5 Reasons Why People Hoard Rubbish & Why It’s Dangerous

People tend to hoard various things. You can gather loads of old or unused items without knowing it.

These items may include your childhood stuff, old toys, and other personal memorabilia. You can also have several antiques or inherited objects and many sorts of things that remind you of events, people, and places.

Moreover, you may also tend to hoard things that you think might be useful in the future. While you do this unknowingly, your piles of rubbish are gradually taking over valuable space in your home.

In this article, we have listed five reasons people hoard rubbish and why it’s dangerous.

1. Personal Trauma

Traumatic loss may lead people to become hoarders. This personal experience can significantly affect the way a person thinks about throwing away and keeping things.

Most experts say that compulsive hoarding may link to experiencing traumatic loss, especially during childhood. Hoarders have usually suffered from neglect, abuse or trauma, leading them to fear losing something. Thus, resulting in hoarding rubbish.

But this does not mean that all hoarders have experienced abuse. Traumas can occur at any stage of your life, and the effect may vary in every person.

2. Emotional Attachment

Emotions have the power to make us keep things even if they’re not useful. When we get too sentimental about such items, we might end up with lots of rubbish. 

Although deemed useless, you may tend to hoard various memorable items thinking that you could keep the memories by doing so. Your emotional attachment to each object makes it difficult for you to let them go. 

Items such as childhood toys, antiques, letters, and ceramics may remind you of places, people, feelings, and events in your life that you consider special. 

In some cases, compulsive hoarders become overly attached to their possessions and give inanimate objects human-like attributes. 

However, hoarding loads of sentimental items may not do you any good at all. You must know when and how to eliminate such things. 

If you want to regain the valuable space in your home, you have to let them go slowly. Getting a hoarder’s rubbish removal in Sydney might help you do this effectively. 

3. Emotional Irregularity

Another reason why people hoard rubbish is mental conditions. Depression and anxiety disorders might cause people to become hoarders. 

In most cases, hoarding becomes their coping mechanism. People with mental incapacities may resort to keeping as many things as they can gather to uplift their emotions. 

Cases like these often need professional medical assistance for assessment and treatment. 

4. Dread of Waste 

Hoarders often think that the items may be useful one day. That’s why they tend to keep them. You may have kept cable wires, rust nails or other things for a long time, thinking that you can utilise them for an important purpose. 

However, it often leads to having piles of useless things that need cleaning and disposal as soon as possible. Don’t be afraid of having items put in waste bins. 

If it’s time to get rid of them, better take action right away. Besides, you can opt for a professional hoarder’s rubbish removal when things get too tough for you. 

5. Uncertain about Where to Throw the Items

Some people may have no other option but to hoard their useless items because they don’t know where to get rid of them properly. While there are council pick-ups, not all rubbish gets accommodated.  

The best way to dispose of your hoarded rubbish in Sydney is to ask for help from the experts. This will make you at ease, not worrying about how you can get rid of such unwanted things.

6. Dangers of Hoarding Rubbish

Keeping various items comes with risks, which may often lead to serious problems when neglected. Here are some dangers associated with hoarding rubbish.

  • Health Concerns – Loads of rubbish make a good space for dirt and dust. They also attract pests, leading to harbourage and mould build-up, which is harmful to human health.
  • Fire Safety Hazards – Keeping faulty electronics and combustible items shows a significant fire safety hazard. 
  • Inability to Do Basic Daily Routines – When you hoard items, they will take valuable space in your house. It might be difficult for you to clean your surroundings and sleep at night due to limited mobility.

Conclusion

People hoard rubbish due to many reasons. We’ve mentioned five of them to give you some insights into why a person becomes a hoarder.

These include trauma, emotions, incapacities, dread of putting things to waste, and uncertainty about where to take your unwanted items. Besides, hoarding rubbish brings a serious threat to human health and safety.

If you don’t take care of your hoarded rubbish properly, you will end up harming public health and the environment.

Understand why people hoard and prevent yourself from being a compulsive hoarder. Take action now and let each useless item slowly go before they take over your valuable space. 

Aussie Junk

Aussie Junk

Aussie Junk is a proud local Sydney rubbish removal company. We help educate Aussies on the importance of environmental topics such as recycling, hygiene, personal and social well-being and sustainability. Free up more valuable space in your life by calling our local team to help clear and clean out your junk today.

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