Representantes de empresas multinacionais da indústria alimentícia e de produtos para casa anunciaram, durante o Fórum Econômico Mundial de Davos, a promessa de reduzir os resíduos plásticos até 2030. Para atingir esse objetivo, as companhias começarão a testar em 2019 uma nova maneira de consumo, trazendo de volta as embalagens retornáveis. Entre as empresas que se comprometeram com a meta estão: Coca-Cola, Pepsico, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Nestlé, Danone, Mars Petcare e Mondeléz International.

TerraCycle, a Trenton-based company that specializes in finding uses for hard-to-recycle waste, is trying to remove trash from the equation altogether with a new program called “The Loop.” It’s a more advanced take on the old “milkman” idea, in which products are delivered and empty containers returned to be re-used. The Loop delivers products like toothpaste, detergent, and mayonnaise to consumers’ homes via UPS. But instead of being in their usual disposable packaging, Loop products are in re-usable containers. And the deliveries come not in a cardboard shipping box, but in a re-usable tote. When customers are done with the product, they put the empty container back in the tote and leave it on their doorstep for shipment back to TerraCycle, which sends the customer a replacement product right away. In some cases, customers can take empties back to a store instead of shipping.   The consumer also pays a small deposit for the sturdy container, which they get back if they choose not to have it refilled. TerraCycle is partnering in the experimental program with brands like Tide, Crest, Pantene, Axe, Dove, and others. Major manufacturers of consumer products, such as Unilever, are looking at the Loop as an experiment to see whether consumers will buy in to the idea.   The pilot program is launching in northern France and the New York area, including parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, this May. The company plans to expand to other cities beginning later in 2019. To sign up and shop for an initial list of 300 products, visit www.loopstore.com. TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky discussed the Loop at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this month. “As a response to the global challenge in managing waste and the opportunity to improve consumers’ experience, a group of committed global brands, retailers, and infrastructure companies, along with the World Economic Forum have come together to create a new way to more responsibly consume products,” Szaky said. “Loop will not just eliminate the idea of packaging waste, but greatly improve the product experience and the convenience in how we shop. Through Loop, consumers can now responsibly consume products in specially designed durable, reusable, or fully recyclable packaging made from materials like alloys, glass, and engineered plastics. When a consumer returns the packaging, it is refilled, or the content is reused or recycled through groundbreaking technology.” Terracycle says the Loop relies on technology developed by TerraCycle and its partners. The program is managed by TerraCycle. To participate, partner companies had to pay TerraCycle and also invent new types of container, aiming to meet TerraCycle’s goal of surviving at least 100 uses. One of the more advanced containers is Haagen-Dazs’ cream cooler, which can keep ice cream frozen for a day and a half. Although the Loop is currently a standalone website, Szaky hopes to integrate it into Amazon and get it onto store shelves. Its overseas partners include the French grocery giant Carrefour and British chain Tesco.

Plastic in and of itself isn’t to blame for the world’s waste problem. Rather, it's the way we use it. Companies send products and packaging into the world that are designed to be disposable — used just once, then thrown away — and consumers demand the convenience, accessibility and price points of single-use plastic items. Everyday examples include consumer product packaging or consumables, such as food and beverage and household goods, and disposable and single-use products, such as cleaning pads, coffee capsules and eating utensils. E-commerce is made possible with plastic, and manufacturing logistics and operations have come to depend on it. Inexpensively made, disposable plastic offers consumers the ability to purchase, use and toss, instead of repair or reuse, and at a lower cost than their durable counterparts. As a result, people own more things than ever before and easily can replace them, allowing consumers to buy again and again and again.

One (use) and done

Disposability is favored over durability in the global economy because it drives consumption. Many disposable items are lightweighted (made with less material or out of plastic instead of metal or glass), supporting mass production and increasing profits for manufacturers. The trade-off is that most examples of lightweighted and disposable items are considered unrecyclable in most consumer programs. Every step away from durable, reusable materials towards plastics and multi-compositional pouches and films effectively has cut recyclability in half. Producer efforts to instate reclamation systems and collection schemes to supplement and invest in recycling have not been developed at a comparable rate.  

Disposability is favored over durability in the global economy because it drives consumption.

Even the ubiquitous water bottle, thrown away in the United States at a rate of 60 million plastic water bottles every day,  often ends up in the garbage despite being considered recyclable.   Thus, single-use items are at best captured by well-managed disposal systems of landfilling and incineration. The rest of it ends up as litter, polluting communities where people live and contaminating the natural world. This systematic tracking of human-made material — material that cannot be absorbed by nature — on a one-way path to disposal is where plastic becomes problematic.

Who pays the cost for disposable plastics?

The linear, take-make-dispose economic model has delivered profits, created jobs and met consumers’ desire for accessible, innovative and convenient products. But it is not sustainable. Developing economies with a lack of waste management are most deeply awash in trash. That we might see more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050 is old news in light of the recent United Nations report that says we only have 12 years to steer ourselves away from climate catastrophe. It is today’s consumers, not producers of these disposable items, who bear the brunt of this waste. Making their way into marine environments, plastics never fully degrade, leaching chemicals, releasing greenhouse gases and breaking down into microplastics, which are mistaken by animals for food and thus penetrate the human food chain and water supplies.

Material of value

But again, plastic isn’t the bogeyman. While its single-use, disposable configurations lend value to businesses externalizing the environmental, social and financial costs, it has infused immense value to industry as a whole — an enabler for the packaging, construction, transportation, health care and electronics sectors. The idea that plastic, or any material for that matter, is disposable is what is causing problems. Plastic was once considered an expensive material and used to produce high-value items. Prior to World War II, products were repaired and consumables refilled in durable containers through service models such as the milkman. By the time the war ended, a matured plastics industry was freed up to create a culture of consumerism and feed a new disposable economy.  

Plastic can be made for reuse and can exist in a circular economy, as can glass, treated paper, lab-grown leather and 3D-printed produce.

Waste and disposability has been around only a bit more than 70 years. Is the world ready to go back to reusable packaging? Consumers are used to the convenience and cost of disposable, single-use packages.   Bulk and refilling stations that use reusable plastic, stainless steel and glass containers either provided by the retailer or the consumer do exist today, and they work best when consumers are incentivized to use them with discounts and promotions. But business must be on board for such systems to work. Bottle bills and container deposit schemes provide evidence that reusable, returnable packaging configurations work to change the perception that resources are disposable. Today the 10 U.S. states with bottle bills boast a 70 percent average recycling rate, compared with an overall rate of 35 percent. The challenge is that bottle bills not only are not growing but declining due to pressure from industry.

The role of business: moving the needle

Moving away from disposability and towards durability is the key to reducing waste and designing a more sustainable economy. Industry holds this key. It is the role of business to be a reflection of the needs and desires of consumers, who want access to the quality products and services they trust and, while they are at it, want to do the right thing. Companies that understand this and are able to make it easy for consumers tap into an increasingly conscious consumer base and are poised to grow and profit by doing the opposite of their counterparts stuck in the linear economy. This shift is already taking place. The biggest consumer product companies in the world have taken the initiative to lead us into a circular economy by working with TerraCycle to develop the global, first-of-its-kind shopping system called Loop. Through this service, consumers can shop for iconic and trusted brands such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever, PepsiCo, the Clorox Company, The Body Shop, Preserve and more — redesigned to be smarter and waste-free. This model features durable, elegant packages owned by the brand, not the consumer, that deliver the world’s favorite products without sacrificing the convenience and affordability that make disposable products desirable, with the added value of delivery and refilling services. The aim is to make products even easier to buy and use, harkening back to the circular systems worked for us for millennia. Through Loop, consumers responsibly can consume products in specially designed durable, reusable or fully recyclable packaging made from materials such as alloys, glass and engineered plastics — plastics researched and developed to be life-resistant, beautiful and far from disposable — saving energy, resources and diverting pollution with every use. Changing perspectives around the value of our finite resources and the impact waste has on the planet can start with plastic. Plastic is valuable and worth capturing for recycling. It is useful and malleable enough to design for durability and certainly worth conserving. Plastic can be made for reuse and can exist in a circular economy, as can glass, treated paper, lab-grown leather and 3D-printed produce. Everything on this planet has value, even the human-made stuff. Consumers vote with their wallets every day for the future they want, and it’s up to companies and brands to spearhead the change they can buy into.

TerraCycle Founder and CEO Tom Szaky published his fourth book, “The Future of Packaging: From Linear to Circular,” which will be available starting Feb. 5. Additionally, Late July Snacks expanded its partnership with TerraCycle to offer free recycling for its entire snack product line.

Gavin was one of only 20 students in the United States selected to participate in Stanford’s inaugural China Scholars Program, an online course that is part of SPICE (Stanford Program on International and Cross-cultural Education). The Agnes Irwin senior is currently taking French V Honors and has earned distinctions on two national French contests. A passionate vegan, Gavin is a co-head of the upper school’s ECO board and co-founded the Sustainable Living Club. Last spring, Gavin was chosen by the AIS faculty for the George Washington University book prize for “a high school junior who embodies the George Washington drive and spirit, specifically with her academic excellence, leadership outside of the classroom, diversity of thought, and ability to put knowledge into action.” Gavin has participated in Model UN and served as an AIS tour guide to prospective families, especially for visiting Chinese families. She writes for Frenish, Agnes Irwin’s combination French/Spanish literary magazine. Q: Tell us a little about your trip to China last March on Agnes Irwin’s inaugural China exchange program, during which you and two other AIS students attended school and stayed with families in Chongqing, in addition to traveling to Beijing and Shanghai. What was the most memorable part of the trip? What was the most interesting thing you learned while over there? A: The China exchange program has been one of my favorite AIS experiences thus far. I became very close with my exchange student Zoe (张宇婷), and we still stay in contact via WeChat. Zoe’s family lives three hours from her high school, so she lives at school and typically sees her family once every two to three months. During the week, we attended classes while staying with one of Zoe’s classmates and her family, then traveled to Zoe’s family home for the weekend. My favorite part of the trip was the hospitality I received, not only from Zoe and her family, but also from her classmates and teachers. I also loved getting to see some of the essential Chinese landmarks — from Tiananmen Square in Beijing, to walking the Great Wall, to shopping in Shanghai, all of which allowed for me to have authentic interactions in the Chinese language. Q: What has been the most interesting thing you have learned through the China Scholars Program? A: During the China Scholars Program, I participated in several video conferences on a multitude of subjects, varying from the infamous one-child policy to pop culture. The subject I found most intriguing, however, was recycling in China. As an environmentalist and co-head of our school’s ECO board, I advocate for recycling, but I was never really sure what the process truly entailed. During the course, I learned about recycling farms in China where families, often with small children, perform brutal physical labor for a menial wage. The complicated process made me understand why it is so important, not only for the planet, but also for others, to reuse products as much as possible before recycling. Q: Tell us a little about the purpose of the Sustainable Living Club and some of its activities in promoting environmentally friendly initiatives and veganism. A: My greatest passion is environmentalism, specifically how diet affects the planet. After learning about the urgency of climate change, I was moved to join our school’s environmental board (ECO), which I now co-head. One of my goals this year was to establish a TerraCycle system in the school cafeterias, allowing students and faculty to recycle snack bags and drastically reducing the amount of garbage sent to the landfill. A second major focus is working with other area schools to collaborate on larger projects; we hope to participate in Earth Hour (a global movement where everyone turns off the lights for an hour to draw attention to global warming) and to organize a conference where we can talk about our ideas and help students interested in creating an environmental group at their own school do so. Although ECO does a lot, I felt like we could do more to raise awareness of the effects our everyday actions have on the planet. Thus, my friend and I created the Sustainable Living Club to promote small changes in day-to-day life — such as turning off the lights or going vegan — that will ultimately create a more environmentally friendly world. We work to promote vegan diets by fighting the negative stigma surrounding veganism. I seek to inform others about veganism, but I’m not militant about it. Most recently, we held a workshop during AIS’s CommUnity in Action Day where we talked about sustainable living with people interested in learning more. Q: What has been your favorite article that you have written for Frenish? A: I began taking French as a freshman at AIS. Since then, my language skills have progressed quite a bit. This summer, I spent a month in Rennes, France, as part of a language intensive program, attending classes at the University of Rennes 2 and completing a homestay. When I came home, my language skills had developed to the point that Agnes Irwin’s French program allowed me to skip French IV, and I am now in French V Honors. As a member of Frenish, I have had the opportunity to write articles on censorship in China, the “butter crisis” in France last fall and most recently on Michelle Obama, one of my personal role models. Q: What is your favorite course at Agnes Irwin, and why? A: My favorite AIS course is Chinese; I am now in Mandarin III Honors. The course not only immerses us in the language but also in Chinese culture as a whole. From learning and performing Tai Chi fan dance to eating moon cakes, we are always doing something new and fun that involves Chinese culture. The class is only four students, so we have become really close — since they’re juniors, I’ll miss them when I head off to college in the fall!

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Waste360, the leading information, event, commerce and education provider to the solid waste, recycling and organics communities, today unveiled its fourth annual 40 Under 40 awards list. The program recognizes inspiring and innovative professionals under the age of 40 whose work in the waste, recycling and organics industry has made a significant contribution to the industry. The winners are involved in every part of the waste and recycling industry, including haulers, municipalities, composters, recycling professionals, policymakers and product suppliers. "The 2019 class of Waste360 40 Under 40 awards winners is filled with today's young innovators, thinkers and doers in the waste and recycling industry. Their diverse body of work has changed processes, policies and moved our industry forward," said Mark Hickey, vice president of Waste360. “We received hundreds of inspiring nominations, which demonstrates that the future of our industry is bright. We look forward to celebrating with the winners at WasteExpo this spring.” The 2019 40 Under 40 awards winners (in alphabetical order by winner) are: Josh Bartlome, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Southern Idaho Solid Waste Kelly Bray, Waste Reduction and Recycling Specialist, ReCollect Systems Meghan R. Butler, Director, Corporate Development, Recology Inc. Chris Cochran, Executive Director, ReFED Daniel M. Dodd, Chief Technology Officer, Sierra Energy Melissa Filiaggi, Manager, Recycling, Maryland Environmental Service Mark Grillo, Chief Operating Officer, Medical Waste Management, Inc. Rob Hallenbeck, Manager Corporate Venturing, Technology Scouting, Waste Management Caitlin Hitt, Senior Director of National Accounts, RiverRoad Waste Solutions, Inc./Rubicon Global John F. Howard III, Crew Supervisor, DeKalb County Sanitation Sheri Hummel, Area Safety Director, Waste Management, Northern California-Nevada Aaron Johnson, Area Vice President, Eastern Canada, Waste Management Kristin Kinder, Director of Research and Waste Stream Sustainability, Wastequip Jason Knowles, Director, Vendor Relations, Enevo Christopher Lockwood, Divisional Vice President, Waste Pro USA Ricardo Lopez, Materials Recovery Facility Manager, GreenWaste Recovery Naomi Lue, Zero Waste Supervisor, Castro Valley Sanitary District Zach Martin, Vice President of Sales, North America, Big Truck Rental Nathan Mayer, Director of Land Management Services, Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County Doug McDonald, Eastern Region Controller, Waste Connections Amanda Mejia, Government Affairs Manager, Athens Services Jeff Meyers, Chief Operating Officer, The Recycling Partnership Jennifer Wells Milner, State Recycling Coordinator, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality James R. Mitchener, Marketing Manager, Waste Industries Daniel Moran, Senior Director Operations, Healthcare, Covanta Environmental Solutions Madelyn Morgan, Planner III, City of Austin, Austin Resource Recovery Jake Pack Jr., District Manager, WCA Waste Corporation Tania Ragland, Recycling Representative, Specialist in Food Recovery and Organics Diversion Programs, Republic Services Katie Raverty-Evans, Government Affairs Representative, Best Way Disposal Henry Retamal, Operations President, Wastequip Rebecca Rodriguez, Solid Waste Engineering Manager, Lee County Public Utilities Andrew Rumpke, East Area President, Rumpke Waste & Recycling Michelle A. Salas, President, Lady Green Miami Recycling Co. Meredith Sorensen, Strategic Communications Advisor, Harvest Energy Holdings, LLC Mike Stoeckigt, District Manager, State of Wisconsin, Advanced Disposal Services Tom Szaky, President and Chief Executive Officer, TerraCycle Travis Timmerman, National Accounts Manager, Mack Trucks, Inc. Srividhya Viswanathan, Senior Project Manager and Vice President, SCS Engineers Patrick Winters, Sales Manager, Winters Bros. Waste Systems Catherine (Kate) Wolff, President, CJD E-Cycling   Additionally, Dr. Matanya Benasher Horowitz, chief executive officer of AMP Robotics Corporation, has won the first Waste360 Innovator Award, which was created to recognize innovators and forward thinkers who often use technology to better the industry. Horowitz has used technology to help haulers, landfill operators and materials recovery facility operators reach their diversion and recovery goals. A panel of expert judges from Waste360 evaluated the nominations and consulted with an external advisor to select the finalists and winners. The winners will be honored during an awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 7 at WasteExpo, North America's largest solid waste, recycling and organics industry event, May 6-9, 2019, in Las Vegas. WasteExpo brings the key buyers and decision makers in the waste, recycling and organics industry together, making it the ideal place for Waste360 to recognize these rising stars. For more information and to register to attend WasteExpo, please visit WasteExpo.com.  

At the end of every school year, my kids' school supplies sit in their backpacks for a couple of months before eventually assimilating into our personal arsenal of craft supplies. By now, we have decent-sized bins of crayons, glue sticks, and markers — and probably about half of those markers are dried out and useless. And I'm willing to bet schools have the same problem, only on a much larger scale. So what's an eco-friendly-minded person to do? Well as it turns out, Crayola ColorCycle lets schools get rid of markers without just tossing them in the trash. According to Crayola's website, Crayola ColorCycle allows students in K-12 schools in the U.S. and Canada to collect and repurpose used Crayola markers. "ColorCycle is also a great opportunity for teachers and their students to explore eco-friendly practices," the website reads. "Specially developed standards-based lesson plans are available to enrich instruction and promote lively class discussions." In order to get the program started at their child's school, interested parents are instructed to follow four simple steps:

1. Talk to school administrators or the PTO about participating in the ColorCycle program.
2. Collect used markers in your school and count them all up.
3. Pack the markers you collected in a cardboard box and print out and attach a shipping label.
4. Then get FedEx Ground to pick up the markers — Crayola pays the shipping charges, so you don't have to worry about those

Voila! Those old, dried-out markers are repurposed into clean-burning fuel for cars and trucks. Pretty cool, huh? (Yes. The answer is yes.) And it's not just markers that you can help avoid taking up space in a landfill. According to Earth911, there is a much better place for your binders, pens, pencils, and highlighters than the landfill as well. TerraCycle — an international up-cycling company — has partnered with Staples for in-store binder recycling. Bring in that stack of used binders from years past, and for each one you'll get a $2 credit toward the purchase of a new binder. Your old binders will be up-cycled or recycled to create new products. According to Recycle Nation, TerraCycle also has a program called the Writing Instruments Brigade, in which pens, mechanical pencils, highlighters, and more are turned into plastic storage containers.

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Waste360, the leading information, event, commerce and education provider to the solid waste, recycling and organics communities, today unveiled its fourth annual 40 Under 40 awards list. The program recognizes inspiring and innovative professionals under the age of 40 whose work in the waste, recycling and organics industry has made a significant contribution to the industry. The winners are involved in every part of the waste and recycling industry, including haulers, municipalities, composters, recycling professionals, policymakers and product suppliers. The 2019 40 Under 40 awards winners (in alphabetical order by winner) are: "The 2019 class of Waste360 40 Under 40 awards winners is filled with today's young innovators, thinkers and doers in the waste and recycling industry. Their diverse body of work has changed processes, policies and moved our industry forward," said Mark Hickey, vice president of Waste360. “We received hundreds of inspiring nominations, which demonstrates that the future of our industry is bright. We look forward to celebrating with the winners at WasteExpo this spring.”

• Josh Bartlome, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Southern Idaho Solid Waste
• Kelly Bray, Waste Reduction and Recycling Specialist, ReCollect Systems
• Meghan R. Butler, Director, Corporate Development, Recology Inc.
• Chris Cochran, Executive Director, ReFED
• Daniel M. Dodd, Chief Technology Officer, Sierra Energy
• Melissa Filiaggi, Manager, Recycling, Maryland Environmental Service
• Mark Grillo, Chief Operating Officer, Medical Waste Management, Inc.
• Rob Hallenbeck, Manager Corporate Venturing, Technology Scouting, Waste Management
• Caitlin Hitt, Senior Director of National Accounts, RiverRoad Waste Solutions, Inc./Rubicon Global
• John F. Howard III, Crew Supervisor, DeKalb County Sanitation
• Sheri Hummel, Area Safety Director, Waste Management, Northern California-Nevada
• Aaron Johnson, Area Vice President, Eastern Canada, Waste Management
• Kristin Kinder, Director of Research and Waste Stream Sustainability, Wastequip
• Jason Knowles, Director, Vendor Relations, Enevo
• Christopher Lockwood, Divisional Vice President, Waste Pro USA
• Ricardo Lopez, Materials Recovery Facility Manager, GreenWaste Recovery
• Naomi Lue, Zero Waste Supervisor, Castro Valley Sanitary District
• Zach Martin, Vice President of Sales, North America, Big Truck Rental
• Nathan Mayer, Director of Land Management Services, Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County
• Doug McDonald, Eastern Region Controller, Waste Connections
• Amanda Mejia, Government Affairs Manager, Athens Services
• Jeff Meyers, Chief Operating Officer, The Recycling Partnership
• Jennifer Wells Milner, State Recycling Coordinator, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
• James R. Mitchener, Marketing Manager, Waste Industries
• Daniel Moran, Senior Director Operations, Healthcare, Covanta Environmental Solutions
• Madelyn Morgan, Planner III, City of Austin, Austin Resource Recovery
• Jake Pack Jr., District Manager, WCA Waste Corporation
• Tania Ragland, Recycling Representative, Specialist in Food Recovery and Organics Diversion Programs, Republic Services
• Katie Raverty-Evans, Government Affairs Representative, Best Way Disposal
• Henry Retamal, Operations President, Wastequip
• Rebecca Rodriguez, Solid Waste Engineering Manager, Lee County Public Utilities
• Andrew Rumpke, East Area President, Rumpke Waste & Recycling
• Michelle A. Salas, President, Lady Green Miami Recycling Co.
• Meredith Sorensen, Strategic Communications Advisor, Harvest Energy Holdings, LLC
• Mike Stoeckigt, District Manager, State of Wisconsin, Advanced Disposal Services
• Tom Szaky, President and Chief Executive Officer, TerraCycle
• Travis Timmerman, National Accounts Manager, Mack Trucks, Inc.
• Srividhya Viswanathan, Senior Project Manager and Vice President, SCS Engineers
• Patrick Winters, Sales Manager, Winters Bros. Waste Systems
• ·         Catherine (Kate) Wolff, President, CJD E-Cycling

Additionally, Dr. Matanya Benasher Horowitz, chief executive officer of AMP Robotics Corporation, has won the first Waste360 Innovator Award, which was created to recognize innovators and forward thinkers who often use technology to better the industry. Horowitz has used technology to help haulers, landfill operators and materials recovery facility operators reach their diversion and recovery goals. A panel of expert judges from Waste360 evaluated the nominations and consulted with an external advisor to select the finalists and winners. The winners will be honored during an awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 7 at WasteExpo, North America's largest solid waste, recycling and organics industry event, May 6-9, 2019, in Las Vegas. WasteExpo brings the key buyers and decision makers in the waste, recycling and organics industry together, making it the ideal place for Waste360 to recognize these rising stars. For more information and to register to attend WasteExpo, please visit WasteExpo.com.  

A UPS juntou-se à coligação das maiores empresas de produtos de consumo do mundo e à líder internacional de reciclagem TerraCycle para anunciar um sistema reutilizável e retornável para a gestão de embalagens de produtos de consumo.

All this talk of decluttering, tidying up, downsizing, living with less, minimalism -- whatever you call it, we're in an era of scaling back and reevaluating our belongings. But what about when you have kids? More specifically, how do you thin out your closets/attic/under bed when you're pregnant or planning on being pregnant with a second (third, fourth...) child? Most of us subscribe to the hand-me-down philosophy of reusing clothes and items from one child to the next. So, do you just keep everything? All 32 pairs of baby socks? The bouncy seat your first baby hated? What about the car seat? I'm going to help you answer those questions and more with this list of baby gear sorting suggestions of what to keep, what to donate, and what to throw away, recycle, or upcycle.

Prepping for Your Next Baby: Sort and Declutter Your Baby Stuff

Maternity clothes - KEEP most Just like you would do with your regular clothes, sort through your maternity stash. Considering your budget and means, you may not be able to get rid of items simply because they don't "spark joy," but at the very least, donate items you know you will not wear; mend or clean items you love that are ripped or stained; and for items that can't be donated or repaired, upcycle into kitchen/garage rags or recycle with a program like the fabrics and clothing box from Terracycle. Books - KEEP some Pregnancy books, birth books, parenting books, relationship books, baby books, kids' books. So. Many. Books. It's so easy to get attached to a collection of books. Often, the collection as a whole represents more than the feeling a particular book brings. When it comes to your reference books (pregnancy, parenting, etc.), keep those you think you will go back to for information or advice. I have lots of pregnancy books, but truly, there's only about two I referenced again and again. As for baby and kids' books, keep those that are sentimental or at least enjoyable/valuable and in decent shape. If any book is falling apart, missing pages, or chewed on, get rid of it. You may be able to recycle the book with your regular recycling bin. Call your recycling provider to find out for sure. If you have books in good condition that you don't want to keep, donate them to a local thrift store, library, coffee shop, or doctor's office. Baby/kid clothes - SORT In an ideal world, when your older child(ren) outgrew their clothes, you diligently boxed them away, labeled and sorted so that only the items in good condition were kept. Ahem. Reality check? Clothes tossed haphazardly at the top of your child's closet, in stacks falling over, good clothes, bad clothes, and everything in between. So give yourself some time and space and start sorting. Keep the items that are in good shape or those that you can clean or repair (and you actually will clean or repair). If you have 25 of the same size and item, like baby pants size 3-6 months, keep less than 10 of your favorites. Donate the rest (as long as they're in wearable/good shape). Clothing not repairable or wearable can be upcycled or recycled. Car seat - CHECK Car seats are vital to your child's safety, which is why it's vital to check the safety of your car seat before you reuse it. There are a few key things to check on a car seat before it's deemed safe. If a car seat has NOT been in a crash, is NOT expired, is NOT missing parts, has NOT been recalled, and the straps have NOT been cleaned with harsh chemicals like bleach, then it is safe to reuse, as long as the seat meets your child's height and weight needs. Learn more about reusing car seats. Carriers - CHECK, KEEP some If you ended up with a box-full of baby carriers, slings, and wraps, then it's a good idea to go through them and first, check for safety. Look for worn spots, rips, broken pieces/buckles. If they can safely be repaired, do so. If not, recycle or upcycle as necessary. Then, decide which carriers you want to keep for your next baby. Keeping between 1-3 carriers is reasonable, as certain carriers can be used more easily in different situations, and also, the carriers that worked best for your last baby may not for this baby. It's good to have a couple of options. Cribs and bassinets - CHECK, KEEP Baby beds aren't cheap! In most cases, it's a good idea to keep and reuse baby beds. Of course, the most important first step is to check your item for safety -- look for damage, structural wear/weakness, and search for any recalls. You can enter your item into this recall finder at Parents.com or in the CPSC database. Furniture - KEEP most Unless the furniture is being used by an older child, it's almost always a sound idea to keep it and reuse it! If there are pieces that are broken or not very functional, consider repair and donation if it's in your budget to buy different items. Pacifiers and nipples - TOSS/RECYCLE Pacifiers and bottle nipples are mostly made of silicone or rubber, both of which break down after time, use, and exposure to heat. It's best to toss these out and buy new for your next baby. Unfortunately, at the time of this post, I could not find a service that would recycle silicone at the consumer level. Bottles - KEEP Bottles can be safely reused after sterilizing. Of course, if you own 55 bottles, you might just want to consider paring down your collection. Do keep a variety of bottle types, however, as different babies seem to have their own preferences. Breast pump - CHECK Depending on the kind of breast pump you own, you can either safely reuse it with new tubing or not safely reuse it. Learn more with this quick explanation on Pumpables. Blankets, burp rags, bibs - KEEP some These items tend to get the messiest -- and stay that way. If you have loads, keep the ones that are in the best shape, and assign the rest to rags. For blankets, aim to keep at least five. For burp cloths, keep at least 10. And bibs, keep a variety in different sizes (drool bibs vs. food bibs). Stroller - KEEP Few people get rid of their strollers, and for good reason -- they're expensive and useful! Of course, it's important to check the function and safety of your stroller to make sure it's in good working order. You should also make sure it hasn't been recalled. Diaper bags - KEEP maybe Did you like your diaper bag? Is it still in good shape? Then keep it! Even if your diaper bag is dirty or the strap is broken, it can often be cleaned (with a little elbow grease) and repaired. If you're handy, you can easily repair a rip. If a piece is missing, look up the company and see if you can reorder. Or, take it to a purse/shoe/belt repair shop near you. If you plan on getting a new bag, clean up your old one and donate it to a shelter that serves parents and children. Cloth diapers - KEEP most One of the best advantages to cloth diapers is the ability to reuse them for future children! In most cases, cloth diapers can either cleaned, repaired, and reused. Towels and wash cloths - KEEP some I don't know about you, but I ended up with a boatload of baby towels and wash cloths. And they hardly ever got dirty or worn to the point of not being usable. So, go ahead and keep these items, but consider keeping only what you need, which is around 5 or less towels and wash cloths. Creams, lotions, ointments, soaps - TOSS mostly Most of these items have an expiration date. If you're having children close together, there's a chance your item will still be usable, but more often than not, it's expired. Throw it out, recycle or reuse the container, and buy new. Medicine - TOSS Most medicine expires within a year. Check the expiration, throw it out if it's beyond, or if the expiration date is not visible. Baby swing, bouncer, high chair, jumper - CHECK You never know what a baby will take to. In my experience, most babies have their "favorite" item. If you have multiple options for seating/entertainment, keep them. Of course, check for safety and recalls. Make sure straps are intact and the items are free from cracks and broken or loose pieces. Toys - CHECK, SORT Babies need very few toys. Parents often end up with way more than anyone needs or wants. Go through your old toys and keep a small sampling of the ones that are in the best shape and were "favorites." Look for any loose or broken parts, and recycle or throw away any toys that cannot be safely used by your child or donated to another child.