Stuff. We all have way too much of it. Springtime rolls around and we chase the last of the winter blues away by clearing out our houses only to fill them back up again by next spring.

We often have way too much stuff in our homes and we can do something about it. It is not about better organization but about looking at what we really need and then removing what we don’t need in our homes.

We often have things in our homes that we no longer want or need. This is a good place to start. Garage sales, donating them to thrift stores or other places is a great place to start in order to keep these items from just being thrown away into the landfill. If residents have items that are broken (and depending on what exactly it is), most items can be thrown away or we all have the choice to bring items that we want to throw away to the landfill ourselves. This is called self-hauling and yes, depending on what it is you are taking to the landfill, it will probably have a cost involved. Your waste (trash) hauler can also help you and are well versed on what can be thrown into the trash versus what cannot.

Yes, there are items that cannot be thrown away because it is against the law in Minnesota to do so. A list of these items can be found on the landfill’s webpage located at https://www.lyonco.org/departments/environmental/landfall. There are various reasons why these items should not be thrown away and the most devious of items that are thrown away are the rechargeable batteries. They are in most electronics, some greeting cards, rechargeable handheld tools and so forth. Rechargeable batteries can start fires if they are broken open and introduced to even the smallest amount of water. Rechargeable batteries should go to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility. Alkaline batteries should be thrown away into the trash.

Please do not throw non-recyclable items into curbside recycling or our drop sites. While a resident who does this thinks they may be saving money, in the long run, it costs all of us money because these items are pulled out at the transfer station in Redwood Falls and then hauled all the way back to the landfill outside of Lynd. We can only use our drop sites as well as our curbside carts for paper, cardboard and clean, empty food containers or personal care containers (shampoo bottles or laundry detergent containers).

If you see what appears to be the little recycling logo on a plastic item with a number in it, this is not meant to guide you on if that item is recyclable. Just about all plastic items whether they are recyclable or not, have this logo on it. Plastic items that are not an empty food container are trash only. This rule also applies to any kind of bag (pet food bags, plastic mulch bags, potting soil bags, shopping bags, etc.) If it is a bag, it should not be in recycling.

Rigid Styrofoam is the same. It should be brought either to the Household Hazardous Waste facility for free (it must be brought inside) or thrown into the trash. Styrofoam peanuts, thin film Styrofoam type materials or any other flexible foam is all trash.

If you are trying to downsize what you have in your home but are not ready to let something go or if you are not sure if you should keep it, place those items into a box and store it. Put a date on it and then make yourself a reminder. If you have not used anything out of the box in 6 months, then take the whole box to a thrift store. You could even make spring-cleaning a game with your family. Each week take seven things you no longer want or need and place them into a box or a location in your home that is out of the way. At the end of the month, take those 30-31 items to the appropriate place that is able to take them such as a thrift store, Household Hazardous Waste Facility, put them up for adoption on a Pay It Forward Facebook page or throw them away.

However, remember, now that you have those spaces in your home, resist trying to fill those empty spaces and instead enjoy them!

For more information about waste disposal or recycling, please call the Lyon County Environmental office at (507) 532-8210 or the Lyon County Landfill at (507) 865-4615. Information is also available on our website at www.lyonco.org.