Sort and Grade What You Throw Away

Separate glass, textiles, wood and plastics first, then grade each item on structure, cleanliness and uniformity before it earns shelf space.

Sorting is mechanical: glass with glass, textiles with textiles, wood with wood, plastics with plastics. Grading is the judgement call that follows, and it is where most households either save a usable material or store a future bin decision.

Grade each item on three axes. Structural integrity asks whether it still holds shape under load. Cleanliness asks whether it can be washed to the standard the final use demands — food-safe for kitchen items, skin-safe for wearables. Uniformity asks whether you have enough identical pieces to build something, or just one odd piece that will never match.

An item that fails two of the three axes is not a project material. That is the whole rule. It keeps the project shelf from turning into a second bin.

Wash before you store, and wash to the right standard. Jars need labels and adhesive removed and a hot soapy wash, then a full dry before the lid goes back on. Textiles need a hot wash if they will touch skin, and a blend check for elastane. Wood needs sanding and a wipe-down, plus a check for paint or treatment. Tires need degreasing and shade.

Plastics are the strictest stream. Keep only rigid, marked, uniformly shaped pieces. Film, mixed and unmarked plastics downcycle rather than upcycle, and they take up space while doing it.

• Glass: labels off, hot soapy wash, dry fully, lid only when dry.
• Textiles: hot wash for skin contact, check for elastane blends.
• Wood: sand, wipe, check for paint or treatment.
• Tires: degrease, dry, store out of direct sun.
• Plastics: rigid, marked, uniform only.

Further reading

• Three Starter Projects
• The Measured Impact of Reuse