Picture of Rolled Up MagazineI hate the idea of throwing away magazines, it seems so wasteful when you consider how many people would enjoy a chance to read them. However, magazine mountain piles grow out of control fast.

Here are a few ideas for moving out and recycling the magazines that you don’t collect but just read once:

  • Call ahead to your local hospital. Do they have a patient library and would they be interested in taking the magazines? Or maybe for the emergency waiting area?
  • Check with used book stores in your area. Will they take your magazines to trade, or even for free?
  • Check with your doctor’s office, dentist, hair stylist, nursing homes or senior citizen complexes, women’s shelters, homeless shelters, Ronald McDonald House, or medical clinics and laundromats.
  • Bring them to work to leave in the staff room for your co-workers to enjoy while at work or to take home if they like.
  • Keep a nice, decorative basket by the door filled with magazines. Ask visitors to help themselves and take whatever they like home.
  • If you have an underfunded, small town library–they may be interested in receiving them.
  • Check with schools and daycares, boy scouts, girl scouts, kids clubs and after school programs–many times they’re happy to receive them for student craft projects.

The key to a successful magazine purge on a regular basis is to make it as convenient and easy to do as possible. When it becomes a hassle or out of your way, chances are you’ll prolong things until that dratted magazine pile becomes a mountain to be feared.

Once a box is filled, drop off someplace that is on your daily commute path or only a few minutes off the beaten track.

Keep a box in the trunk of your car and toss the magazines inside once you’re done with them. When the box is full, drop it off. This keeps the magazines out of the house (clutter control) as well as immediately organized and ready to go.

If you’re not interested in saving a box at a time to give away to anyone who will take them, how about shredding them as soon as you’ve finished reading and use the shreddings for packing material?

If anyone has more ideas, I’d love to hear them!

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