You don’t have to wait until spring to clean up, now’s the time

While you may think of spring as the time to do the biggest clean and purge around your home, you can get things spiffed up for fall. Now is the time to make sure things don’t linger—and collect dust—during the winter.

My garage is one of those places right now. Unfortunately it’s piled so high with unwanted this and thats I can’t park my car in there. I’ve been hoping to get it cleaned out before winter, but I’ve been putting it off. However, a couple of community events are a reminder that now is the time to get the job done.

Starting on Monday, Sept. 10, Brunswick County Solid Waste is hosting its free dump week at the Brunswick County Landfill. If you have things that are broken or unusable, you can bring them to the landfill next week for no fee.

Items that are not accepted include hazardous household materials, household trash, land-clearing debris or new construction debris. All other items are accepted.

You must show proof of residency and if you show up in a commercial vehicle, you’ll be charged a tipping fee. However, if you load up your personal vehicle of unwanted household items—except hazardous waste—you can breeze in and out without paying.

The landfill is open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. It’s off U.S. 17 in Bolivia.

If you have hazardous waste stored at your home such as used oil, batteries, latex paint and fuel, you can also get rid of that at no cost, however, those items aren’t welcome at the landfill. You will need to take them to South Brunswick Middle School on 100 Cougar Road in Boiling Spring Lakes on Sept. 15.

On that same day at that same location, you can also take any unwanted clothing to the school and the county will give them away to a local charity.

While you can save money during free dump week, there’s also an opportunity for you to make money and help a great cause at the same time.

On Saturday, Sept. 15, the South Brunswick Island Shrine Club is hosting a giant community-wide yard sale. It will be at the club at 4911 Old Shallotte Road in Shallotte.

There is a fee to have a space at the yard sale. For $20, you can get a 10-foot-by-20-foot space to sell all those things you’ve been meaning to get rid of. There’s no need to draw long lines of cars and visitors to the privacy of your home. For this fee, you can join others at one big location.

Not only can you make some money by selling your unwanted stuff, the fees for space rentals will be used to support Shriners’ charitable activities, including supporting the 18 Shiners Hospitals for Children throughout the United States.

I’m a Shriners’ kid. I was born with a birth defect that twisted my legs and made it difficult for me to stand and walk correctly. Through Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Ky., Shriners paid for much of my medical care as a child. Through their support I was able to wear full-leg corrective braces for years before turning to shin-length braces then corrective shoes.

By midway through elementary school I could walk with no noticeable defects and was happy to get my first brand new pair of sneakers.

Shriners are a great group and great cause. And you can get a jump-start on getting your home de-cluttered before winter.

 For more information on the Shiners’ yard sale, call Bob Gunter at 754-7388. For more information on free dump week and related activities, call 253-2524.