Hi Neighbor!

The Great Purge continues, at least in my home. It just seems to go on and on and on…much to my pleasure. There is something so satisfying about getting rid of one’s own junk, and there seems to be an unlimited supply of junk in my home.

It started at the beginning of the pandemic when we had nothing but time to clean out closets. We moved at a brisk pace, eliminating unused items and creating space. Currently, we are in the purging stage of “young adult children getting ready to move on and move out.” You know, the young adult children who have been stuck in time – and stuck in my home – due to said pandemic. It is time. They know it and I know it, but that is a story for another day.

We have gone so deep into our purge we are down to the childhood memorabilia that no mom in her right mind would get rid of. For every box of college comforters, pillows, and extension cords that comes down from the attic, one more box goes back up with the books and trophies and pictures we are not ready to part with. But hey, this is about the purge, not the hoarding, right?

So…five garbage bags of outgrown clothes, shoes, and outwear later and at least six trips back to the attic with memorabilia, only the electronics remain. Old computers, TVs, and an Xbox. What to do, what to do…hmmm.

As much as I hate the thought of old pillows consuming space in a landfill, ditching electronics to seep into the ground is downright painful. Like any concerned citizen, I headed to my local township website, which is phenomenal, by the way, to search for answers. Thank you Lower Merion Township for having all THE solutions to my purging, recycling, and refuse questions and conundrums.

I am especially fond of the Public Works section which efficiently provides the answers for when to recycle, what to recycle, and how to recycle which is how I found my new favorite site, retrievr. The township conveniently supplied the information for this fabulous organization that literally retrieves your items from your doorstep. How cool. I only had to lift a few fingers to dispose of the old Xbox.

I started small with this one object to determine how efficient the service was. Turns out, it was perfect. As advertised, you select what you want to recycle, schedule a date for pickup, and a truck comes right to your door to retrieve your outdated objects. They won’t even ring the doorbell if you check that box. All the arrangements are made easily online.

Once you register your items for pickup, a confirmation text is sent acknowledging the date and time for your retrieval. Customers will also receive an additional text reminder the day before the truck is scheduled to arrive. As an added bonus, you get yet another text notifying you your item has been, well, retrieved!

There is a $10 doorstep fee and additional fees for hard to dispose of items such as TVs or mini refrigerators. Additionally, clean clothes are accepted regardless of the condition.

It is a quick, seamless way to dispose of unwanted items. The online site provides answers to anticipated questions such as how to erase the personal date from your computer before disposing of it, what happens to your items after the driver picks them up, and a list of all accepted and non-accepted pieces.

It is a green-conscious organization with a green-plus effort! I have a sneaking suspicion I will be looking for more reasons to call upon retrievr even though the bulk of my purging is finished.

Purging with purpose,

Jackie