Look in the Bugs thread. Some guy was complaining about his copper and tin disappearing while he was at the forge. Apparently, he had opened the menu for the forge. Instead of going to the craft menu to the right of the center of the screen, he decided he needed to Ctrl + left click on the copper and tin in his inventory to make bronze. According to him, his copper and tin disappeared out of his inventory. Gone forever.

I'd be willing to bet that they are not gone forever. They are probably lying on the floor behind his forge. But perhaps he is correct. If he is, all you have to do is load up you inventory with the stuff you want to get rid of and go to the forge. Ctrl + left click on the lot.

Also out of campfire range

Can also put them in a Karve, go a bit out into the ocean and dump them. It will sink. But yes, I feel they should add a destroy option.

I toss them aside and they de-spawn after a while. If you don't like that idea there are mods to recycle items and/or destroy them.

Tossing them in the sea, in my moat, or into a river works for me.

I dug a trash hole I throw my junk into, I have some "garbage" chests in my camp and when they fill up I do a trash run to the hole and throw everything in there lol

dig one up and I bet you find it empty. Items left on the ground that are not in a chest will de-spawn after a time.

Leave them outside work bench radius and they'll despawn in a few days. Throw them in water outside work bench radius and they'll despawn even faster.

Would sure help. Not too likely I'm gonna reuse a level 1 stone axe.

Since day 1 if you drop them on the ground outside of a workbench radius.