More Donations 'Spark Joy,' But Goodwill Can't Take Everything

DENVER (CBS4) - Does the name Marie Kondo give you the urge to clean your closet? If so, then you're probably aware of her popular Netflix series called "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo."

Since it debuted in January, the show has boosted donations at Goodwill Industries of Denver. When you walk into a Goodwill retail store, there's a good chance you'll find something that sparks joy!

"Oh yeah, definitely," said Andria Stephenson.

She shops at Goodwill on South Broadway in Denver five times a week.

"It has all kind of treasures in here! Pictures that I haven't seen in years, even Broncos stuff," she told CBS4's Kathy Walsh.

If the racks and shelves seem a little more crowded, thank the Marie Kondo craze. These days, people donating even quote the show.

"They're like, 'Oh we watch 'Tidying Up' and this doesn't spark joy anymore, so I hope you guys like it'," said Jessica Smith, PR & Digital Media Manager of Goodwill Industries of Denver.

Goodwill reports a five percent increase in the number of donors in February of 2019 over 2018 and about 500,000 pounds of additional stuff.

"We'll accept almost anything," said Smith.

That's "almost" anything. Goodwill has a history of getting trash and un-sellable items dumped on them. Smith pulled out newspaper stories from the 1970s that detailed the dumping. Even Goodwill admits, some things are just junk.

"We often get a lot of undershirts that have pretty bad armpit stains," said Smith showing just such an undershirt.

She explained Goodwill doesn't take hazardous materials or food.

"... or stuff that's dirty, like this tumbler," said Smith.

Here's what you can and cannot donate.

Now, maybe the next time you're tidying up and something doesn't delight you, do as Marie Kondo says and thank it for its service. You can then let it go to a good cause or into the trash.

Goodwill provides education, career development, and employment opportunities to help Coloradans in need achieve self-sufficiency, dignity, and hope through the Power of Work.

Goodwill's programming is funded through its retail stores. Items that don't sell or cannot be sold in the stores are either sold by the pound at Goodwill Outlet Worlds or recycled in an environmentally safe way. In 2018, Goodwill Industries of Denver repurposed and recycled 55 million pounds of goods.