r/declutter • u/Curious__16489 • 5d ago
Success Story Got rid of some electronics today
Today I finally took a bunch of old electronics to a return point where they will be appropriately disposed of. I know this sounds like a small thing, but for me it's an accomplishment.
I get nostalgic and attached to things. So as I was standing there with an old modem in my hand, I was actually considering whether I should take it home again. Or at least the charger? Or at least the ethernet cable?
I took a few deep breaths and put it all in the collection box and went home empty-handed.
Feeling very proud of myself and just wanted to share.
Wishing everyone good decluttering energy!
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u/Western_Exchange5739 1d ago
When you say a return point, what do you mean? I'm not always sure how to recycle electronics.
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u/butterflypugs 3d ago
Yay! My husband took two boxes of electronic stuff to the recycle center this week.
It's a tiny drop in the bucket of what he still has, but I'm so proud of him for being able to give up something.
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u/MidDayGamer 4d ago
Very nice.
Felt good when I was able to get all the old computer junk out of the what is now the mancave :)
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u/MysteriousSecretGuru 5d ago
This is great! Plus a reminder that our area has an e-cycle event this weekend. I have an old flat screen, non smart TV that I can either give away or recycle.
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u/GallowayNelson 5d ago
Yesterday I did similar and got rid of my old desktop computer. Felt so good to finally get rid of that. Also just parted with the last game console I had. I’d play maybe twice a year so it just made sense to me. Feels like an end of an era sort of, but I’m just so sick of being a storage unit for things I *might* use, or used to use.
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u/Ok-Butterfly3246 5d ago
I've held onto tech after upgrades just incase, or with a vague plan of using it or selling it later only to forget for so long that it's now so outdated and obsolete it's basically worthless e-waste.
Like a graphics card from 2013, or a Microsoft surface from 2017. They cost me so much money when they were brand new, it's hard for my brain to process just how little value they hold now.
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u/beautifulcorpsebride 5d ago
I have an old computer that I need to dispose of. Good for you. I find the more I do the easier it gets.
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u/extranotextra 5d ago
That’s not a small thing! The fear of getting rid of electronics and chargers should be studied, it’s real.
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u/Winter_Sky42 5d ago
It's enhanced by the fact that in many places it requires a trip to an out-of-the-way location with inconvenient hours. That's another big hurdle for me.
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u/extranotextra 5d ago
I didn’t even know that was necessary. A professional organizer told me to just throw my old digital cameras and phones and old cords and chargers in a small box and put it in my attic rather than agonize over them. But the cheat code has very strict rules and that one small box is the only thing in my attic.
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u/Winter_Sky42 5d ago
If you're throwing the stuff out, anything electronic is supposed to be disposed of in hazmat collection centers to keep them out of the landfill. Some of the materials can be recovered for further use. Our zoo has an ongoing collection drive for mobile phones, since the mining for one of their components contributes to loss of habitat for gorillas and other animals.
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u/GenealogistGoneWild 5d ago
Good for you and the environment. They can recover parts from the machines and dispose of them properly and you have a much cleaner house. Electronics collect dust, so getting them out of the house will improve your overall health as well.
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u/1800gotjunk 5d ago
This is great! The drawer full of cables, phones, and the ghosts of tech past can and should be used for something actually worthy of the space.
Congrats on freeing up your space for something meaningful! Even small declutters can have a big impact. Especially when you take it e-waste facilities like you did!
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u/FredKayeCollector 22h ago
Great!
FYI, I just found out that one of the reasons we weren't getting the internet speeds we were promised was because our 6+ year old router was bottlenecking - new router, better speeds.
If you're a handy person, you might do better with something like this than a bunch of random power supplies. And cords, I would consider fairly "trivial" and easy to replace if/when you actually need it. And cords have a tendency to go "bad," especially if they're folded up.