The following organizations make regular pickups from homes and businesses in Monmouth County. Call to make arrangements for pickup of usable and resalable items. These organizations reserve the right to reject items in poor condition.

Goodwill Industries (entire house contents) ...................................................(973) 481-2300

Salvation Army (furniture pickup only) ........................................................ (609) 599-9801

Recirculation Technology Associates ........................................................... (732) 363-0556

Rescue Mission of Trenton.......................................................................... (800) 528-8825

Many nonprofit organizations have drop boxes for clothing and reusable merchandise. Items must be in good condition and placed inside the box. Look for drop boxes in the parking lots of supermarkets and home improvement stores in your town.

New Eyes for the Needy, a non-profit organization, accepts old eyeglasses for distribution to needy recipients in the US and overseas. Glasses are used in two ways: Plastic-framed glasses are examined to determine the strength of the lenses and then shipped overseas. Metal-frames are melted down, and the money made on the sale of the metal is used to buy new glasses for people who need them in the United States. Glasses may be mailed to: New Eyes for the Needy, 549 Millburn Ave., PO. Box 332, Short Hills, NJ 07078, Phone: (973) 376-4903. Many other community organizations maintain drop boxes at supermarkets and community centers.

Attention photo enthusiasts! Now there is a place to bring your used film canisters (metal or plastic), empty film chemistry bottles and camera batteries (including the batteries contained in Polaroid film). These supplies can be brought to: Creative Camera, 2112 Highway 35, Oakhurst, NJ 07755, (732) 493-3535. No chemicals, please. Call ahead for business hours.

Americans sift through 100 million promotional videotapes a year, reports Videomaker magazine. What to do with the excess? Recycle: Alternative Community Training, a Missouri based non-profit employment program for people with severe disabilities, Repairs and resells used videotapes. Call 1-800-359-4608. Studio Film and Business, Based New York City, cleans and repackages used tapes. To buy the “new” Ecotapes, call 1-800-444-9330. (Courtesy of ACUA)

Many shipping businesses accept plastic packaging peanuts for reuse and recycling. Packaging must be free of other materials. Check the yellow pages under "Shipping Services","Mailing Services", or call (800)828-2214 for the location of the Mail boxes store nearest you.