One of the main items on any new graduate’s college must-have list is a new computer. Computers are a necessity for many college students, as emails and writing papers are a weekly, if not daily, occurrence. However, at the end of a computer life cycle, do you know how to properly recycle or dispose of it?

Why Can’t You Just Throw it Away? 

Used electronic devices, also known as e-waste, are increasingly becoming a larger part of  consumer’s waste. Most students may not realize that you can’t just throw an old computer into the garbage can. Like many electronics, computers contain heavy metals that could pose an environmental threat when disposed of improperly. Many computer manufacturers and computer hardware manufacturers also have their own recycling or trade-in programs including Apple, Dell, Hewlett Packard and others.

A Mr Junk tip: Before recycling your old computer, it’s important to remember that all data must be erased from it before having it picked up for recycling.

Let Our Team Help

The Mr Junk team is educated in how to recycle your computer and monitor properly and safely, avoiding the potential of it ending up in a landfill. In addition to computers, we also pick up other appliances and devices like refrigerators, dishwashers, televisions, printers and copiers.

If you’ve just upgraded to a new computer and don’t know how to properly dispose of it, don’t hesitate to contact us for an estimate for a pick-up!

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

While we are in the business

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

of hauling your junk, as we’ve said before, as often as possible, the team of Mr Junk recycles or donates everything possible from our jobs. At Mr Junk, we are far more than just a junk removal company – we’re your neighbors, and part of your community, and we want to do our part to help protect the Earth. In doing so, we feel that it’s important to help educate our community about different ways to recycle, and in the process, learn a few things ourselves.

Recycling Basics 

What can you recycle?

Paper and cardboard, metals, glass and plastics are all accepted for single-stream recycling in our community. Common items are aluminum cans, lids, newspapers, cardboard, magazines, glass food containers, and for plastics, recycle codes 1 through 7. For an even more detailed list of what works and what doesn’t, here’s a great online recycling guide.

What can’t you recycle?

It’s important to keep food waste out of your recycling bin, because it can contaminate and ruin other recyclables. Starting a compost heap can help your garden, and composting is becoming more and more popular.

Special Recycling 

Other items can also be recycled, and by choosing Mr Junk as your junk removal services crew, we know how to dispose of your items in an Earth-friendly way. Household items like batteries, bulbs, and certain electronics can be donated or recycled with our help.

If you’re a resident of Canton, GA or even a neighboring area and are interested in having Mr Junk come take a look at what you can  recycle using our junk removal services in Canton, don’t hesitate to give us a call. Environmental sustainability combined with tailored customer service is all you will receive with Mr Junk!

There are few traditions in the spring that are more satisfying than the annual spring clean. For many people, however, the pleasure comes only after the work is finished. Your spring cleaning may never become fully effortless, but it is possible to make the process more manageable – and we dare say, enjoyable!

By creating a realistic schedule, you should be able to tackle your biggest clean-outs, clean-ups and make your home cleaner and easier to live in while getting rid of the clutter. By starting one room at a time, you don’t get overwhelmed. The four main areas of the house that Mr Junk most often hears about are the kitchen, garage, basement and attics. Here are some great ways to de-clutter the messiest areas of your home:

• In the kitchen: donate appliances you no longer use. A junk removal company can help by picking up appliances like old refrigerators and freezers.
• In the Garage: Group similar items together so you can tackle groups of them instead of one at a time. Once your items are sorted, go through and decide what items to donate or have picked up. Lastly, investing in some see-through plastic bins will help you keep track of the stuff you keep.
• In the Attic: First things first, go through all your boxes. It might take a while, but you want to open each box to make sure the contents are worth keeping or can be donated. The saying is if you haven’t used it or thought about it in the last year you probably have forgotten about it and you probably won’t miss it if you tossed it. You will want to make sure that you keep this in mind when cleaning out your attic.
• In the Basement: The same rules should apply in the basement as the attic. Go through your boxes or piles of items and sort them based on like items. Invest in some see-through plastic crates and label them accordingly. This will help whenever you’re searching for items in the future. If you have old pieces of furniture in your basement, find a trustworthy junk removal company to pick up and donate furniture to places like Goodwill or other organizations.

Of course, these are just a few examples of ideas to de-clutter the messiest rooms of your home. After sorting through your stuff, don’t hesitate to contact Mr Junk to haul away your items. We donate whatever we can to local charities and organizations, with only true junk going to state-approved landfills.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and what Mom wouldn’t love a creative masterpiece from her children to show appreciation for all her hard work? Often, a great way to honor Mom on Mother’s Day is with a homemade gift, made with recycled objects or junky household items that just need a new home.

Need a few ideas to get you started? Here are our favorite ideas for Mother’s Day gifts, made out of some of some of our favorite junk!

• Construct a colorful wind chime out of empty terra cotta pots. Decorate the pots with acrylic craft paint and use strong twine or string to loop them together.
• Are sunflowers Mom’s favorite? Construct a beautiful bouquet out of empty paper towel rolls. This is a great craft for younger kids! Plus, Mom can actually keep these flowers!
• Could Mom use a night to herself to relax? Make votive candle holders from empty baby food jars. Kids will love decorating them and Mom will love using them on her nights off!
• Does Mom have a green thumb? Surprise her with seedlings that were grown from newspaper pots! These biodegradable pots can do directly into the ground, so she can enjoy them right away.
• Create a great carry-all bag for Mom from plastic grocery bags!

These are just a few ideas for creating beautiful gifts for Mom (or anyone!) out of your household junk without having to worry about calling a recycling company or junk hauling service. However, if you find yourself surrounded by junk you can’t reuse or upcycle, give Mr. Junk in Woodstock, GA a call and we’re happy to help make your home cleaner and safer!

Do you have an idea for a gift made out of recycled objects or household junk? Share with us in a comment below!

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Lots of folks are trying to repurpose, reuse and make new uses for old things.

The Internet is a wealth of information and ideas for using household items in new ways. The popular website Pinterest, an virtual pinboard where you can pin items from all over the web, is a great source of inspiration. Many magazines such as HGTV Magazine and Better Homes and Gardens have DIY tutorials for creating everything from new pieces of furniture, decor, organizational items and so on.

Here are a few of our favorite inventive uses for old things –

• Turning an old golf bag into a gardening caddy. That way, you can bring all your gardening tools with you wherever you need them.
• Turn an old muffin tin into a gather-all for your garage to collect various washers and screws.
• Use part of an old garden hose as a bucket grip. Use an exacto knife to cut part of a garden hose to the right length to cover a bucket handle, making it easier to grip when it’s full.   
• Find a decorative cake plate at a local thrift store and turn it into a place to store mail, keys and other loose items that always end up on your kitchen counters.
• Lay a rubber rug pad down in the truck of your car to keep groceries and other items from toppling out and rolling around every time you take a turn.
• Have a seamstress in your family? Use fabric scraps as book covers for hardbacks. This will also give the books on your shelf style and interest.
• Dryer sheets have a multitude of uses – use them as a drawer sachet, stick them in a gym bag or a car as a quick deodorizer, or sprinkle a few drops of water onto a used dryer sheet to remove stubborn soap scum from a glass shower door.

When you hire Mr. Junk for junk removal services, we recycle or donate everything possible with only true junk going to state-approved landfill sites or transfer stations. We understand the importance of trying to make a positive impact on the environment, and that it’s important to our customers as well. What are your favorite uses for old things? Share with us in a comment below!

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

In the spirit of Earth Day, which is this Sunday, April 22nd, this week on the blog we wanted to feature reasons to recycle. The very first Earth Day was April 22nd, 1970, when people all over the country made promises to help the environment. Since then, Earth Day has spread all over the planet. Today the most common products in cities recycling programs are paper products, cardboard, plastic, glass and aluminum. Most of the communities located in Woodstock, Georgia offer curbside recycling programs, but there are also many public places to drop recyclable items.

According to the Georgia Recycling Coalition, the top ten reasons to recycle are:

Colorful Recycling Containers for Trash (Photo credit: epSos.de)

1.) Good for our economy -Recycling in the United States is a $236 billion a year industry. More than 56,000 recycling and reuse enterprises employ 1.1 million workers nationwide.

2. Creates Jobs – More than 56,000 recycling and reuse enterprises employ 1.1 million workers nationwide.

3. Reduces Waste – The average North American discards seven and a half pounds of garbage every day. Most of this garbage goes into to landfills, where it’s compacted and buried.

4. Good For The Environment – Recycling requires far less energy, uses fewer natural resources, and keeps waste from piling up in landfills.

5. Saves Energy – Recycling offers significant energy savings over manufacturing with virgin materials. (Manufacturing with recycled aluminum cans uses 95% less energy.)

6. Preserves Landfill Space – No one wants to live next door to a landfill. Recycling preserves existing landfill space.

7. Prevents Global Warming – Each year it is estimated that recycling of solid waste prevents the release of 52 million metric tons of carbon equivalent (MMTCE, the unit of measure for greenhouse gases) into the air.

8. Reduces Water Pollution – Making goods from recycled materials generates far less water pollution than manufacturing from virgin materials.

9. Protects Wildlife – Using recycled materials reduces the need to damage forests, wetlands, rivers and other places essential to wildlife.

10. Creates New Demand – Recycling and buying recycled products creates demand for more recycled products, decreasing waste and helping our economy.

The team at Mr Junk is determined to help the environment as best we can. We recycle or donate everything possible with only true junk going to state-approved landfill sites or transfer stations. If you’re concerned about making the lowest environmental impact,  contact us for your junk removal services. You will be glad you did!

Hello and welcome to Mr. Junk’s new blog! We hope you like the design of our newly updated website.

Mr. Junk is a fully licensed, insured, and environmentally considerate junk removal company. Our crew of junk removal specialists will remove junk where it is located, load it into the truck and haul it away. Our goal is to get rid of the junk quickly and efficiently, recycle as much of it as possible or donate it to charity. Not only will we be helping the environment and community but we also donate a portion of our profits to local charities.

Our junk removal services are designed to assist commercial businesses and homeowners clearing out years of collected junk. Mr Junk restores that clean look to your business or home and helps you reclaim that work or living space!

We look forward to providing you with blogs each week detailing our junk removal services.

Contact us today for more details or to schedule an appointment. We want to be your go-to guys for Junk Removal Services in Atlanta, GA!