Recycling

I am passionate about recycling, drive my family crazy and go through the trash cans (only at home!) to pull out recyclables. But it also presents a dilemna for me, as it paralyzes my ability to get rid of clutter. I feel like you have to recycle old magazines into an additional use, not just into the bin, so there are piles of them around waiting for their next use.
Our garage is full of stuff that is too big for the recycling bin, subsequently just sitting there piling up. I sometimes think I should just give it up, like so many other people do and just don't care. However, on our recent vacation, we drove by the regional landfill site and it is SO much bigger than last year that it was depressing.
I am a fan of the tradition (is it Latin American?) of putting things you are done with out on the sidewalk/curb for others to take and use, kind of a variation on recycling. I have not left anything out, but it is a family joke that some belongings have "come from the street."