For people who have just finished redecorating their home or refinishing their car, it can be confusing trying to find out where to dispose of paint. Paint can be a messy thing to throw away in the trash; one ripped bag can permanently damage belongings and release harmful fumes into the house or garage. There are also environmental concerns, as the chemicals in paint might be harmful to the ecosystem if disposed of in a land fill. There’s also the chance that old paint doesn’t need to be disposed of at all and can be reused by someone who has a similar project.

Oil-based Paints

If paint is oil-based, it is considered hazardous. It can’t be reused after it has been stored for a certain period of time. This type of paint is toxic and flammable, and oil paint that is very old can even contain lead. For this reason, these types of paints have to be taken to disposal locations that that accept Hazardous Household Waste (HWW). Some cities hold an annual event where people can drop off their HWW. By doing a quick internet search or contacting your town office, you can find a location that will accept your old paint.

Latex-based Paints

In contrast, latex and water-based paints are safer. They are not deemed HHW and can be reused after they have been stored. Unfortunately, many of these types of paints contained high levels of mercury before 1990, so they can’t be disposed of in liquid form. It’s harmful (and sometimes illegal) to pour latex paint into streams, rivers, or the ground, as they can make their way back into the things we eat. Latex paint should also never be burned or put out for normal garbage disposal. Instead, try reusing the paint for new projects or donating cans to charities that refurnish homes or revitalize communities. Many charities paint over graffiti on buildings, and they accept paint donations. If reuse is not an option, latex paint must be dried before being put out with regular garbage pickup. This can be done by leaving small quantities out to air-dry in the can or rolling out larger quantities on cardboard or paper.

Additional Help

If you have old paint cans you want to dispose of, but cannot figure out the proper place to do it, or if you simply have a very large quantity that needs disposing, try contacting a professional garbage removal service. TalkLocal will connect you with up to three high quality garbage removal services in your area who will be able to help you when you need it.

It’s time for that in-depth home cleaning, and you are ready to get rid of any old cleaners and chemicals that have been sitting around. Unfortunately, many household chemicals, such as paint removers, weed killers, and oven cleaners, are toxic and contain liquids like ammonia and bleach, which can be harmful to those who come in contact with them or the environment. Before dumping them down the drain, pouring them on your lawn or flushing them down the toilet, read through the following disposal suggestions so that you will know how to dispose of toxic chemicals safely.

How to Dispose of Toxic Chemicals

1) Read container labels. All toxic chemicals will come with labels which provide instructions on how to dispose of the leftover or unused liquid.

2) Waste centers. Many communities and cities have permanent locations for residents to drop off toxic waste. Check with your community to find out more about the location and hours.

3) Collection days. Many cities and towns host annual or semi-annual collection days specifically intended for toxic chemical collection. Depending on your community, the toxic materials might be picked up from outside your home or they might need to be dropped off at a designated collection center. Contact your community for more information.

4) Business collection locations. While your city’s waste center may accept toxic chemicals, some businesses nearby might also accept them for recycling. Businesses dealing with automobiles, construction, painting, etc. are most likely to collect these types of chemicals, since they will know how to dispose of them.

5) Toxic chemical exchange locations. Oftentimes what you may be looking to dispose of, someone else can safely use. Find out if your city offers a location for chemical exchanging, where leftover materials can be dropped off and picked up for reuse.

6) Toxic chemical pickup. If you cannot find a way to recycle or dispose of chemicals through community programs, contact a garbage removal company or an environmental agency near you to find out more about the services they offer. Many offer curbside pick-up of toxic chemicals at little or no cost to you.

Need to find a way to remove your toxic chemicals? Use TalkLocal to get in touch with local garbage removal companies. We will connect you with up to three professionals in your area who will available to help you when you need them.

Recycling is a great habit, both for you and our environment. It helps us clean out all of the junk we don’t want or need, while avoiding throwing that junk in a landfill to pile up for years on end. When recycling various items, however, it’s important to know what can and cannot be recycled, as well as the appropriate places to send your recyclables.

Why Recycle Electronics?

Because electronics may have parts or contain certain chemicals that present harmful threats to the environment (such as toxins found in batteries), they have a special, designated method for recycling these items. In addition, recycling electronics made of metal, plastic, glass and other materials present wonderful opportunities for conserving resources. Many old electronics, like VCRs, outdated televisions and non-functioning MP3 players can often be recycled, refurbished, and resold to consumers who cannot afford the most recent, most expensive models of that same product. Or, they are simply broken down and have their parts recycled and used for something else. Either way, knowing where to recycle electronics is important.

Where to Recycle Electronics

Cell phones can often be recycled at the retail store where purchased. Many cell phone retailers will take old phones and send them off to be recycled or refurbished. Old computers are often accepted as donations by local schools or even shelters. You can sell or donate old electronics on eBay or Craigslist, or even at your own yard sale. There are also specified stations and drop-off centers for solid waste and electronics – you will most likely be able to locate one near you. Some large electronics retailers such as Best Buy also take old electronics for recycling. Bring your unwanted electronic devices to such a store and ask if they will recycle them for you.

Additional Help

If you are looking to recycle electronics, try using TalkLocal to locate a garbage removal or recycling station near you. Seva Call is a free service that will connect you with top-quality, reliable professionals in your area, within minutes.  Simply enter in your problem, location and availability, and TalkLocal will contact several companies, who will then call YOU directly, ready to help.

It’s basically impossible to avoid accumulating clutter over the years.  So we all end up needing to dispose of our unwanted junk in one way or another.  One of the best ways to get rid of your unwanted stuff is to use a junk removal company.  But you’ve got to be careful; these days, any guy with a van can call himself a junk removal company.  So here are some important tips on how to pick the right junk removal place.

Additional Help

You should weigh the factors above, and pick the place that works the best for you.  A clean house can mean a clean mind, so don’t put off removing your junk!  If you have any questions about what type of junk removal you should use, or need to find a junk removal place near you, simply use TalkLocal. We will connect you to high quality local professionals in just minutes!

How to Turn Trash into Treasure

We all have a lot of stuff- that’s just a reality of modern life.  Cleaning it out can be tough, it takes time and energy, and we often connect things with memories.  So we can end up holding on to a lot of crap for sentimental reasons… and also because we’re lazy.  But whether you have tons of old clothes, coffee cans, or even tires lying around, you should check out these ways to put your clutter to good use, and turn trash into treasure!

Old Clothes

Whether you’ve outgrown them, they’ve gone out of style, or been damaged somehow, everyone has old sweaters and t-shirts lying around.  If you’ve got old sweaters, you could turn them into something useful and fun, like purses, scarves, mittens, even pendants and necklaces.  If you need ideas for what to do, or want directions for a particular project, Resweater always has great ideas and will explain the steps for each project.

If you’ve got a lot of old t-shirts lying around, you could make them into a quilt, this can make a great gift for a kid that’s growing up and going away.  For step by step directions for this project, check out the instructions here.

Glass Bottles

If you’ve got glass bottles lying around you can, of course, recycle them the ​traditional way.  But it’s actually more environmentally friendly to re-use them without sending them to the recycling plant.  Cool old bottles can be used to give a house a vintage look, for example, you can make interesting vases out of old bottles, or use old bottles to make center pieces if you fill them with pretty pebbles.

Coffee Cans

Coffee cans are also often recyclable, but you can use them to make fun small trash cans.  Makes sure you clean the coffee can out well, then you can cover the coffee cans with funky wrapping paper or tissue paper, or even with cloth from an old t-shirt.

Tires

I don’t really understand this one, but apparently some people have a lot of old tires lying around.  If this is you, you might consider using those tires for gardening.

Additional Help

But some clutter really cannot be reused.  Often the easiest and most environmentally friendly way of getting rid of it is by hiring a junk removal place.  (You should always ask about what environmentally friendly precautions junk removal places take before hiring them.)  To hire a junk removal place, simply use TalkLocal.  It’s a great website that allows you to quickly find good junk removal places near you.

In many ways, living life means making a mess and accumulating clutter.  In fact, in busy houses clearing clutter often feels pointless, because the mess is back nearly as soon as you’re done cleaning.  But there are simple things you can do to keep your house clean and avoid clutter.

In the bedroom

Only keep clothes that you will wear in the closet.  If you have clothes that you’re keeping for sentimental value, or that are not appropriate for the current season, box them up and keep them elsewhere.  That way your closet won’t look overloaded and you won’t have to go through as many things to find what you need.

Make your bed.  This simple, quick step makes the whole room look better.

Have a designated place for dirty clothes—other than the floor.  This will just make your room look more organized.

Have a designated spot for items you use every day (glasses, purse, shoes, laptop, ect).  People will often just dump these things anywhere when they walk into their room, because they feel like it’s a waste of time to put this stuff away when they’ll just have to get it out in the morning.  So you’ll need to have an easily accessible place to dump this stuff where it looks neat without being ‘away’.

In the kitchen

Unload the dishwasher as soon as it’s done.  That way you can use it whenever you need it, and dishes won’t accumulate in the sink—which can make a room seem more cluttered than it is.

If a dish won’t fit in the dishwasher, wash it by hand immediately.  When dirty dishes sit around on the counter or in the sink it makes the room feel cluttered.

Have a basket for mail, papers, ect.  These things will unavoidably end up lying around in the kitchen, but if they have a spot to lie around, they won’t clutter up your counter.

If you have a lot of spices, consider alphabetizing them.  This could save you time later, and will keep you from having to take everything out of the cupboard to find what you need.

And finally, as soon as you use something—like an ingredient of some sort—put it back where you found it.  This is simple and will save clean up time later.

Throughout the house

Get rid of things you don’t want or need.  If you haven’t used something in years, it’s probably just taking up space, and should probably go.  It’s a good idea to use a junk removal service to do this, as you may not have the resources to deconstruct or dispose of your junk.  To find a good junk removal place, you’re going to want to use TalkLocal—the online service that most easily connects you with good local Junk Removal places.

Most people have a lot of stuff.  While it’s good to appreciate what you have, there can be a fine line between not being wasteful and becoming a pack rat.  So here are a few tell-tale signs that something is clutter.

Once you’ve identified what the clutter is, it’s best to get rid of it as soon as you can.  You could try to sell some of your clutter at a yard sale, or donate all you can to the Salvation Army—or another charity that accepts second hand items.  After all, one person’s trash can be another person’s treasure.  However, a lot of the time, one person’s trash is also another person’s trash.  If you have a lot of junk that you need hauled away, you should use a junk removal place.  To find good junk removal places near you, simply use TalkLocal; we’ll connect you with the best junk removal places near you, fast.  So it may be time to stop kidding yourself, face the fact that you have clutter and get rid of it.