· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Junk Removal
Diverting usable items from disposal is worth doing and it has real limits. Donating something a charity cannot sell transfers your disposal cost to an organization with less money than you.
What charities generally accept
Furniture in sound, sellable condition, working appliances, tools, building materials, and clean clothing and household goods. Several Nashville organizations collect larger items.
They generally cannot take upholstered furniture with damage or odor, mattresses, cot-type baby equipment, or anything that needs repair.
The honest test
Would you buy it in that condition. If not, it is disposal rather than donation, and treating it as donation costs the charity money.
Stained upholstery, broken frames and non-working electronics all fall on the disposal side however good the intention.
- Sound furniture, working appliances, tools, building materials
- Not: damaged upholstery, mattresses, broken items
- Call ahead — acceptance policies change
- Book collections well in advance
- Metal and electronics have their own recycling routes
Recycling routes
Scrap metal merchants take appliances and metal furniture, often collecting free. Electronics have dedicated recycling drop-offs. Cardboard and clean packaging go in normal recycling.
Construction materials in good condition are accepted by reuse centers, which is a route people forget for doors, fixtures and timber.
Plan the sequence
Donations and recycling first, disposal last. Removing the divertible material before booking the truck reduces the volume you pay for, sometimes by a full pricing step.
Charity collections often need booking a week or two ahead, so start there rather than leaving it to the end.