Help, I Need to Get Rid of These Electrical Cords!

Once upon a time, there was a striped cat named Milo. Adopted at eight weeks by a gullible sucker named Caitlin, Milo quickly became spoiled and decided everything he could see in the room was a toy to play with.



It was cute at first, but quickly became extremely annoying, and two and a half years later, Caitlin found herself with a pile of chewed phone chargers and AC adapters (and one fiance's laptop charger).


Hiding her one remaining phone charger, she researched how to properly dispose of her electrical cords so they didn't have to go in the trash. "Milo may be destructive and wasteful, but he is not going to keep me from being eco-friendly. AT LEAST I can use one of our spare AC adapters for my essential oil diffuser and save money," she thought.

(I am so glad I can write a short non-fiction piece on cats chewing through wires. Literary, I say.)

Maybe (hopefully) you are not in the same predicament. However, chances are, you've got a box full of spare cords and cables taking up room somewhere in your house. Not very minimalist! I wrote a post a couple years ago about electronics waste and why it's so important not to contribute to electronics pollution. So, how do you get rid of them the responsible way?

Do your cords and cables still work? 

  • Donate them! Goodwill accepts electronics donations, or you can ask around at schools, libraries or other nonprofit organizations to see if they can accept the items.
  • Sell them! Whether in a Facebook "For Sale In Your Town" group, at a garage sale, or on another website, you could make a little extra cash and help out someone who needs an extra cable.

If they've shorted out, don't work, or are frayed/chewed...

Look to your recycling options. 
  • Your local Best Buy has kiosks, just inside the front doors, to drop off ink and toner cartridges, rechargeable batteries, and wires, cords and cables, plastic bags and gift cards. Simply drop off your crap and go about your day.
  • If your city has an electronic waste recycling center, drop off your cords there.
    • The Louisiana DEQ has a list (albeit a two-year-old list) of electronics recyclers throughout the state. If nothing, this can serve as a starting point if you are looking around.
    • AllGreen offers electronic recycling pickup throughout the state.
  • This Apartment Therapy list provides available online recycling options.



Nice try, Sour Patch Kid. (He's sour and then he's sweet. Heh. Hehehe.)

Now, Milo, can you earn your keep and take this bag of cords you destroyed over to the local Best Buy for me?

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