Messy House; Messy Life Thread ??

But they’re not really binned are they. Just lying in landfill somewhere waiting hundreds of years to decompose. That’s why I struggle with throwing things away. I just hope that I can find a use for them one day. Throwing things away, to me is just passing on a problem to someone else. Giving it to a charity shop where it will sell on or ebaying it is ok but I can’t just throw things in the bin. I feel guilty.

I am constantly 'decluttering' because my house is unfortunately not big enough to comfortably display all the things I love! I like being surrounded by beautiful and interesting things but now have a rule of 'one new thing in, one old thing out'! If I don't like something enough to get rid of something else, then I don't buy it/keep it.
Like others on here, I hate the thought of adding to landfill, so I send items like old DVDs, CD cases, broken plastic toys, pens and felt tips etc. to Terracycle - either by purchasing one of their Zero Waste Boxes, or finding a drop-off point local to me. Bit more expensive and time consuming than just throwing things in a bin, but protecting the environment is important to me. Unwanted ornaments, toys and clothing always goes to charity shops. Clothing, old bedding and curtains not suitable for resale, goes into the council's textile recycling bin, but if you don't have one of those then some charity shops provide that service, too.
When I lived on my own I was definitely more minimalist and organised, but living with Husband, children and pets has changed that somewhat over the years! It doesn't help that I'm a frustrated librarian... too many books, not enough shelves! ?

Thanks for the info about Terracycle. I’ve just had someone offer me money for lots of old sporting videos I have but it’s making me wonder why the p want them and are they worth a lot of money! I’m the same about books. I’m either planning to read them or, if I have and I’ve loved it, can’t bear to pass it on. It’s as if they’re part of me somehow.

My council recycling plant takes absolutely everything you can think of for recycling, there must be at least 50 different categories in different bins, so it’s quite confusing if you don’t know where to put a specific item. I assumed others were the same, but by the sounds of it they aren’t.