What's the Deal: Retail recycling while avoiding the landfill

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- If you're de-cluttering, sometimes figuring out what to get rid of can be easier than knowing just what to do with it.

From recycling to selling to donating, a local professional organizer helps us figure out how to make space and move out the old stuff while avoiding the landfill.

"Life is ever-evolving and so is our stuff," says Rose Miller, who runs the organizing service Rose Knows Where it Goes. "Edit frequently and ruthlessly."

If you're looking to make some cash from your clutter, Miller says start with old electronics.

"The old phones, the old watch, the FitBit, the chargers, all of the expensive products," Miller says.

If you want to upgrade to the next model, try trading in the old one first.

"You can go to Apple and different stores like Best Buy and Staples," Miller says. "They will give you money for your products and then you can purchase the next and recycle the old."

Nearly 50 million tons of e-waste ends up in landfills every year. If you're just looking to move it out and make space, the EPA lists all the local spots where you can recycle.

When it comes to old clothes, you have a lot of options. First, think of our neighbors in need.

"We have amazing charities in this area like Career Wardrobe,"Miller says. "MenzFit is an amazing charity that donates suits and toiletries to men who are incarcerated."

Items you are no longer using can help them reinvent themselves and their lives. Next, consider the resources around you.

"Do a clothing swap with your girlfriends and your family and exchange clothes back and forth," Miller says. You can save money while spending time with people you love.

When it comes to toys, Donation Town is a website that lists who will take what in your area.

If you're looking to unload old Leo sets, the company has partnered with Give Back Box.

"You send them your old Lego bricks," Miller says. "They clean them , recycle them and give them to people in need."

Give Back Box is a good resource for just about anything you want to donate.

Just save your old shopping boxes, print out a label and pop it in the mail. You can de-clutter without leaving the house.

And if you need help with any of this, contact Rose Knows Where it Goes.