I’m posted candles in my local Buy Nothing group. I’m helping a neighbor downsize and they had all these candles… Luckily I checked the list at Austin Creative Reuse and they Do Not accept candles. I imagine they get so many because there are a lot of people that end up in this situation. I love this quote they have, “PLEASE, for the love of reuse, don’t bring us these items!” Here’s the link for what they do and do not accept: https://austincreativereuse.org/material-donations.
I have seen candles at Goodwill but honestly let’s just buy less and try to keep them local. Also store candles properly so they don’t melt, don’t stick to each other, and don’t discolor which may make them more inclined to be thrown straight into the trash.
Make sure you include a sign with anything that you put out.
This one says FREE.
Otherwise, people won’t know that the items are available for free or for parts if something is “Free but broken or Needs Repair.”
Here is the result…most of the candles are left.
Only the slightly-used wedding cake and brand new candles were taken.
The pillars were not burned in an aesthetically pleasing way and were discolored so maybe that’s why?
I’m not sure many people use tapers anymore… I know I’ve seen color tapers at Central Market so I don’t know how this works…
The egg shapes maybe are an unusual shape plus they were already burned/started…
The brand new tapers are the only thing in good condition that I will donate as they can be decorative.
After all the posting, I did have someone reach out to me asking for these tapers; however they continue to not follow up on my messages so these will be taken to Goodwill, my closest local thrift store.
Reminder: we do not burn things in my house so I won’t be using them myself.
Takeaway: start working on downsizing your candle collection now. Use them yourself, talk to friends and family, work on your own Buy Nothing group, etc.
Places of worship and other gatherings that you are a part of may be interested. You can bring it up as a zero waste option, as a swap /trading post, something to get the discussion going. Maybe also Swedish death cleaning or end of life discussions.
If your place of worship uses candles please for the love of God, ask them first. Don’t just drop candles off.
My church literally had a candle closet, and now it’s a candle cabinet because I consolidated and organized them. Other places of worship may be in a similar situation have a ton of candles as well.
Please don’t add to a problem.
I do not Candles as presents based on my experience seeing them in thrift stores, creative reuse stores not wanting them, and the amount of decluttering of candles that I have experienced in my different spheres/areas of life. Candle sizes, scents and wax type are very personal things so just please find something else as a gift. Candles don’t seem to be in the category of “consumable” but rather dust-collectable.
Video experience below. I include permission to let go if you need it.
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Arbor Made Candles: Refillable Candles
#candles#rehome#declutter#downsizing@buynothingproject@austingoodwill