This story is titled “Junk B’ Gone,” but it’s not really trash we are talking about. Trash, the worn-out, broken-down, no-longer-functional kind, can be dumped at the curb without any twinges of guilt.
But what do you do in good conscience with the sort of stuff that you no longer can use or don’t want, but that still might have some life left to it? Things someone else might be able to use? Or things that you want to rid your house of but can’t, by law, put out at the curb or alley?
We all have these things in our homes, blocking the flow of feng shui energy like poured cement: the set of china dishes left to us by an aunt when she passed, the monumental mahogany bed head-board resting against the garage wall for the past five years, the funky old television set, the primitive computer, the cell phone the size of a small book.
Collectively it all creeps up on you and, before you know it, it barely leaves you room in which to turn around. Closets, garages and storage rooms begin to resemble second-hand stores.
You have no time for a garage sale? No chance of pawning it off on an unsuspecting relative? Not daring enough to dump it off at the curb in front of someone else’s house on trash pickup day?
Don’t worry. There are ways to get rid of it all and, sometimes, even feel good about doing a good deed in the process.
The Home&Garden staff investigated the give-away game and came up with the following list of sources that actually want your stuff and can find good homes for it.
(Editor’s note: Our list is not comprehensive. If you’d like to find other sources on your own, start by checking local social service agencies and charities in the phone book. An Internet search engine is another good vehicle for tracking down information. For an excellent source for ways to recycle specific products, see the Chicago Recycling Coalition, www.chicagorecycling.org.)
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Children’s oversize plastic vehicles, houses and furnishings; toys and furniture
Who wants it: Maryville Academy, a non-profit organization that provides care and support for children at risk through seven locations in the Chicago area. Warehouse is at 1150 N. River Rd., Des Plaines.
Restrictions: Items in good shape
Transport: Drop-off or pickup; call first.
Info: 847-294-1999
Perk: Tax-deductible.
Computer equipment, cell phones, pagers, iPods
Who wants it: Chicago’s Computers for Schools, part of the national non-profit Computers for Schools association, accepts computer equipment, which is refurbished and given to schools and other non-profits in the city and suburbs.
Restrictions: Accepts Macs and PCs with minimum 266 MHz speed processor, 15-inch monitors, laser printers. Other equipment accepted upon approval.
Transport: Drop-off at 3350 N. Kedzie Ave., dock 2.
Info: 800-939-6000; www.pcsforschools.org
Perk: Feel good; tax-deductible.
Bathtubs, sinks, hardware, lighting fixtures, tools, radiators
Who wants it: Chuck Marburger, manager of Olde Good Things, 1819 W. Grand Ave.
Restrictions: Interested in pre-WWII items, depending on quality and condition. Among bathtubs, for example, only claw-foot ones are wanted; those longer or shorter than the common 5 feet are best. Radiators must be old and ornate.
Transport: Call first. For large objects, e-mail digital photos and information to mail@oldegoodthings.com. If a buyer comes to inspect and a deal is made, transport can be arranged.
Info: 312-492-1485 or www.oldegoodthings.com.
Perk: $$$
Architectural artifacts
Who wants it: Architectural Artifacts, 4325 N. Ravenswood Ave.
Restrictions: Wants stained-glass windows, lighting fixtures, old doors, garden pieces, “anything and everything,” says owner Stuart Grannen.
Transport: Will pick up at no extra charge if it is what they want.
Info: 773-348-0622
Perks: $$$
Who wants it — Part 2: Island Girl Salvage, 160 Kelly St., Elk Grove Village
Restrictions: Interested in architectural and pre-1950s items, such as claw-foot tubs; pedestal sinks; pre-1950s cabinets; columns; stained-glass windows; hardware, such as door knobs, hinges, pulls, locks; exterior doors; lighting fixtures such as chandeliers, sconces, floor, radio and desk lamps; garden statues; benches; wrought-iron fencing, screens and andirons; mirrors; ornamental woodwork; metalwork; silver serving items; and decorative accessories. Payment depends on item’s age and condition.
Transport: Owners Tabitha Long and Liz Ross will come and pick up items at no charge.
Info: 847-593-2433. www.islandgirlsalvage.com
Perk: $
Who wants it — Part 3: Beau Kimball, owner of Kimball & Bean, 3606 S. Country Club Rd., Woodstock, a dealer in vintage items for the garden.
Restrictions: Wants old garden furniture, gates, fencing, garden planters. Will buy things that are in fragments and fix them, but wants people to check in first bringing heavy items in.
Transport: Kimball will come out and look, and if he wants it, pick it up.
Info: 815-444-9000.
Perk: $$
Who wants it — Part 4: Olde Good Things, 1819 W. Grand Ave.
Restrictions: Does not want anything new, but will take “old things, architectural things out of the house,” says Cathy Ditton, including windows, doors, tiles, fireplaces and furniture.
Transport: Will pick up at no extra charge.
Info: Call first; 312-735-3382.
Who wants it — Part 5: Salvage One, 1840 W. Hubbard St.
Restrictions: Into high-end architectural stuff, such as old wrought-iron fences, limestone planters, oak built-in cabinetry, hardwood flooring, old pedestal sinks, claw-foot tubs; avoids toilets less than 10 years old. Prefers salvage from demolitions, complete guts or remodels. Likes old solid wood doors from 1900 to 1940, with hardware to go, stained or leaded glass. Will pay for some things, but not a great amount.
Transport: Drop-off or pickup. Suggests sending digital images of items first. If they are interested, they will let you know and come out to look at the items, for no charge.
Info: E-mail photos to staff@salvageone.com. Call 312-733-0098 or visit www.salvageone.com.
Perk: $
Who wants it — Part 6: Junk Warehouse, 22N049 Pepper Rd. #4, Lake Barrington
Restrictions: Likes to make large purchases, i.e. truckloads of stuff. Likes to purchase what’s left from garage sales, flea markets. Does not purchase antiques.
Transport: Has a pickup service that charges $50 on up, depending on location, and where the furniture is located in the house, i.e. upstairs, etc.
Info: Send digital images first. Visit Web site www.junkwarehouseonline.com or e-mail junkwarehouse@yahoo.com for more information. Or call 847-382-4923.
Perk: Prefers donations, but will pay minimum after assessment of value.
Artwork — paintings, sculpture, silver, etc.
Who wants it: Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, 122 N. Aberdeen St.
Restrictions: Take digital photos and send them in for free estimates. Conducts marketplace auctions where they sell general stuff, even vintage clothing, Hindman says. “Name silver [Georg Jensen, etc.] is always worth something, but the market for 20th Century silver is depressed,” she says. “If you have someone in your family to give it to, you should.”
Transport: Seller responsible for getting item to the auction house, which will give you a list of recommended shippers.
Info: 312-280-1212
Perk: Possibility of $$$$
Artwork, silver, good dinnerware
Who wants it: M. Klein Auctions, 1400 N. Hubbard St.
Restrictions: Send in digital photos or bring in items for staff’s estimates. This house sells in the $500 to $100,000 range.
Transport: Seller responsible for shipping or bringing item in.
Info: 312-948-0080
Perk: Possibility of $$$
Blankets, towels and sheets (new or used)
Who wants it: PAWS Chicago, 3516 W. 26th St.
Restrictions: Wash items before donating
Transport: Drop-off (enter through side door on Drake Avenue).
Info: Lisa Dawson, adoption center director, 773-521-1408, ext. 237. www.pawschicago.org.
Who wants it — Part 2: Anti-Cruelty Society, 510 N. LaSalle St.
Restrictions: Wash items before donating
Transport: Drop-off
Info: 312-644-8338, www.anticruelty.org
Boats, cars — and about anything else
Who wants it: Salvation Army
Restrictions: Call at least a week ahead of time to schedule pickup.
Transport: Pickup within a week.
Info: 312-738-4367
Perk: You got rid of it and it’s tax deductible.
Books
Who wants it: Book Rescue, operated by SCARCE (School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education), 799 Roosevelt Rd., Building 2, Suite 108, Glen Ellyn.
Restrictions: Any books — college textbooks, hardcovers and paperbacks (fiction and non-fiction), encyclopedias.
Transport: Drop-off
Info: 630-545-9710, www.bookrescue.org
Perk: Tax-deductible
Who wants it — Part 2: Brandeis Book Sale
Restrictions: No books will be accepted after April 28 as this year’s sale is their last. No encyclopedias, textbooks, Readers Digest condensed, magazines, law books, damaged books.
Drop-off: A maximum of four boxes of books can be dropped off at: LaSalle Bank, 4747 Skokie Blvd., Skokie; Rick’s Auto Care, 1564 Old Skokie Rd., Highland Park; and Brandeis Used Book Warehouse, 1830 Johns Drive, Glenview (more than four boxes are accepted at this location).
Pickup: Minimum of 150 books in boxes.
Info: 847-724-9715; www.brandeisusedbooks.org
Perk: Tax-deductible
Who wants it — Part 3: Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St.
Restrictions: Accepts books all year for its annual fundraising sale — except July.
Transport: Drop-off
Info: 312-943-9090 or www.newberry.org
Perk: Tax-deductible
CD jewel cases
Who wants it: Earthology Records, environmental non-profit record label
Restrictions: Cases must be in good condition, no scratches, stickers, markings, cracks.
Transport: Mail to Earthology Records, c/o Craig Minowa, 46970 Tenquist Lane, Hinckley, MN 55037.
Info: 320-237-0432, www.earthology.net
Perk: Feel good
CDs, DVDs, videotapes, software and video games, some books
Who wants it: Eco Encore, a non-profit group that provides money for environmental non-profits in the Pacific Northwest.
Restrictions:
CDs: Retail version (not copies)
DVDs: Retail version (not copies)
Software and video games: Retail versions on CD with a license
Videos: Instructional, exercise, rare/old movies
Books: Art, self-help, spirituality/religion, history, law, recent textbooks, cookbooks, recent computer books. NOT: Mass-marketed novels, romance novels, mystery, travel guides, science fiction, almanacs, dictionaries, books in very poor condition, textbooks older than 10 years, software manuals, best-selling books. No heavy books.
Transport: Mail in
Info: www.ecoencore.org
Cell phones and accessories, including batteries; PDAs; pagers
(Also see “Computer equipment”)
Who wants it: WirelessRecycling.com, a worldwide collection program that refurbishes and/or resells equipment as is. WirelessRecycling keeps a small portion of proceeds; remainder goes to donor’s specified charity.
Restrictions: None
Transport: Drop-off or ship.
Info: www.wirelessrecycling.com
Who wants it — Part 2: Recycle My Cell Phone, a project of Earthworks, a non-profit environmental group, and CollectiveGood, a mobile phone-recycling resource.
Restrictions: None.
Transport: Mail or drop off at local sites. Print out postage-paid label from the Web site or drop off at local Staples stores.
Info: www.recyclemycellphone.org; 202-887-1872.
Perk: Tax-deductible.
China dinnerware (sets)
Who wants it: Replacements, Ltd.
Restrictions: Call and tell them what you have; they will mail a reply. Estimate is free. Purchase price will be contingent on condition — no chips or cracks — and on rarity of maker and pattern.
Transport: Seller responsible for shipping.
Info: 800-737-5223
Perk: Possibility of $$$ and you have made someone else happy.
Christmas decorations
Who wants it: Salvation Army
Restrictions: Aluminum Christmas trees, Christmas decorations, collectibles and more — must be in reusable condition.
Transport: Drop-off sites throughout Chicago; call for pickup.
Info: 888-574-2587, www.usc.salvationarmy.org
Perk: May be eligible for tax deduction.
Comic books
Who wants it: Chicago Comics, 3244 N. Clark St.; Variety Comics, 4602 N. Western Ave.
Restrictions: Need general idea of how old your comics are. Chicago Comics is only interested in comics from before 1965 or key issues, such as when well-known heroes make their first appearance. Variety Comics will consider comic books that are at least 10 years old.
Transport: Call first.
Info: Chicago Comics, 773-528-1983, www.chicagocomics.com; Variety Comic Book Store, 773-334-2550.
Perks: $$$
Computer equipment, monitors, peripherals, digital cameras, etc.
Who wants it: National Cristina Foundation, a not-for-profit clearinghouse for computer reuse that partners with a network of local not-for-profits, schools, public agencies. Provides computers to disadvantaged and disabled people and students
Restrictions: Good working equipment only. Age of equipment determines if it will be accepted. See requirements for Macs and PCs at www.cristina.org
Transport: NCF matches equipment to its partner organizations in the area where the donated equipment is located. Based on that, equipment may be picked up or dropped off or shipped.
Info: www.cristina.org
Perk: Feel good; receipt for fair market value that may be eligible for tax deduction
Furniture and just about anything else
Who wants it: 1-800-Got-Junk?
Restrictions: Will take anything that is not hazardous. Will take large items to donate to charity. Prefers things in good condition, but if in poor condition, will take to a recycler. Charge is by truck volume. Average charge in Chicago is $98 to $139 for a large piece of furniture.
Transport: Pickup
Info: 1-800-Got-Junk (1-800-468-5865)
Furniture, platform beds and cool stuff
Who wants it: Brown Elephant resale shops
Restrictions: Check list of what they will accept on donation page of www.howardbrown.org.
Transport: Schedule pickup online. Need to bring smaller items in to one of four stores: 217 Harrison St., Oak Park; 3651 N. Halsted St.; 5404 N. Clark St.; and 1459 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Info: 773-549-5943
Perk: You got rid of it, and it may be tax deductible.
Furniture, housewares, clothing, electronics, anything in good condition.
Who wants it: White Elephant resale shop, bring smaller things into the shop, 2380 N. Lincoln Ave.
Restrictions: Stuff needs to be in good condition.
Transport: Call well ahead for pickup. Or drop off at shop.
Info: 773-549-5943
Perk: You got rid of it and did a good deed. Tax write-off.
Household hazardous waste
(Oil-based paints, turpentine/thinners/solvents, gasoline, motor oil, pesticides, herbicides, etc.)
Who wants it: Environmental Protection Agency
Restrictions: Bring waste in intact containers with a good lid. Be careful that the container remains upright during transport, placed in the trunk, not the passenger area. Also make sure that the vehicle is well-ventilated.
Transport: Drop-off at collections that are held in the spring and fall (for fall dates, visit www.epa.state.il.us). Spring collection dates are:
April 22: College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, Parking Lot P.
May 6: Maine East High School, 2601 W. Dempster St., Park Ridge.
May 20: Goose Island, 1150 N. North Branch St.
June 10: Proviso West High School, 4701 W. Harrison St., Hillside, Student Parking Lot.
Info: For hours, call 217-785-8604 or visit www.epa.state.il.us.
Paintings, sculpture, artwork, dinnerware, furniture, any of the decorative arts
Who wants it: Susanin’s auction house, 900 S. Clinton St.
Restrictions: E-mail photos of what you want to sell. Or go to a free appraisal day offered by someone who really knows. Will place all lots on eBay for clients with no added charge.
Transport: Walk it in if not too big, or ship it once accepted for consignment.
Info: 312-832-9800
Perk: Possibility of $$$$
Records (vinyl, 33 1/3 and 78)
Who wants it: Used record stores (check the Yellow Pages or Internet).
Restrictions: Stores will buy only what they can sell, and although “just about everybody thinks that their collections are collectible,” the vast majority aren’t, says Jason Hoffman, assistant manager of Dr. Wax in Evanston. Generally, big hits are least desired, but there are many variables. Some stores specialize: Beverly Rare Records is particularly interested in rhythm and blues, Northern soul and early 1950s rock ‘n’ roll; Jazz Record Mart specializes in jazz, including big-band records. Hoffman says the market is weakest for most classical music and opera. Prices paid may range from a quarter up, depending on what a store thinks the record could sell for. Most stores also buy CDs.
Tips: Check eBay, other Internet sources or price guides at the library to get an idea of what you have before approaching stores. If you have a large collection that suits a store’s specialty, buyers may come check it out; otherwise, call the store and see if they sound interested before bringing records in. Rejects can go to thrift stores or rummage sales.
Info: Dr. Wax, 1615 Sherman Ave., Evanston, 847-475-8848; Beverly Rare Records, 11612 S. Western Ave., 773-779-0066 or www.beverlyrecords.com; Jazz Record Mart, 25 E. Illinois St., 312-222-1467 or www.jazzmart.com.
Rugs, carpet remnants, old pillows
Who wants it: Felines Inc., a no-kill, cageless shelter for cats at 6379 N. Paulina Ave.
Restrictions: Must fit inside a washing machine.
How: Drop off items 12:30 to 6 p.m. daily.
Info: 773-465-4132, www.felinesinc.org
Silver
Who wants it: Rod Tinkler, The Silver Vault, P.O. Box 911, Woodstock, IL 60098-0911
Restrictions: On consignment, commission is 20 percent to 30 percent. “First step is just call and talk. If it is major stuff we will come out and see. We have to touch, feel and inspect it. Don’t spend time cleaning it,” Tinkler says, “as more damage is done by trying to take the black off silver. If it is minor stuff, a photo suffices. Charges for inspection: $150 per hour.
Transport: Call or e-mail first.
Info: 815-337-3990 or e-mail silvervault@earthlink.net.
Perk: Possibility of $$.
Stuffed animals
Who wants it: Children’s Advocacy Center, 640 Illinois Blvd., Hoffman Estates, a non-profit organization that helps abused children.
Restrictions: Takes new or gently used stuffed animals; call before dropping off to see what their current needs are.
Transport: Drop-off
Info: 847-885-0100
Perk: Tax-deductible.
Videotapes, audio tapes, floppy disks,
compact disks, DVDs and plastic jewel cases and more
Who: Alternative Community Training (ACT), a non-profit work training and social-service agency in Columbia, Mo.
Restrictions: None
Transport: Mail in
Info: 800-359-4607, www.actrecycling.org/donations/howtodonate.asp (donor form and tax information on Web site).
Perk: Feel good; may be eligible for tax deduction.
Just about anything
Who wants it: Craigs List, an online community of local classified ads where you can place free postings to sell or give away everything from furniture to accessories. It is an international Web site with city-specific portals, so once you go there, you must select the city you are looking for.
Restrictions: None.
Tips: Furniture tends to go quickly. People can barter and recycle.
Info: http://chicago.craigslist.org
Perk: You have options — trade, barter, recycle, get rid of it, might even be able to sell it.
Who wants it — Part 2: Christopher House, a non-profit social service agency helping children and their families in need, 2507 N. Greenview Ave., 773-472-1083.
Restrictions: Miscellaneous household items, children’s and adult’s clothing for program use and community giveaway.
Transport: Dropoff
Info: 773-472-1083, www.christopherhouse.org
Perk: Tax-deductible
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