These irons stand the test of time and function the same today, as they did the day they were made

Many of the items we collect are quite old. That doesn’t mean they do not hold value though. Antiques are often sought after pieces. Why is that? They were often made from high-quality materials with an eye to craftsmanship and attention to detail. What constitutes high-quality and craftsmanship?

• solid wood pieces
• sturdy metal supports
• hand-crafted details

These items deserve a second chance and we do our part to donate them to thrift stores whenever possible.

When it comes to electronics and appliances, we also recognize that there are still many valuable resources within them. By getting them to appropriate recyclers, those materials are salvaged and reused in the manufacturing industry.

Versus Quantity

Choosing higher quality products means ultimately reducing junk from your home and from landfills when we step in to remove the last of your items during estate cleanups

Poorer quality items on the other hand hold little value and do not age well, like;

• flimsy plastic items
• composite materials (poly-cotton blends, fibreboard, synthetics, etc.)
• mass-produced machine-made pieces

Do we need to tell you what’s wrong with plastic? It doesn’t break down. For like hundreds of years or longer. If it breaks (which happens with a lot of cheap dollar store items), it isn’t worth fixing, so ends up in landfills. Or our oceans! As it ages, plastic often becomes brittle, making it that much more apt to break. The answer—don’t buy it!

The problem with composite materials is that they cannot easily be broken down into their original base materials. For example, cardboard coffee cups coated in a plastic film are difficult to recycle due to their plastic layer. So in communities where they do not have the facilities to deal with that composite, the items in questions becomes garbage and head to landfill. And that pesky plastic stuff again interferes with any hope of the item biodegrading or breaking down.

And while some machine-made pieces are sturdy enough, the point of them is to reduce costs. Less cost for labour. Less cost on materials. Often less quality for the final product reducing its usable lifespan and increasing the speed with which it heads to the landfill again.

Quality VS Quantity

This antique unit has been around for the better part of 100 years and could easily last another hundred more due to the quality of the piece. Choose quality over quantity to help in reducing junk!

Do you get where we are headed?

When you purchase higher quality items, they usually last longer. They are often made with higher quality materials and to a higher standard of workmanship. This offers you more joy, usefulness, and longevity of the item AND keeps it out of our garbage dumps for longer, if not forever. Even if you decide that you no longer find value in it, something well-made has the potential to be reused by others when handed along. Or is more easily recycled into new products.

So by all means, contact Load of Rubbish when you have junk to remove. We will gladly take it away. But the next time you make a purchase, think about what you are buying. Perhaps choose better quality pieces so that they don’t need to be replaced as often, or so that they still hold value for someone or something else down the road. If we make better choices with our purchasing dollars, we will be reducing junk on the overall system. And even if you don’t care for yourself, ultimately your children and the planet will be thankful for that small consideration.

Choose quality in the fight for reducing junk!