all of this is to get rid of stuff the minute it enters your home, but even better is to stop it before it arrives.
I am a pretty nonjudgmental person. I don’t waste a lot of time hating. But I do hate freebies. Anything cheap enough to be given away for free is probably not something I want, or anyone needs. What am I going to do with a radio that only plays Bloomberg news? Why on earth would I need a pocket calculator when even my ancient and cracked iPhone-4 has a great calculator? And in my book, the Oriental Trading Company trumps even MacDonald’s for creating trash.
So take it to the next level. Lead by example: Politely refuse freebies whenever you can. The first time is the hardest; it gets easier. Trust me. You don’t need another tote, another water bottle another T-shirt. Start a new trend by buying each kid at your child’s birthday a Little Golden Book or aKlutz craft book. Their parents will thank you.
Part of the problem with plastic is that it is too cheap, and so you aren’t as committed to it. Don’t get me wrong, I like plastic storage bins, but I rarely see those get thrown out. Usually, if a client and I empty one out, we immediately find a use for it elsewhere. But cheap plastic drawers, flimsy baskets and dividers all end up in the garbage before long. Spend a little more, think a little longer, measure, weed and then commit to something more permanent. Make each purchase something you plan on keeping forever; I know it won’t always work out that way but it is a good goal to aspire to.
Less junk, less trash, less clutter.