You have spent countless hours planning and making decisions about your upcoming kitchen or bath remodeling project. The contractor has been hired, the design is complete and the products have been selected. Now, you can sit back and watch it happen.

BUT WAIT! Do you have a plan for the disposal of the items to be removed?

Things that may no longer be of use to you may still have a lot of life in them. They may be very useful to someone else. The adage “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” could apply to the appliances, cabinets and fixtures you are about to part with.

The easy solution is to load everything in the big yellow Eldredge dumpster sitting in your yard, then wave goodbye as it heads towards the scrap yard. Much of the materials will be sorted and then recycled into other products. This is a good thing.

There are also many other ways to find a good home for that “old stuff ”. The Habitat for Humanity ReStore is one of the better known organizations that accepts donations of useable items in good condition. They sell the items to generate revenues to build Habitat Homes. You feel good that your “trash” is making someone else happy. And you may be able to claim a tax deduction. Don’t take your broken pieces of sheetrock to them, as they won’t take everything. Call or check online for items they will accept.

Don’t forget about the many other non-profit organizations in your communit, such as Goodwill Industries, schools, animal shelters, Red Cross, churches, etc. Someone may be in need of a couple of cabinets or a piece of countertop; used furniture in good condition; windows or doors.

Maybe you want to have a yard sale? There may be someone in your community whose house had a fire or water damage and could use a helping hand.