Where To Take The Items That Don’t Bring Joy

By: Elizabeth Lutz

Spring is here.  We’ve adjusted our clocks, started wearing lighter coats and many of us will be channeling our inner Marie Kondo to downsize in the right of passage known as spring cleaning over the next few weeks.

While we’re making assumptions, we know you care about the environment and that you already do your best to rinse and sort cans, glass and paper from your trash.  Now we’re calling on you to take the next step.

As you start to create piles of the things that don’t bring joy to your life, we ask that you take time to identify a few things that can be sent somewhere other than the landfill.  We’re talking primarily about food scraps, clothing and electronics. To help you properly dispose of these items, we’ll be hosting a few community events over the next few months and have identified other outlets in the neighborhood where you can avoid the landfill.

Here’s how you can reduce your trash:

FOOD SCRAPS
Every Tuesday from 8a-2p — GrowNYC’s Bowling Green Greenmarket hosts a weekly food scrap collection. In between drop-offs, you can store your food scraps in large yogurt containers or other covered plastic containers, paper bags, plastic bags, milk cartons that can reside in your freezer or in commercially-available compost pails that trap odors and keep your scraps safe from pests. Read more about what types of food is accepted before you go.
GrowNYC Greenmarket Composting Guide 

ELECTRONICS
Sunday, June 9 from 10a-4p — We’re co-hosting an E-Waste Collection where you can dispose of old and broken electronics the safe way. Electronics big or small will be taken including: computers, monitors, printers/scanners, Keyboards, mice, cables, TVs, VCRs & DVD players, A/V equipment, cell phones & PDAs.

Location: Fulton St between Gold St and Cliff St.
Add to Your Calendar

CLOTHING/TEXTILES
Everyday — There are nine locations in Lower Manhattan where you can recycle old clothing and shoes including J.Crew, & Other Stories, GUESS, H&M, Urban Resource Institute, Career Gear and St. Margaret’s Thrift Store.  Each location has slightly different restrictions on what they accept and some even offer discounts on your next purchase. Call ahead or check out the details on this map.  Check Out the Map 

SENSITIVE DOCUMENTS
Saturday, April 6 from 9a-12p — We’re hosting a shred-a-thon where you can bring sensitive documents, tax receipts, mail, bills, and junk mail to be properly and securely disposed. Location: Queen Elizabeth II Park . Add To Your Calendar

Reducing trash is an important issue for the neighborhood and to help, the Alliance has created a Lower Manhattan Residential Sanitation Resource Guide for Residents and Property Managers. This guide offers easy habit changes residents can make as well as inexpensive changes buildings can make to reduce the volume of sidewalk waste through the use of compacting and baling.  

We hope you accept this challenge and help push Lower Manhattan to be a cleaner and more environmentally friendly place.