Ah, January. The perfect time to start early spring sortin’, go through belongings, work out what you need and what to donate to loved ones or a local charity shop.  

Are you planning an early spring clean? If so, we’ve got some top tips for each room in your house and how best to declutter.  

Bedrooms 

Let’s start from the top and work our way down. Beginning with clothes, a nice easy one. If they’re clean and in good condition, clothing can be donated to charity shops, family, and friends. If you’re savvy, clothing can be sold on apps such as Vinted and Depop. Pop the money you earn away for a rainy day, a nice surprise to look forward to.

There is also a website called Trash Nothing where you can list and receive items for free in your local community.  

Bulky items such as mattresses, bed frames, bookcases, etc can be taken to a household waste recycling site but if you can’t take them there yourself you could organise a bulky waste collection through your local District or Borough Council.  

Everyone has a legal ‘duty of care’ to ensure your household or business waste is disposed of correctly. Be aware when organising a collection to ensure that the person who is taking your items has a waste carrier licence. If not, and they fly-tip the items, you could be at risk of a criminal record and unlimited fine. 

There are some simple steps you should take if you are getting any waste taken away 

  • Ask where your rubbish will be taken 
  • Make sure you get a receipt, invoice or Waste Transfer Note that contains the waste carriers’ contact details. You could also note the vehicle registration plate that is taking your waste away.  
  • Be wary of offers to take your waste, especially through social media 

If you’re looking to dispose of old duvet covers, pillowcases, and bed sheets, like clothing, these types of textiles can be donated to charities or shelters.  As these items are slightly bigger, there’s also something else you might like to do with them… 

Old duvet covers and sheets can be repurposed into something new like: 

  • Stuffed toys or puppets (also useful for filling up well-loved teddy bears that have been cuddled lots, don’t ask me, a 30-year-old how I know this, I definitely do not still have teddies and will not comment on this further) 
  • A new bed for your pet. I genuinely think I would make my whippet Folly’s year if I donated my old duvet set to her crate. I hope she likes floral print… 

Bathroom  

Are your bathroom towels looking a bit ropey and lost that lovely soft, fluffy feel? Fear not, you have a few options when clearing them out.  

They can either:  

  • Be donated to local charities, dog shelters, vets, or homeless shelters. Remember to call and check with each organisation and clinic that they’re happy for donations 
  • Be recycled at textile recycling banks, these are super handy as they’re usually dotted around local towns in convenient spots Folded towles.
  • Taken to Dunelm stores or mailed in to be reused, repurposed, or recycled as part of their take-back scheme 

Living room  

Is this the year you’re planning on replacing your sofa or armchairs? Donating these items is as easy as A, B, or C!  

Charities such as the British Heart Foundation offer free collections of household furniture, so your items will go to another home to be loved.  

Two people moving a sofa.

If these items are a little worse for wear (my fellow dog owners I hear you) contact your local Household Waste Recycling Site to see if they will accept your furniture., or arrange a bulky waste collection. 

There are also sofa recycling collection schemes, with several available, which include Clearabee and Love Junk. These services do incur a cost of £70, but they are a quick service with pick-up available within a few days.  

Kitchen  

Have you got gadgets and gismos a plenty? Are they also gathering dust and live at the back of the cupboard? It’s the same story with my toastie maker… 

Kitchen equipment.

Any household items that have a plug, take batteries, need charging, or have a picture of a crossed-out wheelie bin on them are classed as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE for short).  

These items should never be sent to landfill and should be recycled at recycling centres or via electrical retailers. Visit Recycle Your Electricals to find out more. 

In East Sussex, small electricals and batteries can recycled from the kerbside in Hastings, Rother, and Wealden.  

Garden  

We’ve made it to the garden! Our whistle-stop tour of correct household recycling and disposal is almost finished, and we’re ending with the correct way to get rid of your garden waste.  

All local district and borough councils in East Sussex offer a paid-for garden waste service, with further details on their websites.  

Will barrow full of grass.

You can also take garden waste to recycling centres, but make sure you take a durable bag, not a bin liner, and try not to overfill it.  

If you’ve gone bush trimming happy and there’s more than your garden waste bin can cope with, you can turn it into a small compost heap, which should turn into compost in as little as 6 months. This is a great way to make use of your garden waste and increase the biodiversity of your green space.  

 Our rubbish is our responsibility  

If you have items that you’re not sure how to dispose of, do contact your local household waste site, or contact the East Sussex Waste Team who will be able to advise.  

Confused about what items you can and can’t recycle? Read our ultimate guide to recycling.   

If you suspect fly-tipping, report it  

Fly-tipping is illegal, and if you have seen or suspect it, report it. Simply enter the postcode of the location where you have seen fly-tipping to find the relevant local council and report. You can do this via the GOV.UK website.