Week 13 | Yard Junk | 52 Weeks to Downsize & Minimalize

Join Bella Organizing to downsize & minimalize yard junk and get the front, back, and side areas of your home looking good again. Keep reading to find tips and resources for getting yard junk reused, recycled, and even hauled away for free. Many of these resources are available throughout the USA.

What is Yard Junk?

Lumber scraps that have rotted and decayed
Wooden logs hanging around when you no longer camp or have a working fireplace
Broken sun umbrellas
Rusting patio furniture that has been through too many seasons
Outdoor toys no longer played with
Landcaping supplies that have gone unused
Fencing and chicken wire that serve no purpose
Dirty, empty pots and planters that snails call their home
Unknown objects hanging from trees that were once decorations
Broken outdoor holiday lights still strung along the house and fence
Bricks, cinderblocks, and other building and landscaping materials that have been laying around for too long with hopes that “someday they’ll be used”

What other yard debris are you ready to kick to the curb?

Resources for giving away and recycling yard junk

Resources for local yard junk pick-up services (be sure to read the details of what they DO and DO NOT pick up on their website.)

Many waste management companies offer residents one free, annual bulky waste pick-up in addition to your regular weekly trash/recycling pick up. Contact your local waste management company for details. Here are examples for Oakland and San Francisco.
Local trash haulers, such as 1-800-GOT-JUNK and Junk King (fee-based). There are LOTS of companies to choose from. Do an Internet search for “junk-hauling companies” near you.

Local SF BAY AREA companies and organizations that accept donations of various types of yard junk (you drop off):

Urban Ore (Berkeley)
San Pablo Flea Market (Oakland) No website, read their Yelp reviews.
SIMS metal & electronics recycling – including major appliances (Richmond, Hayward, Redwood City, San Jose)

SAFETY TIPS

Use heavy duty gloves and face masks when handling yard trash, as there can be nails and splinters in wood, mold, bugs, and other yucky stuff lingering on and under these things.
When giving away items online, there are inherent dangers of inviting strangers to your home. Always play it safe and take precautions.
There are many junk haulers who are not legitimate, law-abiding companies. Beware of local scams in which you pay a hauler who illegally dumps instead of dropping it off at a local city dump. You can be held accountable and fined if someone is discovered to have illegally dumped property that belongs to you, even after it is hauled away from your home or business.

Isabella Guajardo, founder and owner of Bella Organizing, is a San Francisco Bay Area professional organizer offering home organizing, interior redesign, and residential move management services throughout the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Call (510) 229-7321 or email info@bellaorganizing.com for more information. Gift certificates are available.

Follow our projects on: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Houzz

Counties we serve: