Such a good question C.L. !
I was always felt almost supersticious about throwing them away almost as if it was sinful. I was raised in the 75 era when everyone was hunkering down for a great tribulation that never materialized. One sister came up with the idea of sealing "back issues" (theres a Witness phrase I'd forgotten about) into plastic dish soap bottles and burying them in her back yard so they could be dug up later and distributed when the work was banned.I remember as a young adult going to a garage sale and seeing an Aid Book for sale and it still had the name of an elderly sister that had gone to my hall when I was a kid, written on the cover. I was shocked...It crossed my mind to buy it just to rescue it from it's disgrace.
It seemed like every month we'd have quite a few magazines left over, especially toward the end when we were still picking up the magazines but not going in service anymore. Canceling the subscription would mean that we were done for good and I guess on some level we hadn't come to grips with that. Finally I gathered them all up and tossed them into the huge recycling bin we have. I knew I had made progress because it barely phased me to do this.
A about 4 months ago a well meaning old friend of mine and the visiting CO stopped by unannounced (first and last time anyone contacted me in the 2+ years it's been sincemy last meeting) .The bookcase in my entry hall was conspicuously devoid of any colorful little books. They asked if I would like the latest magazines or newest publications. I politely decliclined but you could have cut the tension in the air with a knife. Haven't heard a thing from anyone since. Our leaving was a bigger deal to me than it needed to be, the brotherhood was a one sided illusion that I had bought into.