Knick Knack Round-Up

Today, I participated in my first Freecycle™ exchange!

Although I discussed Freecycle™ early on, in Join A Freecycle™ Group! I had not as of that time actually exchanged anything through it. However, recently a request came over my Freecycle™ list serve, which I thought I could help out with. It was from a teacher who was planning an end-of-year party to reward their students for their hard work during the year. They were looking for "any knick knacks you may have in good condition . . . that a child . . . may enjoy."

Identify

Well, you can be sure any Packrat worth their name has got knick knacks aplenty! I contacted this person to let them know I might have a few things they could use, and to find out when they would be needed.

Mind you, I had already liberated quite a few of my chatchkis at the Freecycle™ Freemeet last week, however as you also know, a Packrat can never quite get rid of everything all at once. Often something is held back so, I still had a few things on hand when they emailed me to follow up.

Some of the items I had ordered a number of years ago through one of those offers they stick in your credit card bill. I had some vague notion of using them as stocking stuffers, grab bag or Secret Santa gifts, but they got stored away and I forgot about them. Some of the other things I had simply accumulated over time (as packrats tend to do), and just faced up to the reality that I probably wouldn't use them, at least any time soon!

Gather

Thus, my second knick knack sweep included the following:

1. 3 combination digital alarm clock/picture frames
2. a wallet
3. wooden picture frame
4. set of 5 flowered pencils in matching case (so not-used that they had never even be sharpened!)
5. a nice pen with an embroidered holder
6. lacquered stick/hair ornaments, still in their original packaging

I gathered everything up and placed it in a nice gift bag (more reuse at work!)

Remove

The teacher and I spoke briefly by phone to arrange a pick-up time, and the hand-off was made earlier today!

Every little bit helps!

Spring Cleaning - The FREECYCLE™ NYC FreeMeet

Identify

Sometime last month, I received an email regarding a FREECYCLE™ sponsored FreeMeet. This event was described as a

. . . chance to unload unwanted, but usable items, take home things you can put to good use and meet other folks from the Freecycle community. Anything leftover at the end of the event will be donated to local charities or recycled to the extent possible. As the name suggests, the Freecycle™ FreeMeet is FREE and open to the public!

You don't need to bring anything to take anything (though a tote bag might help). Please bring portable items only and leave furniture and other heavy stuff at home (log on to www.Freecycle.org to find people who can pick these items up from you).

The FreeMeet was sponsored by a local YMCA, Freecycle™ New York City and the Office of Recycling Outreach and Education (OROE).

Well! My eyes fairly danced at the thought of such a DeKluttering Extravaganza! This would be an opportunity to get rid of an assorted collection of items in one fell swoop, sans some of the difficulties associated with the typical Freecycle™ exchange or other swap strategies that I have previously discussed (see Join a Freecycle™ Group! or Throwing Away at Throwplace.com® for the particulars).

However, my glee was short-lived. Unfortunately, I had another activity scheduled later that same day so I wasn't sure I would be able to attend the FreeMeet and then get home in time to get ready for my other event. Never the less I passed the information on to a friend who is also trimming his klutter. He said he would probably go and graciously offered to take my stuff along, so it worked out.

Gather

I had already identified a variety of things that I planned to part with and had gathered them together in a shopping bag, so all was in readiness. By way of inspiration for my fellow hoarders out there, here's a list of the accumulated objects that I hoped would find happy new homes:

1. Snowflake candles (3)
2. Christmas candle
3. Apple candles
4. Liz Claiborne purse
5. Daffodil bookmark
6. Scooby Doo bookmark
7. Pair of patent leather red thongs
8. Ballerina finger puppet
9. Personal organizers (paper based - 2)
10. Cloud address book
11. Ice scream scoop
12. Fanny pack
13. Coaster
14. Washington DC marble/pewter paperweight
15. Stationery set
16. Kiddy kalculator - (2)
17. Samsonite garment bags (2)
18. Wallet
19. Camera (non-digital)
20. Cosmetic bag and mirror set
21. Plastic lei
22. Assorted paperbacks (9)

Assorted Paperbacks

1. Connecticut - Off the Beaten Path: A Guide to a Unique Place
   
2. Possessing the Secret of Joy - Alice Walker
   
3. If Beale Street Could Talk - James Baldwin
   
4. The M.D. - Thomas M. Disch
   
5. The Dark Tower II: The Gunslinger - Stephen King
   
6. With a Tangled Skein - Piers Anthony
   
7. Native Tongue II: The Judas Rose - Suzette Haden Elgin
   
8. Dragon's Egg - Robert l. Forward
   
9. The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands - Stephen King
   

Not a bad haul, eh?

Remove

At the appointed time my friend swung by and picked up my stuff and proceeded to the FreeMeet.

Later he called to tell me that it was pretty easy. He was met at the door by volunteers, who took the things he had brought and whisked them to the area where the actual swapping was taking place. He didn't even have to stay or go down to the swap area. However, he did go just to take a peek to see how it was set up.

I don't know if all FreeMeets are organized in this manner, but this format certainly worked for us!

A Tale of Two Computers

In Digital Spring Cleaning and Diskard I mentioned that I had somehow come to harbor three computers in my tiny apartment. How could that happen, you ask?

Identify

I acquired one of the computers when I returned to graduate school, the first time around. It was the first PC that I ever owned. A CompuAdd PC running DOS. Great computer! Never had any real problems with it. Sturdy and solidly built. Just how sturdy I only truly discovered later, when I tried to extract the hard drive. But I digress.

I eventually bit the bullet and got a Windows PC, but not being entirely convinced that I would get along with it, I kept my CompuAdd as a sort of electronic security blanket. Eventually though, I used the CompuAdd PC less and less until it just sat shrouded in the corner, collecting dust.

This second computer, I only had for a couple of years before it needed to be replaced. As many of you may know, it can be quite a production (and a painful one!) to transfer your files and applications from an existing computer to a new one. Never mind having to then prepare it for a new owner if you decide to give it away or donate it to charity. However, with this computer, uncharacteristically, I somehow managed to accomplish these tasks relatively quickly and passed it on to my mother, who had finally decided she was ready to take her first steps into the world of computing.

I trundled along with my third computer for about seven or eight years, before it too began to conk out. Unfortunately, getting rid of it did not proceed as expeditiously. I was in the final throes of another academic experience {{{shudder}}}, and hoped it would hold out long enough for me to complete my coursework, which it thankfully did. Incredibly, I still had one more academic requirement to complete, so I just did not have the time nor the fortitude right then, to go through the contortions of breaking this third computer down, in order to get rid of it. It would be two more years, before I could even contemplate that project and then, due to my floppy disk dilemma (see Diskard for the sordid details), possession was extended a tad longer.

And so, this is how I came to have three computers in the house, not a completely unreasonable scenario, at least for a Packrat, right . . .?

Gather

Nevertheless, the day finally came when I truly accepted that I did not need to have three computers, when one would do just fine, and had the time to do something about it. The CompuAdd, trusty little computer that it was, went first. Its 5.25" drive no longer worked so I really had no further reason to keep it any longer. I even managed to suppress a compulsive thought that there might be stuff on the hard drive that was possibly worth keeping, which would have only needlessly delayed the inevitable. I consoled myself by reasoning that if I had not looked at it or needed it by now, I probably wouldn't miss it! However, as a slight concession to myself, I decided to remove the hard drive before getting rid of the computer altogether.

And, let me tell you, I might just as well have been trying to break into a safe! Those CompuAdds were solidly built machines. Tightly screwed (like lug nuts on a tire) and all but welded together. Once I managed to get inside the box, I had to figure out where the hard drive even was! It turned out to be tucked quite securely under the 3.5" floppy drive bay, which also had to be removed in order to get at the hard drive. All told, it took several hours to figure all this out, get everything apart so I could do the extraction and then put it back together. I very nearly gave up, especially since the computer drop was the next day. But you know what I always say . . . I am nothing if not persistent and at last the deed was done. Several months later, I repeated this drill with the other computer. Thankfully, getting the hard drive out of this one was much, much easier. Undoing one screw here, pressing a couple of release tabs there and POP! Instant access inside the box. And this time, the hard drive bay was not buried under some other component, but was instead easily spotted and also easily released by undoing one or two screws and pushing on a couple of tabs.

Remove

The computer and its related equipment will probably be some of the easiest stuff you'll ever get rid compared to other treasures you might accumulate over the years.

For one thing, relatively speaking, the tech industry is way ahead of manufacturers from other industries in incorporating "take backs" into their business practices. By that, I mean they have specific and explicit policies to facilitate the consumer's ability to properly dispose of their used or unwanted electronic gizmos, but more importantly, this information is readily communicated to the consumer at some point during the acquisition process or ownership phase. For example, printer cartridges. Within the packaging of the new cartridge, my printer manufacturer includes instructions along with a postage-paid return envelope for sending back the old one. Imagine being able to do the same with a pair of shoes or sneakers...an ironing board...? Anyway, you can check out the EPA's Plug-in Partners page for a listing of companies who have such a program in place.

Also, a variety of organizations have sprung up that either sponsor electronics drops, will pick up, or to whom you can send your old equipment for refurbishment or proper disposal. GreenDisk is one such organization that I've previously talked about and actually used (also discussed in Diskard). GreenCitizen, (I haven't used them) based in California is another. Every so often, the Lower East Side Ecology Center in NYC among other activities, sponsors electronics drops. Earth 911 is another excellent resource for finding out how and where various items, including electronics, can be recycled nation wide.

To dispose of each of my computers, I took advantage of one of the municipal electronics drops, which are scheduled from time to time by the city. Both times that I dropped my computers off, I found it extremely easy, convenient and well-organized. They were held in locations to which you can drive your car if you choose. Once there, personnel then direct you to the particular spot where they will unload the stuff from your car, after which they point you in the direction to exit the area. Each time, I was on my way in less than 5 or 10 minutes. In fact, the hardest part was getting the stuff down from my apartment and into the car, beforehand.

Really, I can't see any good reason not to take advantage of the available opportunities to get rid of this type of stuff. Also, while putting the finishing touches on this week's post I discovered that Staples just announced a massive takeback program. There's a press release at the Earth 911 site, here.

So, there you have it. What are you waiting for!

GreenDisk

Last week in The Diskard entry I described my difficult, but ultimate triumph in disposing of an accumulation of 5.25" floppy diskettes, and advised that this was part of my multi-faceted Electronics Discard Project (EDP), discussed in Digital Spring Cleaning. For The Diskard's "Removal step I used Green Disk, which turned out to be a really easy solution! Just the way I like them!

According to their website, "GreenDisk began on April 22, 1993 (Earth Day!) . . . [and] was founded by high tech industry veterans who had a particular passion for the environment." I had actually first heard of them many years ago through a professional list serve I subscribe to. Someone on the list asked if anyone knew of an environmentally friendly way to dispose of disks and CD's, and Green Disk was suggested. Packrat that I am, I tucked this bit of information away for future reference. Once I decided it was time to finally get rid of these floppies, I untucked it and decided to give GreenDisk a try. You see! Hoarding can have its advantages!

Through a series of partnerships with both for-profit businesses and non-profit agencies GreenDisk takes advantage of existing recycling centers to process what they call "technotrash". This arrangement also provides employment opportunities for disabled adults. Certain of the refurbished "technotrash" items are sold as GreenDisk's branded line of office supplies. Those items that cannot be refurbished are dismantled and properly disposed of, and they will provide a certificate to that effect. Everyone wins!

There is a fee to take this stuff off your hands (varies depending on the service you use), but for me, this was well worth it. Another great thing about GreenDisk is that they handle both small (30 lbs or less) and large amounts (over 300 lbs) of technotrash, so this deklutter solution is one that is suitable for both individuals as well as businesses. They accept quite a wide variety of electronic refuse:

desktops

laptops

monitors

printers

CDs

DVDs

videotapes

cell phones and other PDA equipment

but this list represents just a smidgeon of it. For a complete list visit their FAQ.

I used the Technotrash Pack-It service, although there are other service options available: Technotrash Can and the Computer and Component Recycling Program. With the Technotrash Pack-It service you use your own box and fill it with up to 20 lbs worth of whatever technotrash you can fit into it. At this writing the cost was $6.95 plus you have to pay for shipping. Anything over 20 lbs will costs 0.30¢ per additional pound. It took mere moments to set up an account. Placing my order and the final checkout process was also a breeze. The mailing label was included as a .PDF attachment to the order confirmation sent via email. Regular users of their services can manage their account and product orders through the site.

The Technotrash Pack-It service is good for small amounts of such items as floppies, DVDs, CDs, mice, cell phones, PDAs. Smaller, computer-related stuff like that. For larger volumes of this type of trash, you should use the "Technotrash Can" service. Various box sizes and pricing are available, however all the ins and outs are clearly spelled out at their site.

For computer components like monitors, printers, laptops, or complete desktop systems, they require you to use the Computer Component Recycling Program. If you or your business has unique needs, you can contact them to arrange a solution tailored to your particular situation. Note: "Technotrash Can Service is available only in the 48 contiguous states. Service is not available in Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, or outside North America."

I packed up my floppies and just for the heck of it, tossed in a bunch of promotional CDs that I had (such as might be received from a certain internet and email service provider that starts with an Amer...?). I took the box to the post-office in order to weigh it on the self-service scale. It came to a little over 9 lbs. Later, I placed my order and printed out the label, then went back to the post-office to mail it. I used US Postal Service Media Mail, however you can choose whatever shipping method you like (e.g. UPS, FedEx or whatever). A week later, I received a Certificate of Destruction, which GreenDisk states is a bonded guarantee that the intellectual property and all of the physical materials were disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner.

And that was that! Diskard Mission accomplished!

The Diskard

The Diskard was one facet of my overall Electronics Discard Project (EDP), which I alluded to in the Digital Spring Cleaning entry last week.

Identify

Somehow, I had managed to accumulate about 13 boxes of 5.25" diskettes. Each box held or was capable of holding about ten diskettes, twenty with a little shameless cramming. I also had a number of what I think were never used, blank diskettes that my father had given me at some point. For those of you who may not be getting the picture (or don't want to face it), let me spell it out:

I HAD AMASSED A COLLECTION OF NEARLY 300 5.25" FLOPPY DISKETTES!

And, as some of you may also be very well aware, 5.25" diskettes are definitely a storage media of the past. For the less technologically savvy among you, in computer years, think of them as dinosaurs! So you know they weren't really serving any useful purpose other than to collect dust and take up space on a shelf in my apartment!

Why didn't I just toss them and be done with it!? Even with the length of time those diskettes had to have been sitting there, I still thought there might be some useful data worth preserving (Well, you never know!). My plan was to take a quick look at them, copy any files I wanted to keep over to 3.5" diskettes so that I could access them on my current computer, and delete the rest. Easy enough, right?!

Well that part of my plan proved to be a huge stumbling block on my DeKluttering Path. One of the three computers I had been harboring in my small abode (another facet of the EDP to be discussed in a future post) had both a 5.25" and 3.5" disk drive. Ordinarily it would have been just the ticket, however, its 5.25" drive was not working properly, and I never dreamed how difficult it would be to find a comparable set-up. Actually, finding a 5.25" drive wasn't even the main problem. There are plenty to be found on eBay! I even went to the trouble of setting up an eBay account in the hopes of successfully bidding for one! The true predicament became figuring out which one of the hundreds of such drives available would be compatible with the other computer system I had, which could accommodate a 5.25" drive, and then to somehow figure out how to install it correctly.

The only other solution, with which I occasionally flirted, was to purchase yet another system with the requisite floppy drives (also available on eBay), but that just seemed like waaaay too much trouble. It also involved bringing another computer into a house which already had too many of them, rather than getting rid of one. Basically, to my mind, a big step backwards!

Gather

However, I am nothing if not persistent. I finally thought to contact a cousin who troubleshoots and repairs computers and posed my problem to him. He was able to scavenge up a system for me, but more importantly, one that I could use at his house, rather than mine! But, I wasn't quite out of the woods yet! Both of us have busy schedules so it took a while for us to hook up. In the meanwhile, I got everything organized into a shopping bag and set it aside until we were finally able to get together.

<<--l-->>

Many of the diskettes were unreadable. It is very likely that over time they had simply gone bad. Also, another techy friend of mine advised that 5.25" drives can be finicky and may fail to read perfectly good diskettes. Oh well! I did the best I could, under the circumstances, and more or less accomplished my goal of copying some stuff, deleting other stuff, and finally determining what could be trashed. It ended up taking eight or nine hours, but I was determined and my inner Packrat was appeased. Plus, my cousin and I also had a really great time, just shooting the breeze while I did it.

I could now proceed to the "Remove" step of the DeKlutter drill. Thanks Julio!!!

Next up! My floppy diskette exit strategy: Green Disk!

Digital Spring Cleaning

After several weeks absence I am happy to get back to twigg hugger! March and April were unusually busy months for me. As a result, I confess to having experienced a bit of Deklutter-er's Block, that is, a state where decluttering activity slows down or just plain comes to a halt.

I am now pleased to report that I finally was able to complete several phases of a long term and multi-faceted Electronics Dekluttering Project (EDP), which I will discuss more fully in upcoming entries. My EDP involved the disposal of a many year's accumulation of the following

Hardware

• two computers
• a dot-matrix printer
• external CD-ROM drive
• scanner
• set of speakers and sub-woofer

Software

• old DOS based computer games
• along with other DOS based applications

Various other electronic accessories

• old used and unused 5.25" floppy disks
• computer software and hardware manuals
• a Unix-based email account!

Mmm hmmm! As you can see the tenacity of my Inner PackRat is phenomenal! But I was committed to disposing of this stuff in as responsible a manner as I could in spite of some of the challenges this presented.

I am nothing if not persistent, so stay tuned!

Fabric Free

Many years ago, one of my hobbies was sewing. I used to subscribe to several sewing magazines and through them discovered fabric clubs. I ended up joining three of them! Each month I would receive swatches in the mail. Of course, I drooled over those samples while visions of garments I would sew myself, danced in my head! I guess you can see where this is heading, right?

Although I had accumulated quite a bit of fabric, alas, I never quite got around to actually sewing anything with it (I even kept those little swatches! Yup! Discovered a whole shoebox of 'em while I was poking around a closet. Well, they were perfectly good! How could I possibly throw them away...?!!)

Identify

While I do hope to get back to sewing one day, for now that won't be happening, so I finally faced up to the fact that it was time to find the fabric a new home. I threw the phrase "donate fabric" into the search engine to see what would turn up. One possibility that presented itself was quilting groups or non-profit organizations looking for fabric to make blankets on behalf of various constituencies (e.g. children who are going through difficult times whether due to illness or family issues (e.g. Project Linus, IPump.org, Inc.). Another possibility, which had not occurred to me, were animal rescue organizations. I discovered that many sponsor Cage Comforter Programs. Volunteers make little quilts or blankets for the animals they shelter while they await adoption. Apparently the blankets are comforting and are much more attractive to potential new owners, then shredded newspaper.

However, I decided to donate my fabric to Materials for the Arts (MFTA), a "materials exchange" organization, NOT to be confused with an exchange or swap site, which I discussed previously (see The Exchange Game). Materials exchanges are organizations (often non-profit) that collect donations of various types of excess materials from businesses and/or individuals. Others can then purchase these materials for a much lower price than they would ordinarily cost. In the case of MFTA, purchase is restricted to NYC Department of Education art teachers, government agencies and not-for-profit arts and cultural groups, social service, health, and environmental organizations that have an ongoing art program. However, other materials exchanges may have different stipulations. Some other materials exchanges that I came across during my internet wanderings were Materials Exchange Center for Community Arts Home in Eugene, Oregon, Scrapbox in Ann Arbor, MI and St. Louis Teachers' Recycle Center, Inc. in Missouri, but that is by no means an exhaustive list. Check out MFTA's resource page for more possibilities in the NY tri-state area. The Find Reuse directory at Redo.org is another handy tool for locating such organizations in other parts of the country.

Gather

Once I had some idea of where the fabric was going (i.e. my Exit Strategy), I dragged a stepladder over to the closet where I had it stashed, waaaaay up on a top shelf, and pulled it all out so I could see exactly what I had. I guestimated the value as best I could and made a list describing the type of fabric, the color or pattern and its yardage.

I have to admit this did set off a bit of a Klutter Krisis, until I got all the details finalized. I had to register as a donor at the MFTA site, submit a list of the items I was donating via their online donation form and then wait for someone to contact me to confirm whether my donation would be accepted. In the meanwhile, I tried to minimize the disruption as much as possible by keeping everything neatly organized in shopping bags until the final removal.

Remove

Fortunately, somebody contacted me by phone within a day or so and thankfully MFTA was more than happy to accept the donation. A drawback is MFTA will only pick up items that weigh at least 250 lbs and/or have an estimated monetary value of $1,000. Otherwise, you will need to drop it off personally at their warehouse or mail it to them. This is what I ended up doing, since their drop-off hours were very limited (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9AM and 3PM).

Once I got the final go ahead, I spent an afternoon getting everything packed up and ready to go. I should have been doing schoolwork, but that's another story. Plus this was far more enjoyable. I was reducing clutter and knew it would be going towards a great cause! Since then I have received several acknowledgements (including a reciept for tax purposes), both from MFTA as well as the ultimate recipient, a visual arts teacher working at a public school through Studio in a School, which places professional artists in public schools throughout NYC's five boroughs.

<<--I-->>

By providing a relatively inexpensive source of arts and other supplies, materials exchanges enable teachers and organizations to deliver services or provide programs that enrich their communities educationally, artistically and culturally (check out MFTA's recipient list). They also help to divert huge quantities of materials that would otherwise end up in the landfills.

Voila! A personally satisfying and eco-friendly solution for reducing clutter!

Alright, alright! So, what if I did keep a few pieces of the fabric. Releasing one's inner Packrat doesn't happen over night, you know!