Were you bombarded with mail order catalogs this holiday season? One of my biggest ongoing challenges is managing the stack of paper that accumulates in the mail basket — which, truth be told, is overflowing to two additional stacks on the kitchen counter. The average consumer receives 41 pounds of junk mail annually, according to the group 41pounds.org, which will remove your name from dozens of organizations for a fee. Here are a couple of free measures you can take:
Go to www.optoutprescreen.com to have your name removed from the mailing lists used by the three major credit bureaus. It takes just a couple of minutes, and should reduce the number of credit card and insurance offers you receive.
Visit www.catalogchoice.org to cancel catalogs you no longer wish to receive.
Don’t forget to recycle the unwanted catalogs!
December 27, 2007
Curbside came this morning and took away our old paint cans, just like they promised. We got rid of 10 paint cans, 3 containers of insecticide and 2 old rechargable batteries, which fit perfectly in the bag they provided. It feels great to be rid of the toxic chemicals, and we also gained some shelf space in the garage!
August 1, 2006
We are in the process of ridding our garage and shed of old paint and solvent cans. We inherited quite a collection when we bought the house. Because the paint is old and the cans weren’t tightly sealed, we’ll need to dispose of it. It if were in better shape, we’d recycle it. (This site explains more and has a link you can click on to find out about paint recycling programs in your community.)
Arapahoe County uses a hazardous waste collection company called Curbside. It’s quite simple; they send you a big plastic bag to fill with stuff, and then they pick the bag up for you right at your door. Here in Centennial, Colorado, we are charged of co-payment of $20 for the service. Cans of old latex paint have to be thoroughly dried out, and I’ve discovered it’s not easy to find an undisturbed ”paint can drying” area with little kids running around! I’m also disappointed to learn that Curbside will not accept liquid mercury; I have four old thermostats that I’ve been hoarding since last winter when we replaced them with programmable models. The pick up is scheduled for Tuesday and I’ll report back on what we end up discarding; in the mean time, here’s one of the old cans that happens to be the previous color of the house’s exterior before we painted it:
July 30, 2006
