Whether you have too much or too little, want more or just enjoy giving, "stuff" takes center stage this time of year. Looking to have a less wasteful holiday season? Read on for some ideas.

What about... STUFF? 
 
Comedian George Carlin famously opined, "A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff." There are obvious limits to how many material possessions New Yorkers can keep in their homes, but when push comes to shove, it's often the landfill that benefits from the unwanted things we discard. When we keep only what we truly value, we give ourselves the gift of extra space, and a break from the cycle of buying and discarding.

Want to get a handle on your stuff? Check out 12 Ways to Unclutter Your Life and remember, there's no need to keep it just because you don't want to trash it! Spread the wealth at a Stop & Swap�, and use NYC Stuff Exchange to find a charity or secondhand exchange near you, as well as resources for renting and repairing. Instead of a traditional gift registry, try a SoKind Registry with a focus on "more fun, less stuff". This holiday season, choose time with friends and family over frenzied shopping on Black Friday, and instead support community on #GivingTuesday. For more ideas to Give More and Waste Less, visit NYC WasteLess.
Seasonal Textile Collections Coming to a Close
 
Don't miss your chance to clean out your closet and make room for holiday visitors, warm sweaters and new boots! 9 of our textile collections are closing soon for the season. Below are the last dates to drop clothing, shoes and other textiles at select seasonal Greenmarkets. 17 other markets will continue to accept textiles through the winter. Visit www.grownyc.org/clothing to find year-round collections.

Poe Park - Nov. 19
Boro Park - Nov. 21
Williamsburg - Nov. 21
175th St - Nov. 21
Bronx Borough Hall - Nov. 26
Mt. Sinai - Nov. 27
Ft. Washington - Dec. 17
57th St - Dec. 21
Windsor Terrace - Dec. 22
Food Scrap Collection at Greenmarket Hits 2 MILLION POUNDS
 

In 2011, GrowNYC responded to a growing demand for food scrap collections at more Greenmarkets, and you have not disappointed! To date more than two million pounds of food scraps have been dropped at our collection sites, which would fill enough of our collection boxes to create a stack taller than Mount Everest. But the impact is even greater: every apple core deposited in a compost bin has been a vote for increased composting citywide, which has come to fruition with the Department of Sanitation's new Organics Collection program. Learn more at www.nyc.gov/organics, and keep on composting!



Upcoming Events
Tales from Our Trash: sanitation workers, sustainable cities & the value of knowledge
Thursday, November 14, 6pm
CUNY School of Law
2 Court Square, Long Island City,
Queens Accessible by E, M, G and 7 MTA trains
 
A conversation with Dr. Robin Nagle, author of "Picking Up" and anthropologist-in-residence with the NYC Department of Sanitation, and Professor Rebecca Bratspies, director of CUNY Law's Center for Urban Environmental Reform. Also featuring DSNY Commissioner, John Doherty and DSNY artist-in-residence, Mierle Laderman Ukeles. Online registration is now closed but walk up registrations will be accepted at the door.
Make Room for Thanksgiving Dinner: "unstuff" at an upcoming Stop 'N' Swap�
 
Can't find your dining table under all that stuff that's too good to toss? You don't have to feed a landfill to make room for holiday feasts when there's Stop 'N' Swap! Bring clean, reusable, portable items such as clothing, housewares, games, books & toys that you no longer need, and take home something new-to-you, free! You don't have to bring something to take something. No furniture or large items, please.Learn more. 

Upcoming Swaps
Glendale, Queens
Saturday, November 16, 12pm-3pm
The Shops at Atlas Park
80-00 Cooper Avenue

West Village, Manhattan
Saturday, November 23, 2pm-5pm
Westbeth Housing Community Room
155 Bank St (b/t West St & Washington St)

Hillcrest, Queens
Saturday, December 7, 12pm-3pm
PS 154
7502 162 Street
Electronics Recycling Collection - Park Slope
PS 321, 7th Ave b/t 1st and 2nd Sts
Saturday, December 7, 10am-4pm
 
Responsibly recycle unwanted or broken electronics (no appliances such as microwaves or refrigerators) with the LES Ecology Center. Click here for a list of what's accepted.
Give Back on #GivingTuesday

'Tis the season to give back for a greener NYC. Following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday, a national day to celebrate and encourage giving, is December 3rd. You'll feel good knowing 20,000 children get outside to garden, taste fruits and vegetables for the very first time, plant trees and connect with nature through GrowNYC's hands-on education programs which you can give back to on #GivingTuesday. Learn more
.
Find Us in Your Neighborhood!
OROE will have table set up at the following event. Stop by and get answers to your recycling questions!

UPPER WEST SIDE: Tuesday, December 3, 11am-4pm, 5 West 63rd Street - West Side YMCA #GivingTuesday 
GrowNYC's OFFICE OF RECYCLING OUTREACH & EDUCATION (OROE) works to improve the City's recycling rate by educating residents about recycling and waste prevention, and working with landlords to make sure building recycling programs are adequate. Our free services include apartment building recycling audits, trainings for tenants and supers, community events centered on education and special collection programs for textiles, electronics, and compost. OROE's current intensive efforts target one-quarter of New York City's residents. Our five borough-wide coordinators work on a community-by-community basis to identify and address the specific challenges to recycling within a Community District. For more information visit www.grownyc.org or call 212-788-7964.   
Get More Updates           Twitter    Facebook