(small appliances, tableware,clothing, furniture, toys, sports equipment, children's books, white elephants, etc.)
Your unwanted household items can have a life again if you donate them to charity. Organizations such as Goodwill Industries will take your donations, sort and sometimes repair them, and resell them in thrift shops nationwide. Broken items are fixed, and scrap materials (like worn-out textiles) are sold for recycling. Goodwill provides jobs and job training for tens of thousands of people who would otherwise have trouble finding work. In 1994 alone Goodwill assisted 25,000 people finding placement in the private sector, helping many people get off public assistance. Wash the clothing, and try to include manuals or brochures on appliances (especially if broken). Surf the net, scan the white pages or look in the yellow pages under "Thrift Shops" for a charity and drop-off center near you.
Nike corporation grinds up shoes and reuses some of the components for athletic mats, which are donated to good causes. Call 1-800-352-NIKE and navigate deep into the menu for drop-off locations and a Reuse-A-Shoe program description. Next time you buy shoes, ask the store if they participate in any recycling programs.
Old synthetic carpets have value as recycled materials. Individual consumers generally can't get rid of a carpet, but you can ask installers and renovation companies if they will do it for you. See the pages of United Recycling Incorporated, The Partnership for Carpet Reclamation (Actually just DuPont) or AlliedSignal's Carpet Recycling Information Page for the details.