We’ve turned our clocks ahead, the weather is warming up, the first day of spring is approaching, and taxes are due in a month – that means it is time for spring cleaning. For the National Association of Professional Organizers, this week is Clutter Awareness Week. Next month, when taxes are actually due, is Stress Awareness Month. The idea is, clean up your clutter, get organized, and then you will not have as much stress to deal with during Stress Awareness Month.
According to the National Association of Professional Organizers, being aware of clutter means more than just noticing it – it means getting rid of it. To that end, local NAPO chapters have been pairing with IKEA stores to encourage people to recycle their clutter. At IKEA’s Conshohocken, Pennsylvania store, last Saturday, professional organizers gave a presentation and answered questions about organization. At the same time, IKEA made shredders available to shred and recycle unwanted paper and documents, and Team Children collected old computers for recycling.
This Saturday, at the Draper, Utah IKEA store, the Salt Lake City chapter of NAPO is providing another organizing/recycling event: a free drop-off for documents, hazardous household chemicals, e-waste (such as computer components and cell phones), books, and other household items. Shredders will accept up to 10 banker boxes of documents per person. The Salt Lake Valley Health Department will collect hazardous household chemicals, such as paint, oil, antifreeze, and chemicals in original containers. The Health Department will also collect e-waste and car batteries. InQuo will collect computer hardware and disks, erasing any data they may still contain and donating the computers to families who cannot afford them. The Central Book Exchange will take books, offering in exchange a discount coupon that can be used in the store. And Deseret Industries will accept household items that are in good working order, with the exception of large appliances (such as refrigerators). After recycling their clutter, participants can relax
with refreshments provided by IKEA and by Franklin Covey (maker of planners and planner software).
Sources used:
“Free help to cut your clutter.” Salt Lake Tribune. March 17, 2010.
National Association of Professional Organizers. "Event calendar."