Several weeks ago, I made it my mission to purge and clear up the clutter around the house. Most of the clutter was strategically hidden away in closets, the crawl space or in the office where the mess can easily be hidden from view whenever guests are over. But after reading an excerpt on Marie Kondo's KonMari method, I told myself, enough is enough. Why hold on to old clothes that no longer fit, neglected toys that my kids have outgrown or books that are way below their reading level? It's time to let go and pass on these items to those who could really use them.

Fortunately, Glad sent over a special package to help inspire our family to clean out our closets and donate gently used items. I was happy to learn that this summer, Glad is teaming up with Goodwill in Toronto and the GTA to encourage residents to donate to the Donate4Good program. In doing so, they will be donating $10,000 + 10,000 black plastic bags to help corral your donated items.

Over the next few months, Glad will be stationed at five select Loblaws locations across Toronto on select weekends. There will also be a number of neighbourhoods that will have door-to-door bag deliveries to help you prepare before your local Loblaws drop-off date. We all benefit when we do our best to help others in need but when you donate a Glad blag with clothing and other gently used items, it's like you're helping out two-fold since Glad will donate $1.50 to Goodwill up to a maximum of $8,000.

DROP OFF DATES AND LOCATIONS:

LOBLAWS YONGE ST. - 3501Yonge St, NorthYork

• Friday, August 14 from 4PM-8PM
• Saturday, August 15 from 10AM-2PM 

LOBLAWS LESLIE ST. - 17 Leslie St, Toronto

• Friday, August 28 from 4PM-8PM
• Saturday August 29 from 10AM-2PM 

LOBLAWS MUSGRAVE ST. - 50 Musgrave St., Toronto

• Friday, September 18 from 4PM-8PM 
• Saturday, September 19 from 10AM-2PM 

LOBLAWS DUNDAS ST.W. - 2280 Dundas St.West, Toronto 

• Friday, October 2 from 4PM-8PM  
• Saturday October 3 from 10AM-2PM 

LOBLAWS MCLAUGHLIN - 5970 McLaughlin Rd, Mississauga

• Friday, October 23 from 4PM-8PM 
• Saturday, October 24 from 10AM-2PM 

Did you know that kitchen organic material makes up approximately 30% of our garbage? Kitchen organics refers to food waste but also includes used tissues and paper towels. By recycling theses organics, we can convert it into compost and help divert it from landfill. Thanks to tiny microorganisms, the waste is eaten to produce carbon dioxide, water and humus, resulting in a natural fertilizer that has been proven by organic gardeners to have several benefits. It can restore soil fertility, help retain ground moisture, control weeds and reduce soil erosion. This is one of the reasons I recycle kitchen organics at home.

Another reason I recycle kitchen organics is to reduce the amount of garbage that gets thrown out. We chose a medium sized garbage bin when we moved to our new house as a reminder that we need to limit waste and to also reduce costs for utility fees related to garbage removal. The one major problem I have experienced is finding sturdy bags that are designed with compost in mind. You know, the kind that won't tear and leave a nasty mess at the bottom of your kitchen waste bin (yuck). So when I was offered a chance to sample the new GLAD Compostable Bags with Odour Guard, I jumped at the opportunity. I received a whole bunch of bags to try out and share, and they came in a big box that I am reusing as a toy box.