Is Hoarding A Sustainable & Eco-Friendly Way To Live?
Hoarding gets a lot of negative press, but is it genuinely that bad of a thing?!
When you hoard, you keep loads of old things and rarely throw anything away. Technically, isn’t this a really sustainable and eco-friendly way to live? Think about it: you generate less waste and don’t throw things out after only using them a couple of times – it feels like a pretty intelligent way to live your life.
Should we all start hoarding a little bit more? Eh…yes and no. There are levels to this! Some amount of hoarding is good, but too much is terrible. How do you find the perfect balance? Read on to get your answer…
Make the most out of everything
A good rule to live by is to make the most out of everything you buy.
Whenever you purchase something – this could be an item of furniture, food, clothes, or anything else – you need to use it as much as possible. The whole idea is that you stop buying things, using them once or twice, and chucking them out. Is this technically a form of hoarding? Hmm, kind of! I guess you are copying what hoarders do in that you resist throwing things out.
Furthermore, the trick is to take these things and find new uses for them. For instance, you just bought a punnet of strawberries and they’ve all been used up. Instead of chucking away the little container, repurpose it as a plant pot. Or, the next time you go grocery shopping, buy loose fruit/veg and put them in this container. There are so many ways you can take old things and find new uses for them instead of chucking things away.
Throw things out when they’re no longer useful or valuable
At this point, you’re moving towards the threshold of being a full-time hoarder who never throws anything out. But, there’s a line you shouldn’t cross.
Stop keeping things in your home if they are no longer useful or valuable!
The moment something can no longer be used or repurposed, it should be thrown away. If items aren’t sentimental or financially valuable, they no longer belong in your house. Go through everything in your home and consider if it falls into these categories or not. You might be slightly worried about how much stuff you’ve been hoarding this whole time. That’s fine, you can hire companies like Evergreen Junk Removal to get rid of everything you’re hoarding. This gives you a clean slate, and you can start afresh from there.
Having considered everything, is hoarding a sustainable & eco-friendly way to live? That depends on your definition of hoarding. Is it clever and sustainable to hold onto things for as long as possible, provided they’re being used? Yes, absolutely. Is it sustainable to keep old things that are no longer useful and take up space in your home? No, this does very little for the environment. If you’re worried about generating waste, simply recycle old things that are no longer needed – or donate them to your local charity shop.
