Donations: Trash To Treasure

When all your closets, the basement, the attic and the garage are full of great stuff that you never use, you may feel the need to pitch it all. There are many organizations that will accept used clothes, furniture and small appliances. Some will collect from your home; others ask that you bring items to a drop-off center. For drop-off locations it is advisable to call first.

Here is a list of service groups accepting donations in our area:

CLOTHING, FURNITURE, FOOD AND HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

ADVENTIST COMMUNITY SERVICES: 301-585-6556
Accepts clothing, bedding, furniture, small appliances and kitchen- ware at Sligo Avenue and Hartford Road from 10am to 4pm, Mon-Thurs.

AMVETS: 1-800-526-8387
Accepts clean furniture, working small appliances, clothing, non-working TVs; will not accept large appliances. No collection; drop-off items at 6101 Georgia Avenue, 9-9 Mon-Sat, 12-6 Sun.

BAPTIST HOME FOR CHILDREN: 301-365-4480
Accepts clothing for children, teens and women, furniture, and small working appliances at 6301 Greentree Road, Bethesda during daytime.

C-4 CLOTHES CLOSET: 301-989-8742
Accepts clothing and household items at drop-off box at
14015 New Hampshire Avenue anytime.

COMMUNITY FOR CREATIVE NON-VIOLENCE: 202-393-4409
Accepts clothing, food, working appliances of any type, usable furniture, toys, household items, books, etc. Items may be delivered to 425 2nd Street NW, DC (between D & E Streets) anytime.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS: 202-546-1512
Accepts clothing, furniture, mattresses and boxsprings in good repair, appliances and household goods. Clothing drop-off at 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, furniture drop-off at 650 Pennsylvania Avenue.

GOODWILL: 202-636-4225
Accepts furniture and carpet (no padding) not needing repair; clothing in good condition, toys, games, some magazines and books, household items, working TVs (not console models) and small appliances, cars, trucks, boats, RVs, medical aids, mattresses and boxsprings (complete sets only, good condition). Does not accept large appliances, car parts, metal cabinets. 2200 South Dakota Ave., NE, DC 20018

SALVATION ARMY: 301-403-1701
Collects furniture not needing repair, working appliances (all types except built-in models), clothes, books, toys, educational books, mattresses and box springs that are not stained or torn, household goods. 3304 Kenilworth Ave, Hyattsville, MD 20781

SHEPHERD'S TABLE: 301-585-6463
Accepts clothing, shoes, purses, canned food and leftover food from banquets, weddings, etc. Other than fresh leftovers, they can not accept opened containers of food. Deliver items to 8210 A Colonial Lane, Silver Spring, MD 20910, weekdays 8:30 to 5:30, weekends 12:30 to 5:30

VALUE VILLAGE: 301-431-9670
Accepts clothing, non-upholstered furniture not needing repair, household items, mattresses and boxsprings that are not stained or torn, and small working appliances. Collection is available in some parts of the city (call for information) or you may drop off items at 10121 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20903.

FOOD

SHEPHERD'S TABLE: 301-585-6463
Accepts clothing, shoes, purses, canned food and leftover food from banquets, weddings, etc. Other than fresh leftovers, they can not accept opened containers of food. Deliver items to 835 Bonifant Street, 9am to 2pm and 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

Several programs now exist for the recycling of building and construction equipment such as banisters, bathtubs, carpet, cinderblocks, countertops, doors, drywall, electric lights, flooring, hardware, kitchen cabinets, lumber, plumbing fixtures, shingles, shelving, stairs, toilets, vinyl siding, wallpaper, windows, etc. Many of these programs resell these items to the general public.

Community Fork Lift located at 4671 Tanglewood Dr., Edmonston, MD 20781. Hours of operation are Wednesday, 12 - 7 pm and Thursday through Saturday 9 am to 5 pm. 301-985-5180.

The Loading Dock operates a program at the Montgomery County Transfer Station (16101 Frederick Road, just south of Route 355 on Shady Grove Road). Materials that are collected are made available to non-profit organizations and low income families to be reused. 240-777-6560. Hours are Monday through Friday 7 am to 8 pm, Saturday 7 am to 5 pm and Sunday 9 am to 5 pm.

Habitat For Humanity ReStore, located at 9100 Gaither Road in Gaithersburg. Open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9 am to 5pm, Thursday from 9 am to 7 pm. Donations and retail sales. 301-947-3304.

• Your Pickup Schedule: What to Put Out and When
• Holiday Collection Schedule
• Precycling: Reducing Waste Before Purchase
• Yard Trimmings: Leaves, Grass, and Branches
• Composting: Making Friends of Earthworms
• Glass: What Is and What Isn't Recyclable
• Metals Containers: Just Rinse & Recycle
• Appliances: CFC's And You
• Plastics: Expanded Beyond Bottles
• Got Milk? You can now recycle the container!
• Paper: Newspaper, Cardboard and Junk Mail
• Computer and Electronics Recycling
• Compact Flourescent Bulbs: Recycle - Don’t Break
• Hazardous Materials: Not For the Regular Trash
• Motor Oil and Antifreeze: For the Do-It-Yourselfers
• Dumpsters & Storage Pods - Permit Required
• Donations: Trash to Treasure
• City, County and State Telephone Numbers
• Map to Public Works Department