Spring Cleaning becomes Spring Recycling.

It used to be called spring cleaning. The time when you dug through all your stuff, old bicycle helmets, computer parts, cloths — and thew…

It used to be called spring cleaning. The time when you dug through all your stuff, old bicycle helmets, computer parts, cloths — and thew them away.

But some years ago, in attempt to not send good workable things to the landfill we began a tradition of spring gifting.

It works like this.

First, you have to gather up all the things you’re not using. Things your kids have outgrown. Things you’re family doesn’t use any long. Things that are still working (with boxes and instructions if possible) and offer them up to the world. Some I post on Craigslist, which has a free category. Some I post on “Freecycle” and some I post on my building’s bulletin board.

This year’s haul was especially fun. An 10 gallon fish tank with all the parts. It seems our time as a ‘fish family’ is long past. Some video equipment from an era when I shot on HDV tape — not i’m all on cards. An old wifi-router, a working air conditioner, a previous version of a 360 camera.

There are some rules to the spring recycling game.

First, anything that has identifiable info and account log ins needs to be wiped clean. Then, you need to be clear about what kind of person you want to give to. For the film gear, it was an aspiring filmmaker. For the fish tank it was a family with kids who want to add a low-stress pet to their apartment.

And for the electronic gear, I put a sale price on it on Craigslist. Not excessive, but I don’t want to attract folks who just surf Craigslist for free stuff to resell.

Then I clean everything up. Wipe down the gear. Try and find all the cords, cables, and bits I can. And, for obvious reasons of safety and sanity, I don’t give people my name or address. Instead, I meet them at a local Starbucks or another convenient place. Sometimes I’ll share a picture via a text for bigger things, managing relationships with strangers requires some care.

The thing about spring recycling is it takes more work then just throwing things out. But there are a number of benefits — beyond the obvious ones.

Yes, it’s good for the planet. But having now done this for a few years I can’t tell you how many amazing people I’ve met. How many great stories I’ve heard. And how a small gift to a stranger provides benefits far beyond the simple joy of a clean house, and removing the baggage of keeping things you don’t need. I’ve met teachers who needed supplies for their classroom, filmmakers working on important and difficult projects, students who need a small piece of gear, and entrepreneurs who are building new businesses.

Spring Recycling is a great way to pay forward with things that are going to waste in our electronic-dust bins and closets.

So try it — it sure beats sending working but unused gear to the landfill.