Boston Brick & Stone - March 2019

Donate With Care

The Right Way to Donate After Spring-Cleaning

Spring is in the air, and it’s time to celebrate with another round of spring- cleaning. Banish the clutter and make room in your life for something new! Many charities see a sharp increase in donations as spring-cleaning season starts. Donating your used books, kids’ toys, and gently worn clothing allows your old items to have a second life. However, when filling that donation box, make sure you’re donating each item because it can do good and not just because you feel bad about throwing it away. Charities have a big problem with well-meaning citizens dropping off items that are better left in the trash. There are many items charities simply cannot handle. Most charities will have lists of items they can and cannot accept on their websites. Some items that you should not donate include:

These items may be unsafe to sell, costly to ship, or impossible to refurbish

effectively. When a charity regularly receives items they cannot use, they have to spend hours of manpower sorting through things that end up in the trash anyway. This process can be expensive for organizations with already-strained resources. Some local charities spend over $1,000 a year on dumpster and trash removal fees for unusable donations. While charities will have no choice but to throw unusable donations in the trash, there are services you can use to make your spring-cleaning eco- friendly, even for items you can’t donate. For example, if you have torn or stained blue jeans, reach out to Blue Jeans Go Green. This program keeps denim out of landfills by turning it into insulation. And while Goodwill can't take your batteries or old flip phone, you can check out Call2Recycle. org to learn how to safely recycle your e-waste.

• Expired medications • Old TVs • Cribs • Loose remote controls • Personal care items, like soap, shampoo, or makeup

• Mattresses • Carpets

• Tangled cords or phone chargers • Any broken, damaged, or dirty items

Your donations can be a big help to local charities. Just don’t “donate” your garbage.

Rock-Solid Review

CHIMNEY

•Inspection •Restoration and repair •Construction •Sweeping

FIREPLACE

•Inspection, restoration, or repair of an existing structure •Installation or reconstruction of new structures

"I was very impressed with Boston Brick and Stone. I called to make an appointment, and the company was very efficient and responsive — they managed to get me an appointment for the very next day to inspect the chimney. The crew arrived early and really took the time to properly identify where the rain water was getting into my fireplace. Burton quickly identified the problem being in the roof near the chimney. They reconfirmed this when checking in the attic, on the roof near the chimney, and in the fireplace. They sent me a very detailed and thorough report with pictures within two days after their inspection. I utilized their report with the roofer so he knew exactly where the problem was. The roofer believes he fixed the problem that he saw in the report, and all I can say is so far, so good." – Bob P.

HARDSCAPE

•Backyard patios •Outdoor kitchens and barbecues •Outdoor steps, walkways, and paths •Retaining walls •Outdoor fireplaces •Driveways

HISTORICAL RESTORATION Our previous restoration work includes the following:

•Restoration of the main lobby chimney system of the El Tovar Hotel on the Grand Canyon’s South Rim •Repair and restoration of chimneys in 56 original historic cabins on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim •Historical chimney restoration for the lodge in Bryce Canyon National Park •Faithful restoration of the chimneys on the Nottingham and Arden properties in Beverly Hills

BRICK RESTORATION AND CONSTRUCTION DRIVEWAY CONSTRUCTION

2 | 626-296-7700

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