The glorious weather of early fall will inevitably fade to cooler, damper days.

When the clouds turn us indoors, we can no longer ignore the clutter and excess stuff we’ve accumulated over the summer months and beyond. This can serve as motivation to begin the satisfying task of cleaning and clearing. It’s much saner to live in a sanctuary than a junk store.

Where to start? Picking away at clutter can feel overwhelming at first. Having a plan in place makes the task easier and potentially even lucrative.

Begin by placing a few boxes in the rooms you want to clear – one for donating or selling and one for garbage. A third box can serve as a place for the recyclables you are bound to encounter.

All electronics and small appliances that can’t be fixed can be dropped off for free. Take small appliances, including power tools, exercise machines, kitchen countertop electronics, et cetera, and their attachments, to Sunset Coast Bottle Depot at 7127 Duncan Street or Town Centre Recycling Depot next to RONA.  Electronics including computers, printers, gaming equipment and accessories can be taken to Sunset Coast as well.

Spaciousness in your home creates spaciousness in your life. Letting go of things that you aren’t using will release you from the energy required to maintain them.

Repairs, insurance and storage are the responsibilities we don’t always acknowledge when bringing possessions into our lives. Selling, trading and giving away our excess connects us to our community and frees us of the inherent burdens of caring for it.

Whittling down our possessions also allows us to better appreciate what remains. You might dust off some board games, polish up some furniture or put batteries in an otherwise unused gadget. Bigger home projects that have been looming might feel more possible, too, with less to trip over.

If you lack storage, there are low cost, low waste ways to create some for the items you choose to keep.

Stacked wooden boxes or a thrifted dresser work well for most budgets. Having things handy makes it much less likely that you’ll buy a second set of something you already have in some back corner of the garage or attic.

Consider storage spaces that can double as furniture, if you’re short on square footage. Hanging or vertical storage for items from kitchen pans to brooms and garden equipment could save you the trouble of building that shed or pantry you thought was a desperate necessity.

We often accumulate things for the feelings we believe they will bring us, and then when that wave of emotions inevitably fades, we look for some other toy to buoy up our spirits. Most of us, however, find that in the long run, less is more.

Looking over the hoard of our possessions is something most of us tend to put off, but much like cleaning up our diet, it’s always worth the effort.

Let’s Talk Trash is contracted by qathet Regional District to offer its waste reduction education program. For more information, email info@letstalktrash.ca or go to LetsTalkTrash.ca.