April and May are traditionally regarded as the ideal months for springcleaning. However, adopting a consistent decluttering habit throughout the year proves to be far more effective in reducing clutter and alleviating stress. We encourage residents to regularly assess items you may no longer want or need, rather than postponing their removal. By planning to eliminate these items throughout the year, you can maintain a more organized living space.
Regularly removing unneeded items not only simplifies your environment but also enhances the ability of recipients to process these donations effectively.
We advise residents to contact our various partners in donation, waste management, and recycling beforehand to prevent overwhelming the system during the busy spring cleanup period. Many cities will soon offer designated cleanup days.
Here are some practical tips for residents to prevent accumulation of unwanted items in your home: Rather than relying on a single, extensive cleaning effort, consider dedicating 30 minutes each day to tidying up and performing quick resets to keep your home in optimal condition.
Instead of undertaking major purges, allocate just five minutes daily to manageable tasks, such as organizing a single drawer, clearing a surface, or deleting unnecessary emails and photos.
The “One-In, One-Out” Principle: To effectively manage the influx of new items, adopt a rule that necessitates the removal of one item — either through disposal or donation — whenever a new item enters your home.
Utilize brief intervals to eliminate expired, broken, or unused items, thereby simplifying the cleaning and organization process. Keep a few baskets or boxes readily available for items that will be leaving your home. Designate these for trash, donations, or specific recycling categories, such as Styrofoam or batteries.
Please remember that while decluttering, do not use curbside recycling pickup or drop-off sites for excess trash. Recycling programs do not accept the following items: plastic shopping bags, clothing or shoes, cords and tanglers, hazardous waste, batteries or electronics, shredded paper, Styrofoam, diapers or cat litter, yard waste, scrap metal or wood, bulky items (such as children’s pools or plastic storage containers), and especially no needles or medications.
You may be wondering why city cleanups do not offer cleanup of certain materials such as household chemicals or paint. This is because there are strict rules that the state sets for these types of items. Residents are allowed to transport their own items to our local Household Hazardous Waste facility in Marshall but for someone else to transport them requires many other steps for the person or business who is transporting them. The Marshall Household Hazardous Waste facility is open Monday-Friday from 8am to 4:30pm and every second Saturday of the month from 9am-2pm for your convenience.
If you are uncertain about how to dispose of specific items, please do not hesitate to reach out to us; we are here to assist you! Residents can also attend one of our upcoming free classes which will at the Marshall Lyon County Library. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle will be held at noon on May 8; composting at noon on May 15; and pring cleaning, moving and cleaning shop at noon on May 21.
For help with questions, please contact the Lyon County Environmental office at (507) 532-8210 or the Lyon County Landfill at (507) 865-4615.
