You can try freecycle for your area. People will come and pick it up if you want. When I get to that point, I usually borrow a truck and haul it to the dump. Also some of those charity places- goodwill, salvation army etc will come pick up stuff that is worth reselling.

Ginger

If it's big stuff, I freecycle it. After all we live in the middle of nowhere and it needs to be worth the drive. I"ve gotten rid of a dresser, some fencing.

The little stuff goes to the closest (and my favorite) thrift store and the clothes get dropped in the drop boxes around town.

I think it's important to find a charity that you really believe in. It makes a big difference giving away my stuff to a great cause because it makes it kind of an "offering." I used to collect chenille blankets and had a hard time parting with them if they were just going to a thrift store to be sold for $2. But giving them to a charity where they'll actually be used and loved was great and made me cheerfully look for more stuff to give.

Ours always goes to the local SA.

Eliza ann

Maybe it's just been my experience, but "quick" and "easy" are not words I associate with freecycle. Not to knock what it does -- I think it's great to recycle stuff (I'm as often on the receiving end as I am on the giving end). But posting the notice, trying to coordinate the weather with the persons picking up the stuff, etc., sometimes makes me appreciate the simplicity of boxing it up and bringing it to Goodwill or the Salvation Army (where at least you get a tax deduction).

I'll save freecycle for the stuff that GW/SA won't take (building materials, etc.) or stuff that I know has greater value than they'll give it (semi-collectibles, etc.).

If your "junk" is actually reusable building materials, various organizations may accept them. I'm told that Habitat for Humanity will accept usable materials (i.e., not weirdly-shaped scraps of plywood or stained carpet); here in Minneapolis/St. Paul we have a place called the Re-Use Center which accepts windows, bathroom fixtures, countertops and cabinets, cabinet hardware, millwork, etc. Look for "architectural salvage" in your phone book and you may find someplace.

I have been known to throw stuff away. Depends how useful I think it will actually be to someone.

And, there are folks who swear by the concept of setting it out by the curb w/ a "free to a good home" sign.

I live in NYC, so I can do this pretty successfully (though I usually do it on trash day, so that we don't get a ticket from the Sanitation Police).