Somewhere in your house right now, there may be an old laptop nobody uses, a mysterious box of charging cords, a printer that “probably still works,” and at least one electronic device everyone has collectively agreed not to discuss.
October is giving Centennial residents a good reason to finally deal with them.
But instead of making this merely an electronics clean-out, let’s turn it into a one-hour fall reset that clears space, protects your information, and may even uncover a little money hiding in plain sight.
1. Start With the Electronics Graveyard
Centennial is hosting its Fall Electronics Recycling Event on Saturday, October 3, from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Centennial Civic Center, 13133 E. Arapahoe Road.
Residents can bring a surprisingly wide variety of electronics, including computers, televisions, cell phones, printers, cables, routers, small kitchen appliances, vacuums, video game systems, electric tools and even old Christmas lights.
The City is asking participants to bring nonperishable food or a minimum $5 monetary donation benefiting the Salvation Army Centennial Corps. High participation is expected, and vehicles will not be admitted after 11 a.m.
Before loading the car, check the City’s accepted-item list. Household batteries, paint, chemicals, smoke detectors, light bulbs and several other items are not accepted at this particular event.
2. Clean the Data Before You Clean the Drawer
That old phone may look harmless sitting at the bottom of a desk drawer, but it can still contain photos, saved passwords, emails, contacts and account information.
Before recycling a phone, tablet, computer, hard drive or other device containing personal information, Centennial specifically advises residents to delete their data before arriving.
So make this part of the clean-out:
Back up anything you want to keep.
Sign out of accounts.
Remove memory cards when appropriate.
Perform the manufacturer-recommended factory reset or secure erase.
Then recycle.
Getting rid of the device is satisfying. Getting rid of it without accidentally donating ten years of your digital life is considerably better.
3. While You’re Cleaning, Find the Monthly Money Leaks
Once you are already in “what are we still keeping?” mode, apply the same question to your bank statement.
Take ten minutes and look for recurring expenses you may have stopped noticing:
Streaming services.
Apps.
Cloud storage.
Memberships.
Software.
Delivery subscriptions.
Free trials that quietly graduated into paid adulthood.
You do not need to cancel everything. The goal is simply to ask:
“Do we still use this enough to pay for it every month?”
Canceling even one forgotten $10 monthly subscription saves $120 over the next year.
That is a pretty respectable return on ten minutes of housekeeping.
4. Build a Cold-Weather Landing Zone
Now reclaim some of the space you just created.
Choose one basket, shelf, drawer or section near the door and make it the household cold-weather landing zone.
Start gathering the things Colorado weather eventually makes everyone hunt for at the exact same time:
Gloves.
Ice scraper.
Flashlights.
Dog towels.
Hand warmers.
Reflective gear.
Small snow tools.
Anything you routinely need once temperatures drop.
This is less about decorating the entryway and more about eliminating the annual ritual of asking, “Where did we put the ice scraper?”
5. Make Three Fall Piles
As you move through the house this week, create just three categories:
USE IT
Keep it where you can actually find it.
DONATE IT
If it is useful but no longer useful to you, give it another life.
RECYCLE IT
Electronics and other specialty materials often need a proper recycling route rather than the household trash.
Centennial does not provide municipal trash or recycling pickup, and providers vary by neighborhood. The City maintains recycling resources for residents who need help locating the appropriate option for specific materials.
The Centennial SMARTS Challenge
Set a timer for 60 minutes this week.
Spend:
20 minutes gathering unused electronics.
10 minutes reviewing recurring expenses.
15 minutes creating your cold-weather landing zone.
15 minutes filling one donation or recycling box.
That is it.
No garage overhaul. No twelve-bin organizing system. No weekend sacrificed to the gods of household clutter.
Just one hour that leaves you with a little more space, fewer things to manage, and perhaps a few fewer dollars escaping every month.
Save time. Save money. Live better.
That’s Centennial SMARTS.
27 Comments
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Wish more neighborhoods had standard recycling. Providers are all different and it’s confusing for new residents like me.
Never realized how much money just leaks out on random subscriptions. I canceled two last month and don’t even miss them.
Big fan of no garage overhauls here. One hour sounds just right for my attention span!
Does anyone know if cords have to be separated from devices, or can it all be tossed together? Trying to speed this up for my folks.
Great question, cords and devices don't have to be separated and can be dropped off together, making the process even simpler for you and your folks.
It’s nice they do this, but would be better if they accepted paint and light bulbs too. My shed is like a hoarder’s paradise.
Our dog totally thanks you for the dog towels suggestion. Never thought about keeping extras by the door!
MollyTRight? It’s such a simple idea and saves so much time during muddy season. Our border collie practically lives on the back step, so we go through a ton of towels.
Is there a list somewhere of what’s actually accepted? Don’t want to haul things they won’t take.
Honestly, I always think I’ll use my old tech for “something someday.” I never do, though. Guess I should let it go.
Pro tip: Bring a snack or coffee if you show up early. The event last year got really busy and I was waiting in the car for 30 min.
Happy to see vacuums and small appliances on the list. Our old toaster oven is finally going bye-bye!
Glad to hear it! The event accepts a wide range of small appliances, so your toaster oven has found its farewell.
Can small businesses bring old equipment or is this just for residents? I have a couple monitors from my shop gathering dust.
Good tip on checking recurring expenses. Didn’t think about those $2 app charges adding up. Time to look at my statement.
This “three piles” system looks simple enough to actually do. If I tried the twelve-bin thing I’d get overwhelmed and give up by noon.
I wish the city did recycling pick-up for electronics more often. It’s only once or twice a year and everything piles up.
Appreciate the Salvation Army donation tie-in. We brought food last year. Good opportunity for a clean-out and to help out.
We took stuff to this last year and the line moves pretty quick, just don’t show up at the last minute. People were being turned away right at 11.
Reading this made me realize I’ve got a Netflix AND a Hulu account I barely use. Guess what’s getting canceled tonight.
Can someone explain where to donate things that aren’t electronics? I have some kitchen stuff and books I’m trying to clear out too.
Kind of bummed they won't take batteries or light bulbs, but at least I can finally get rid of our busted vacuum and ancient printer!
We hear you, while batteries and light bulbs aren't accepted at this event, the City does offer a recycling resources page to help you find options for those items.
I love the idea of a cold-weather landing zone. Every year we scramble for gloves and never know where they are. Might finally get it together this time.
I always forget to wipe my devices before recycling. Thanks for the reminder! Have to figure out how to do a hard reset on my old laptop now.
You're welcome! Most laptops have a manufacturer-recommended reset process in the settings menu, and a quick search for your model should point you in the right direction.
Glad they're doing the electronics recycling again. Our garage has way too many defunct cords. My kids are dreading me making them help sort everything.