6 Easy Ways to Declutter Your Home While Staying Eco Friendly

Sometimes all we want to do is throw all of our unwanted stuff in the trash. Not a great decision though - it contributes to tons of unnecessary waste in our environment and in landfills. The truth is, there are easy ways you can declutter your home without hurting the environment. Here are 6 easy ways to declutter your home while staying eco friendly.

Photo by Chris Lawton 

1. Donations

If you have clothes, furniture, and non-perishable food items that you no longer want, donate them to people in need. Donating is an easy way to help yourself out while giving back to others. If you want, you can organize a neighbourhood donation drive to help those in your community. Giving items away to family and friends is a great option as well. You can also donate your items to thrift stores, but keep in mind, any items unsold often end up in landfills. This is why you should explore the next decluttering method to ensure that items find a new home.

2. Selling items

Reselling items is a popular side hustle or occasional practice for millions of people. Many people are now thrifting for used or new items online and in store - many prefer buying things second hand to score some incredible deals. So how about using the reselling demand to your advantage? Any items you have that are still in good condition that you want to part with can be resold. For clothing items, Depop and Poshmark are two great online reselling apps where consumers search for second hand, vintage pieces. For items like electronics and niche items use eBay or Craigslist. Facebook Marketplace is another online option with an in-person component. You can list items you wish to sell, and have buyers pick them up (you can also drop items off for buyers). If you aren’t a fan of selling online, you can host a garage sale to quickly get rid of many things at once. There are endless options when it comes to reselling.

3. Recycling

While decluttering, you are likely to come across recyclable items. Get a bin for paper and plastic recycling to fill up while you declutter your home. You can take these items in and can get paid in certain places for recycling. If you have broken electronics, there's still a chance that they have trade-in value. If not, many big-box appliance stores will recycle them for you. Prioritize keeping any recyclable items out of the trash.

4. Finding new uses

Before you get rid of something, try to see it in new light. What else could you do with it? Let’s say you bought a vase that you never end up using. You notice your desk has pens scattered all across it because you have no storage container to keep them in. You can use the vase as a holder for your pens which solves two problems at once.

5. Fix and repair

It's always a good idea to give fixable items a second chance. Get your grandma to replace the broken zipper on your favorite jacket, and watch a tutorial on how to fix a minor part in your coffee maker. Being able to repair items that break is a useful skill and if you can't find someone to teach you, YouTube is full of how-to videos for repairs. You’ll save yourself from having to buy new things if you start learning hw to fix them.

6. Organization

Staying (or getting) organized is also a way to declutter sustainably. Having an organized home will allow you to know what items you have in your home. You’ll notice the things you need most because you are constantly putting them away and this should help you avoid buying things in the future that you won’t end up using. This is why minimalists are able to live solely based on the things they actually use or need. You don’t need to become a minimalist, but make sure you don’t constantly buy things you’ll end up wanting to get rid of later.


Try your best to declutter in an ecofriendly way, and implement these methods into your regular cleaning practices.

Business development manager and writer Jenny Han works at essay writing services. Jenny writes about decluttering.