A means to declutter like no other, Good Riddance is a great idea that takes the stuff you no longer need and finds its perfect match among a growing list of local nonprofits.

To Visit Good Riddance online, Click Here.But not so fast: Read on, to learn about the why, where, and how of a new small business with a keen sense of the big picture…

Scott Stiffler, for Chelsea Community News (CCNews): How did Good Riddance go from a good idea to a fully realized brick and mortar business?

Cortney Boston, for Good Riddance (Courtney): Good Riddance actually started with my kitten, Monkey. After he decided he no longer liked his kitten food, I was left with a pile of unopened cans—and donating them in New York turned into an unexpectedly frustrating project. Between researching where they could go and hauling them across town, I realized how difficult it is to responsibly donate perfectly good items in the city. Once I started noticing it, it was everywhere: clothes, toys, housewares, baby gear—things people want to give away, but don’t have the time or energy to deal with. That frustration eventually became Good Riddance.

We launched this spring, to make donating simple for buildings and families. With a Good Riddance subscription, residents can leave items in our collection box, and we handle the sorting, coordination, and delivery to local organizations. 

Interestingly, the boxes have also started functioning as mini “buy nothing” groups within buildings, where neighbors often discover and reuse useful items before they’re even donated. At its core, Good Riddance is about making it easier for New Yorkers to declutter, reduce waste, and help both their neighbors and local communities—without hauling bags across the city.

CCNews: What becomes of the items you collect, and what kind of work goes into their rehabilitation?

Cortney: Currently, we collect all kinds of housewares, clothing, toys, office supplies—no furniture or rugs—anything that’s in good enough condition to give to a neighbor. We work with non-profits in Chelsea who routinely collect items to redistribute them to people who need them. When the items come in, we work with the non-profits to determine what they can use and then we deliver them. Rarely, an item comes in that isn’t in good enough condition to give to a non-profit. We recycle it if we can ,or it ends up in the trash.

CCNews: How many buildings are you in throughout Chelsea, and does the neighborhood skewer towards a particular type of donated items?

Cortney: We just launched in our first building this spring, and are in talks with several others who are interested. We’re doing our best to keep our costs low, so right now we can offer the monthly subscription for less than a cup of coffee per apartment! Generally, we see a good amount of clothes, housewares, and toys. The other week, we got a donation of a bunch of clipboards! It turned out to be perfect timing, because one of our partner nonprofits, Hudson Guild, had a volunteer event coming up and needed some.

CCNews: How do buildings become involved—is it through owners, individual tenants, etc?

Cortney: Typically, we work with building managers, owners, or board members who are looking to add a really cost-effective amenity for their residents. It’s also nice for buildings to be able to easily add an amenity that people really use! 

As we both have corporate backgrounds—we’re big on data, so we track every donation and where the items end up. This allows us to know how many pounds of waste we’re diverting for our buildings. We’re currently working on a proposal for the Department of Buildings, to apply to be one of the criteria that improves a building’s efficiency score—which translates to property tax savings for buildings. With any luck, Good Riddance will pay for itself and more!

CCNews: Your website has pages dedicated to these destinations: “For Buildings” and “For Nonprofits.”  What’s the difference?

Courtney: The “For Buildings” page is for apartment buildings that are looking to add a Good Riddance box as an amenity. The “For Nonprofits” page is for organizations who would like to receive the goods we collect.

CCNews: Talk about anything you’d like us to know, not covered in the above questions.

Cortney: Good Riddance was founded by two NYC moms who finally admitted what every family in New York already knows: The “stuff” is winning. The outgrown clothes. The mystery cords. The bags you swear you’re going to donate “this weekend” that somehow live in your hallway for six months. After one too many conversations about clutter, overflowing apartments, and how hard it can be to responsibly get rid of perfectly good things in New York City, we realized there had to be a better way.

So we created Good Riddance—a community-driven, paid donation, and sustainability company focused on helping families, buildings, and neighborhoods give unwanted items a second life instead of sending them to landfills. Our goal is to make donating easier, more accessible, and maybe even a little enjoyable.

At the heart of it all, Good Riddance is about creating a cleaner city, reducing waste, and helping New Yorkers reclaim a little bit of their apartment space—one bag at a time.

Want a Good Riddance box in your building? Click Here.

MEET THE FOUNDERS

Cortney Boston is the operational brain behind Good Riddance—the person who can somehow make logistics spreadsheets look calming. A graduate of Duke University and New York University Stern School of Business, Cortney understands how to build systems that actually work and scale. She’s passionate about creating something that can make a real impact on New York City while bringing communities together around sustainability and giving back.

She also understands, as a mom of two, that children somehow receive 47 birthday party favor bags a year and that all of those tiny plastic toys have to go somewhere.

Anita Kohli is the voice, energy, and community builder behind Good Riddance. A graduate of Pace University, former competitive tennis player, lifelong New Yorker, and mom of two, Anita has spent years balancing family life, city life, and the ongoing battle against apartment clutter.

Growing up in NYC taught her both the beauty and chaos of city living — and how much stronger communities can be when people come together in small but meaningful ways. Through Good Riddance, she hopes to make sustainability feel less intimidating, more approachable, and a lot more realistic for busy families.

Together, Cortney and Anita are building Good Riddance with one shared belief: New Yorkers may never fully conquer “the stuff,” but we can at least make getting rid of it smarter, easier, and better for the city we love.

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