Author Topic: Most Goodwill donations get dumped or recycled  (Read 775 times)

MillCreek

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Most Goodwill donations get dumped or recycled
« on: December 04, 2019, 07:42:04 PM »
https://www.npr.org/2019/12/04/784702588/the-best-thing-you-can-do-is-not-buy-more-stuff-says-secondhand-expert?utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&fbclid=IwAR1u5wBf2R20bSX4YJk8EIhPO1wcYMPRTVNy52lliqwaGZwBB09moMmIawM&fbclid=IwAR39mJTPLjVFhP9MQAj0cgIsElMzZLFe503S7zP6ZTJOXDxyIMZa0gZOvdk

I had read other stories about how the kids don't want their boomer parent's stuff, like the china, silverware or furniture when the parents die or downsize.  I always thought that Goodwill or the Salvation Army was the socially-responsible Plan B.  We only donate stuff that we thought could be sold; we would never give junk to Goodwill or the Salvation Army.  I wonder what else we should do with our quality discards.  I have read on the Internet about 'Buy Nothing' groups, so maybe we should look into that.
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MillCreek
Snohomish County, WA  USA


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French G.

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Re: Most Goodwill donations get dumped or recycled
« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2019, 09:02:33 PM »
Buy nothing groups are the devil. At least for me, I end up with more stuff! Yeah, worth a try. You have to be firm, it is a lot of craigslist quality people with the added bonus of not using money to weed them out a little! So expect a million questions and sketchy people. I ended up wit ha really nice bike for my kid for free, showed up when I said I would and gifted him a jar of my honey for his trouble.

Goodwill, I browse there for work clothes and whatever diamond in the rough I see like a really nice copper saucepan for $5 that I am going to re-tin or $1 taylormade drivers. But I have no illusion of them being a charity.
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Hawkmoon

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Re: Most Goodwill donations get dumped or recycled
« Reply #2 on: December 04, 2019, 11:32:30 PM »
From the article:

Quote
The longer that your product lasts, the longer that you use that smartphone, the less likely it is that you're going to be buying a new one. So the goal really should be to keep your stuff in use for as long as possible, whether it's by you or somebody in Ghana or somebody in Cambodia. So in that sense, it's a really good thing, because if somebody in Cambodia is using your phone, they're probably not buying a new cheap handset there.

I have long maintained that the most effective recycling is direct re-use. I know of some towns in my state that have a building at their landfill or transfer station where people can put "stuff" that still works, and these buildings are open to everyone -- not just residents of the town. And the stuff is free -- if you find something you need, take it -- it's yours.

MY town, of course, won't even consider such a thing. I'm not sure what they cite as reasons but I'm pretty certain the true reason is just that the powers that be don't want riffraff and hoipoloi venturing into our pristine suburb.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
100% Politically Incorrect by Design

French G.

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Re: Most Goodwill donations get dumped or recycled
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2019, 12:16:36 AM »
We have quite the rural dumpster freecycle and I find good stuff. Sadly a lot is the typical old person house clean out, drive past the funeral home to get to the dumpster, there is a strong correlation.
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Ben

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Re: Most Goodwill donations get dumped or recycled
« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2019, 08:10:07 AM »
I know of some towns in my state that have a building at their landfill or transfer station where people can put "stuff" that still works, and these buildings are open to everyone -- not just residents of the town. And the stuff is free -- if you find something you need, take it -- it's yours.

It's a really great idea. I'm more prone these days to chuck stuff vs going to Goodwill or SA. Every time I show up at those places, or the truck comes out, they refuse all kinds of perfectly good stuff. Especially electronics. I couldn't donate my 50" Samsung to them (worked perfectly). Same with a 20" computer monitor.

When I was trying to donate furniture after my mom passed and my dad wanted stuff cleared out, they refused a $3000 oak dining set (again, like new).

I ended up talking to a couple of neighbors who happily took much of the stuff, but other stuff went into the trash can or the city ewaste site.

I'm trying to find a good local donation site to use here in ID, but that's proving difficult. I've found a coupe near me, but they promote themselves as drug/alcohol abuse places. Color me mean, but I have a strong personal philosophical problem to donating to places for people made who made bad personal choices, when there are so many that need help because of things out of their control.

I'd much prefer to give stuff to a "re-use" site, where it's up for grabs from anybody.
"I'm a foolish old man that has been drawn into a wild goose chase by a harpy in trousers and a nincompoop."

brimic

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Re: Most Goodwill donations get dumped or recycled
« Reply #5 on: December 05, 2019, 08:33:35 AM »
When both of my remaining grandparents died (Grandmothers) within a 1 year span, it really gave me a wakeup call on 'stuff.'
Most of the 'stuff' that had any value at all was divied up between children and grandchildren, the rest went into a dumpster.
It kind of changed my whole outlook on life.

Goodwill- its a source of my wife's income. She goes to goodwill stores or Goodwill Bins and buys new or lightly used designer shoes, purses, and clothes from goodwill or goodwill bins and sells them through her poshmark business. It seems that some local stores (Kohl's in particular) dump their old inventory at some of the stores. All of the jeans that I currently wear (a particual Levis style that fits me really well) came from goodwill.

My wife has a particual interest in mid century modern furniture for our home, which she finds regularly at Goodwill.
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zahc

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Re: Most Goodwill donations get dumped or recycled
« Reply #6 on: December 05, 2019, 02:30:57 PM »
I take stuff to Goodwill to get it out of  my life. I'm fine if they junk or recycle it,as long as they do it for me. I assume they know what will sell and what won't, and I don't. Goodwill even has online sales and I've bought old camera parts off it before. It's like a nationwide junk bin.

I'm actually with the millennials on their spending habits. I would rather spend money on coffee, or entertainment, than buy something with it, that I have to have in my life forever, or else eventually throw it out. It's a little better if it's something I can easily resell, but even that is a hassle and stress. Easier to take it to Goodwill and be done with it.

I know it's heresy here, but I've even become lean with guns. I almost bought one over black Friday but stopped myself. Actually I would sell a couple handguns if my wife would let me. I would have never said that 10 years ago for sure.
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brimic

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Re: Most Goodwill donations get dumped or recycled
« Reply #7 on: December 05, 2019, 02:57:16 PM »
I take stuff to Goodwill to get it out of  my life. I'm fine if they junk or recycle it,as long as they do it for me. I assume they know what will sell and what won't, and I don't. Goodwill even has online sales and I've bought old camera parts off it before. It's like a nationwide junk bin.

I'm actually with the millennials on their spending habits. I would rather spend money on coffee, or entertainment, than buy something with it, that I have to have in my life forever, or else eventually throw it out. It's a little better if it's something I can easily resell, but even that is a hassle and stress. Easier to take it to Goodwill and be done with it.

I know it's heresy here, but I've even become lean with guns. I almost bought one over black Friday but stopped myself. Actually I would sell a couple handguns if my wife would let me. I would have never said that 10 years ago for sure.

I got an older copy of Machinery's handbook off the goodwill site for #15... even the older editions generally start at around $75.

Guns- yes, its been 2.5 years since I bought another gun. I 'want,' but don't 'need' and would rather spend the money on something that I will use more regularly. (I have firearms in my safe room that I haven't even shot, and most of them haven't been shot in over 10 years.)
"now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb" -Dark Helmet

"AK47's belong in the hands of soldiers mexican drug cartels"-
Barack Obama

sumpnz

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Re: Most Goodwill donations get dumped or recycled
« Reply #8 on: December 06, 2019, 12:58:25 AM »
I haven't bought a gun in a solid 10+ years.  Been given a few by my FIL, but no purchases.