Subaru of America announced that it has recycled one million pieces of waste through the automaker's ongoing Subaru Loves the Earth recycling program, created in partnership with TerraCycle. "This milestone means a lot to us at Subaru because it reinforces our belief that loving the environment means more than loving the great outdoors," said Alan Bethke, senior vice president of marketing for Subaru of America, in a statement. "Through our partnership with TerraCycle, in less than a year, more than 540 participating Subaru retailers located across the country have recycled more than one million pieces of waste. This partnership allows Subaru owners and the communities that our retailers serve to actively participate in preserving the environment and making the world a better place." Utilizing TerraCycle's Zero Waste Box platform, participating Subaru retailers encouraged customers, employees and community partners to recycle waste streams that are commonly thought of as hard-to-recycle,including snack wrappers, disposable cups and lids, and coffee, tea and creamer capsules. In addition, Subaru emboldened customers to enhance their own commitment to sustainability by collecting these waste streams at their home or office and bringing them into a local participating Subaru retailer. The collected waste is then turned into useful, high-quality recycled products, like park benches, picnic tables and playground materials and donated to Subaru community partners. Subaru retailers also can view and order products made from the recycled materials through an exclusive Subaru product line, produced in conjunction with TerraCycle. "At TerraCycle, we are committed to ensuring that waste continues to be diverted away from landfills and local communities," said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO and a 2019 Waste360 40 Under 40 Awards recipient, in a statement. "Subaru not only shares that commitment but has taken it to the next level by spearheading a program that collects and recycles waste that they don't manufacture. Subaru is a model for other companies that want to give back and preserve the environment." The partnership with TerraCycle's Zero Waste Box program is part of the larger Subaru Loves the Earth initiative, which is dedicated to preserving the environment. The automaker's commitment to preservation is one part of the Subaru Love Promise.

Imagine going on vacation and walking on a beautiful, warm Caribbean beach. All seems serene and calm, until a huge patch of plastic waste is found, only for an endless amount of plastic water bottles, plastic bags, straws and other plastic waste to be found as further investigation is taken. Unfortunately, this tragic occurrence is a reality that has become increasingly common along the shores of the Caribbean islands. As stated by the British Broadcasting Company, the United Kingdom alone uses approximately 13 billion plastic water bottles each year, of which only over 3 billion are recycled. That leaves a whopping 10 billion plastic water bottles placed either directly into landfills or discarded as litter which affects local habitats. According to Marine Insight, people around the world throw away a total of 4 million tons of trash a day, of which 12.8 percent is plastic. This number adds up to approximately 186 million tons of plastic simply thrown away each year — a staggering amount of plastic that ends up in landfills and damages entire ecosystems. Unfortunately, the damage of plastic not only affects the Caribbean, but also our local beaches and other natural environments. Plastic water bottles, bags and straws are just a fraction of the waste that washes up on our shores. When asked how plastic affects local ecosystems around Rider,  Jordan Dreyer, a sophomore film, TV and radio major said, “Although it may not be thought of by everyone, the plastic that is thrown away ends up somewhere on earth. The pollution that plastic creates ends up destroying the habitats of the plants and animals around us, all of which are important in keeping the balance of the ecosystem.” While it does seem rather grim sometimes with the rapid increase of plastic waste around the world, there are a plethora of organizations that have been created to not only help recycle more plastic, but to make people more aware of the harmful effects of plastic. One of these organizations is RecycleMania, an eight-week competition with colleges from around the country who compete to see which institutions can to recycle the most. Rider’s very own office of sustainability is doing its part in this competition. When asked how people could become more conscientious with their plastic use, Brennan Zelenski, a junior accounting major, said, “People should be sure to recyclenot only their plastic water bottles, but their everyday items such as body wash and shampoo containers. If everyone were to encourage recycling, plastic pollution would not be as much of a problem as it is today.” Thankfully, Rider’s Office of Sustainability also works with local recycling company Terracycle. The Terracycle Beauty Brigade was implemented to take students’ empty beauty and shower products so they could be recycled and transformed into entirely new products, creating zero waste in the process. While plastic pollution is a problem that affects all of the earth, there are so many organizations doing their parts to reduce plastic waste. All it takes is a bit of effort and care from everyone to preserve this beautiful planet that we call home and save it for many generations to come.

Imagine going on vacation and walking on a beautiful, warm Caribbean beach. All seems serene and calm, until a huge patch of plastic waste is found, only for an endless amount of plastic water bottles, plastic bags, straws and other plastic waste to be found as further investigation is taken. Unfortunately, this tragic occurrence is a reality that has become increasingly common along the shores of the Caribbean islands. As stated by the British Broadcasting Company, the United Kingdom alone uses approximately 13 billion plastic water bottles each year, of which only over 3 billion are recycled. That leaves a whopping 10 billion plastic water bottles placed either directly into landfills or discarded as litter which affects local habitats. According to Marine Insight, people around the world throw away a total of 4 million tons of trash a day, of which 12.8 percent is plastic. This number adds up to approximately 186 million tons of plastic simply thrown away each year — a staggering amount of plastic that ends up in landfills and damages entire ecosystems. Unfortunately, the damage of plastic not only affects the Caribbean, but also our local beaches and other natural environments. Plastic water bottles, bags and straws are just a fraction of the waste that washes up on our shores. When asked how plastic affects local ecosystems around Rider,  Jordan Dreyer, a sophomore film, TV and radio major said, “Although it may not be thought of by everyone, the plastic that is thrown away ends up somewhere on earth. The pollution that plastic creates ends up destroying the habitats of the plants and animals around us, all of which are important in keeping the balance of the ecosystem.” While it does seem rather grim sometimes with the rapid increase of plastic waste around the world, there are a plethora of organizations that have been created to not only help recycle more plastic, but to make people more aware of the harmful effects of plastic. One of these organizations is RecycleMania, an eight-week competition with colleges from around the country who compete to see which institutions can to recycle the most. Rider’s very own office of sustainability is doing its part in this competition. When asked how people could become more conscientious with their plastic use, Brennan Zelenski, a junior accounting major, said, “People should be sure to recycle not only their plastic water bottles, but their everyday items such as body wash and shampoo containers. If everyone were to encourage recycling, plastic pollution would not be as much of a problem as it is today.” Thankfully, Rider’s Office of Sustainability also works with local recycling company Terracycle. The Terracycle Beauty Brigade was implemented to take students’ empty beauty and shower products so they could be recycled and transformed into entirely new products, creating zero waste in the process. While plastic pollution is a problem that affects all of the earth, there are so many organizations doing their parts to reduce plastic waste. All it takes is a bit of effort and care from everyone to preserve this beautiful planet that we call home and save it for many generations to come.

Teton Valley Community Recycling is proud to announce our new centrally-located Recycling Education Center in the GeoTourism Center in downtown Driggs. Thanks to a generous grant from the Youth Philanthropy program of the Community Foundation of Teton Valley and to volunteers, Lee and Kristie Eggebroton. The new installation has a brochure rack with current events and recycling information and a “Recycling in Teton County” slide show which will always have the most up to date and accurate information for locals and for visitors. For those of you who have watched it, it is indeed true that our county does not recycle plastic food containers, grey board, magazines, and books. All of these items go to the landfill. The small collection bins at the transfer station are there to prevent people from contaminating the recyclable plastic bottles and corrugated cardboard. These other materials either don’t have any buyers or the County doesn’t have enough room to store them in dry bales (magazines.) So, go ahead and throw your plastic food containers and grey board in the trash and bring your books and magazines to neighboring counties. It will save you and the county a lot of unnecessary sorting. At the new Recycling Education Center, you will also find special seasonal recycling collections, including the annual denim drive, holiday light strings, and other specialty items. This mini-recycling center is also home to our popular TerraCycle collections where you can drop off your dental waste (toothpaste tubes, old toothbrushes, floss packaging), clean foil energy bar wrappers, clean cereal bags, contact lenses/blister packs, and other hard to recycle materials. This collection is separate from standard recycling as it gets shipped back to the manufacturers to recycle in bulk instead of ending up in the landfill. Thanks again to the Youth Philanthropy students from Teton High School for funding our Recycling Education Center.

Meanwhile, Subaru of America, Inc. announced this week that its dealerships across the US have recycled one million pieces of waste through the ongoing Subaru Loves the Earth recycling program, created in partnership with TerraCycle, a leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams.   "This milestone means a lot to us at Subaru because it reinforces our belief that loving the environment means more than loving the great outdoors," said Alan Bethke, SVP of Marketing at Subaru of America, Inc. "Through our partnership with TerraCycle, in less than a year, more than 540 participating Subaru retailers located across the country have recycled more than one million pieces of waste. This partnership allows Subaru owners and the communities that our retailers serve to actively participate in preserving the environment and making the world a better place."   Utilizing TerraCycle's Zero Waste Box™ platform, participating Subaru retailers encourage customers, employees and community partners to recycle waste streams that are commonly thought of as hard-to-recycle, including snack wrappers; disposable cups and lids; and coffee, tea and creamer capsules. In addition, Subaru encouraged customers to also collect these waste streams at their home or office and bringing them into a local participating Subaru retailer.   The collected waste is then turned into useful, recycled products such as park benches, picnic tables, and playground materials, and donated to Subaru community partners. Subaru retailers can also view, and order products made from the recycled materials through an exclusive Subaru product-line, produced in conjunction with TerraCycle.   "At TerraCycle, we are committed to ensuring that waste continues to be diverted away from landfills and local communities," said CEO Tom Szaky. "Subaru not only shares that commitment but has taken it to the next level by spearheading a program that collects and recycles waste that they don't manufacture. Subaru is a model for other companies that want to give back and preserve the environment."   The partnership with TerraCycle's Zero Waste Box™ program is part of the larger Subaru Loves the Earth initiative, which is dedicated to preserving the environment. The automaker's commitment to preservation is one part of the Subaru Love Promise.  

I have really been making it a goal of mine to be all around more conscious about our environment in the new year. I have always recycled, but I have been FAR from perfect & this year is my year of being ECO af. YOURS TOO, k? I wrote a post about the importance of swapping out your plastic straws a few weeks ago, but that was just scratching the surface of what WE can do to help protect our environment. I am NO expert in the subject, so in my quest to be more eco friendly/use my platform for GOOD, I am bringing in an ECO expert to the blog to really help us all learn more about what we can do. SO- MEET MONICA RICHARDS, AKA THE ECOBABE. I “met” Monica on Instagram & have LOVED her eco content. She shares EASY, fun, & CHIC ways to be more eco friendly for EVERYONE. Plus, she is SO.EFFING.CUTE. I mean- can we just talk about her blazer look? Nothing more I love than a total stylish babe who does her part in making the world a better place.

ENOUGH ABOUT MY THOUGHTS THOUGH, I’LL LET MONICA TAKE IT FROM HERE…

Hi babes! I’m Monica Richards, the ecobabe. I head up a community of women dedicated to changing the eco-stereotype one babe at a time. Being an ecobabe means leading a non-toxic, affordable, eco-conscious life in style. No Tevas allowed! When Erica asked me to write a little something for her babes, I jumped at the opportunity! So today, we’re talkingthe 5 easiest ways to go eco, without spending a ton of money. These are small steps each of you can take to make a big impact for us all — sea turtles included!! SO- when it comes to going green, many people assume their individual contribution (or lack there of) won’t have much of an impact.. so why even bother? BUT. You have to stop and think: if I’m decreasing my carbon footprint + I’m showing my circle how to decrease their carbon footprint + then THEY show their circle how to decrease THEIR carbon footprint… Well then. Now we have an incredible chain reaction — an entire community of people making an environmental difference. And that community will keep growing + growing. And THAT’S how we make change happen. This is the sort of climate change we NEED lol. So now you’re saying, that’s great but what can I actually DO to decrease my carbon footprint? Let’s talk plastic for a minute. Plastic is one of the worst things for our environment, simply because we use plastic for EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, it takes tons of crude oil to produce + it takes 500 years to decompose. 500 YEARS. In the United States alone, 300 million TONS of plastic is produced, only 9% of which is recycled, leaving the rest to go straight to landfill. Then, when the plastics finally start to break down, they don’t even fully decompose. They break down into micro plastics, which run off with rain water into our streams + oceans. It is proven now that every living sea turtle has a tummy full of micro plastics. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We’re ruining our environment to produce plastic, then we’re exposing ourselves to toxins from said plastic (I won’t even get into all the studies linking conditions like autism with plastic intake), then we’re disposing of this plastic + ruining our environment EVEN MORE. See where I’m going with this? It’s one big toxic circle — that we can’t recycle!! Sounds daunting, huh? Like, how is it even possible to change this plastic problem just a little?!! This is where I come in. I show my ecobabes how to go green, without spending a ton of money + without skipping a STEP in their daily routines. So here’s where we start:

5 EASY WAYS TO BE MORE ECO-FRIENDLY

1. REUSABLE BAGS:

Each year in America, more than 380 billion plastic bags are used. Remember, 91% of these bags are NOT recycled. And you know what’s easier than finding storage space in your kitchen for all those crappy plastic grocery bags? And cheaper, now that many grocery stores charge per paper bag? Reusable bags!! Now, you can either upcycle bags you find around your house, like from those new shoes you just bought, or you can buy new bags to use over + over. (I prefer ones you can wash + dry in the laundry.) And here’s my 2 cents on ziplock bags: You don’t need them! These reusable storage bags are BPA free (way healthier), they’re thicker + sturdier (way more functional) + you can reuse them to the moon + back (way easier on your wallet). And they’re cute!

2. REUSABLE CLOTHS

Just think about how many paper towels you go through on the daily… together, Americans go through 13 billion POUNDS of paper towels each year. And here’s what’s even sadder: if each household used just one roll less, more than 554,000 trees could be saved ANNUALLY. I just died inside, how about you? But what are you supposed to use then — especially when cleaning your house? Meet e-cloth! This cloth removes 99% of bacteria with just WATER. Yup. Imagine all the money you’ll save on cleaning products + those paper towels! There’s an e-cloth for everything: kitchen surfaces, bathroom surfaces, even your floors. And you can reuse these clothes all day every day. They are magical.

3. REUSABLE CUPS

This one seems like a given, but you’ll see that apparently it’s not: Just in the U.S. alone, we go through 50 billion plastic water bottles each year. Thats 100 MILLION bottles per DAY. And only 23% of those bottles are recycled. And since plastic takes 500 years to decompose, aren’t these numbers shocking?? Enter the reusable bottle! As soon as you start using this bad boy, you’ll be saving around 156 plastic bottles each year, all by yourself. Worth it! This specific bottle is the best one I’ve found. It’s actually big enough to fit 1 liter of water (I hate having to refill my bottle a million times throughout the day). If you drink 2 of these bottles a day, you’re set. It can even have a little BPA free straw! It’s also easy to wash because nothing irks me more than a water bottle with a small mouth that’s impossible to wash! And for you coffee addicts (same), this is the chicest little reusable coffee mug. Take this to any coffee shop + they’ll be happy to it swap out for you. You can even ask for discounts! Because here’s the alarming thing about to-go coffee cups: YOU CAN’T RECYCLE MOST OF THEM. Most of those ‘paper’ cups are lined with 5% plastic. Which also means those plastic molecules are leaching into your cup of joe. Oh, + 16 billion disposable coffee cups are used around the globe each year. Don’t be a part of the coffee cup conundrum.

4. RECYCLE

At this point, we all know how vital recycling is for the health of our environment. Paper, plastics, aluminum + glass are pretty standard. For plastics, all you have to do is check with your local .gov website to see which number of plastic they take — meaning the resin identification code found on the bottom of all plastic containers. But here’s what to do with all those hard-to-recycle items, like personal care packaging, electronics + textiles. Use Terracycle! This program recycles all those non-recyclables + is pretty much my most favorite thing ever. You can either purchase a Terracycle box for the type of waste you generate most (they have a box for everything), or sign up for the free recycling programs. My favorite box to purchase is the Kitchen Separation box. This is how you recycle things like protein bar wrappers, the plastic bags that line cracker boxes, tin foil, etc. The small box lasts a long time since you can smash all your recyclables down, making room for more layers. And you can use code ECOBABE for 15% off any box!! The free recycling programs are legit. Scroll through them here. They do take awhile to accept you, so while you’re on that waitlist, start collecting your recyclables. This way, by the time you’re accepted you’ll be ready to send them in! I’m in the personal care program (which even accepts mascara + lipstick tubes) + I’m obsessed with sending in my beauty empties.

5. REUSABLE STRAWS

Ever heard the saying ‘straws suck’? That’s because Americans use 500 MILLION plastic straws… EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. And since straws take up to 200 years to decompose in landfills, not to mention many of these straws end up in our oceans as little plastic daggers of death for marine life, single use straws are an epidemic. Also, every time you sip on a standard disposable straw, you’re putting toxic plastic directly in your mouth(!!!). The best way to combat all of this is to make that switch to reusable straws. And nowadays, it’s the trendy thing to do anyway YAY! To make things even more adaptable, there’s also a straw for every type of babe: There’s a metal straw for chic photos on the gram. These are super durable + I carry them in my purse + car. There’s a silicone straw for that just-like-a-regular-straw feel. These are bendy + soft. And there’s a glass straw for the most clean option, as you can see right through them. These don’t become hot in hot drinks. The reusable straw options are cute + by using them, you’ll be sparing the environment 38,000 plastic straws just by YOURSELF. Win win.

There are plenty of items you’ve planned to get rid of over the winter months. Use Old Stuff Day as an excuse to try out these decluttering hacks.

Nylons need to be cleaned before getting recycled because it melts at a lower temperature. That lower temperature means bacteria can survive. Timbuk2 will send you a coupon if you choose to recycle your bag from them. Just send your bag to them and once they get a pallet full of bags, they send them to TerraCycle for recycling. Bureo takes old nylon fishing nets and makes them into skateboards and sunglasses. Use those nylons to clean around the house.  

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!

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.

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.