Spring cleaning may feel more necessary than ever this season, after a year of working and schooling from home. It can also feel refreshing and make a positive impact on the planet.
Just in time, as many of us are yearning for cleaner, more organized living spaces, here are some tips to make spring cleaning a snap, as well as safe and sustainable.
Choose natural cleaning products. Choosing natural cleaning products rather than harsh chemicals can avoid fumes, skin irritation and environmental impacts. It’s easy to make DIY solutions at home using household items such as vinegar or baking soda.
If you do use products labeled “dangerous,” “toxic” or “hazardous,” never pour leftovers down the drain. Take unused solutions to a household hazardous waste drop-off site near you.
Take special care when tossing electronics or batteries. These items should not be placed in your curbside recycling carts. Instead, find a recycling location near you at www.ecyclewashington.org for electronics such as phones, computers, televisions and tablets.
When it comes to batteries, begin by sorting based on type. Lithium-ion batteries are considered hazardous waste and should never go in your curbside garbage or recycling cart. These batteries are often found in rechargeable electronics like phones, laptops and electric toothbrushes.
When lithium-ion batteries are punctured, damaged or exposed to high temperatures, they can cause fires and even explosions. This is a big risk when they end up collected by recycling or garbage truck drivers because the normal collection process involves compacting, dumping and jostling material in the trucks. You can find drop-off locations for lithium-ion batteries at www.1800recycle.wa.gov.
Today’s single-use household batteries are not considered hazardous and can go into your garbage cart, if necessary. Better yet, you can often recycle these batteries at select drop-off locations, sometimes for a fee.
Think twice before you trash bulky items. If you need to dispose of an old mattress, broken appliance or damaged furniture, first consider its condition. If it’s still usable, donate it to a secondhand store or give it away for free on websites such as Craigslist, OfferUp or Facebook Marketplace. These online marketplaces can be a great solution for folks without large vehicles because the new owner will pick up your stuff for free,
If your item is too damaged to reuse, you can haul it to a local transfer station or call a junk removal company to pick it up for a fee. Waste Management also offers bulky item removal services in many communities. Early in the pandemic, bulky item collection services were suspended, but they are now available again. To find out if bulky waste service is provided in your area, go to www.wmnorthwest.com and use the drop-down menu to find your community.
Keeping our homes clean and tidy is easier when we have the right supplies on hand and we take care to find the right places for electronics, batteries and those bulky items that have worn out their welcome. Hopefully, these tips will help make spring cleaning a snap!
Hannah Scholes is Waste Management’s recycling education and outreach manager. Learn more about waste reduction at wmnorthwest.com.
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