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Post by Lexica on Apr 1, 2016 19:59:47 GMT
It has always bothered me to be driving down a street on a trash collection eve to see some of the things that people will throw into the trash. I realize that having a yard sale or listing something on Craigslist can be a lot of hassle, but calling a charity to pick it up takes only a minute or two and the item will continue to be of use to someone rather than fill the already overflowing landfills.
I had a side job for over 20 years working for a local city's sanitation board taking dictation at their meetings with my steno machine and providing minutes, and at times, producing a verbatim report (usually when someone was being sued.) I learned so much about the whole waste stream in their city. The sewer was kind of interesting, but the unusual trash stories were more entertaining. It just reaffirmed my dislike for people filling up the landfills unnecessarily.
This link is to a video of what a trash truck driver that was bothered by people throwing away perfectly usable items decided to do with all the "good" things he found in the trash. It is 30 years' worth of collecting. Fellow coworkers learned what he was doing and started contributing things from their runs as well. It is illegal to take things from the trash for your own benefit, so the driver couldn't use or donate the items. He decided to set up a trash museum of all the things he came across on his weekly route. Some coworkers learned what he was doing and they started bringing in items too. The museum is not open to the public because it is supposed to be just for trash truck employees, but the video suggested contacting them to book a tour of the place. I would do it! I would even pay a small fee that could go toward a bonus for the drivers who contributed as a thank you for keeping this junk from the landfill. Hopefully, someone will come up with a law that allows this stuff to be put back into circulation in some limited way. Not a blanket removal of the law protecting trash items from the public, or a for-profit sale of it, but something to allow these perfectly usable items to go back to use by low income people who would otherwise do without.
Link: (I hope)
Trash Museum
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smginaz Suzy
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Jun 26, 2014 17:27:30 GMT
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Post by smginaz Suzy on Apr 1, 2016 20:02:26 GMT
We have bulk trash removal every quarter, but we have lots of pickers that come through and do curbside picking before the city picks it up. I think that is why I don't worry as much--I know it will be picked up and recycled long before it hits a landfill.
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Post by deshacrafts on Apr 1, 2016 20:05:40 GMT
I think that it could be because yard sales and Craigslist can be a pain, but also donating isn't that nice either. I've tried to donate gently used (shows some wear) items, especially furniture and the places around here don't want them, or you call to make sure they take certain items only to be turned away when you show up with said items. I've seen stuff in their stores in worse condition, so I have a hard time donating. (I don't like to trash stuff either, so I try to find new homes with friends for as much stuff as I can.) I've had to take working TV's to the dump because no one wants them. They aren't flat screens just regular TVs.
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Post by refugeepea on Apr 1, 2016 20:06:06 GMT
but calling a charity to pick it up takes only a minute or two and the item will continue to be of use to someone rather than fill the already overflowing landfills. There are no charities in my area who does pick up. I understand it's better to donate or sell, but I feel like the items I no longer want have much value. So I feel like it's giving charities more work to receive a lot of crap that people won't buy. I'm at the point where I'd rather throw it away. |
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Post by melanell on Apr 1, 2016 20:08:01 GMT
I know that here, there is only a few places that will come to your home to pick up donations, and they are on a set schedule. So maybe, every Thursday they hit your town. If you work Thursdays, then you're out of luck unless you just leave it on your porch or something. But I am sure some people don't have that kind of set-up, or would feel nervous about leaving anything of value on their property, even if they didn't want it.
In my area, people have been placing free items on the curb for decades. They did it when I was little, and they still do. And there are people who drive through the towns looking for those items. They pick up the stuff, rehab it a bit if needed, and unload it at the weekly fl;ea-markets in the area. It's definitely a win-win situation. (Although I imagine that in areas with HOAs, leaving unwanted goods on your curb for up to a week in advance would be prohibited. Not that most items last that long.)
We always keep a bag or box going for donating, and then I'd drive around with it in the back of the car for weeks until I finally remembered to bring it in. But now, we have a drop-off location closer to home, and so I bring items more often. The only items we have ever put curbside were large plastic kid toys (like a sandbox or kiddie picnic table), an old grill, or other furniture. And they always disappeared before trash day.
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Post by Scrapper100 on Apr 1, 2016 20:10:45 GMT
I know several of our neighbors will put out items on the curb with free signs. We have picked up things this way and gotten rid of a few things as well. If things don't get picked up then we call for a bulk item pick up. Sometimes items aren't good enough to donate or are items they won't take. We got rid of an old large screen tv this way many years ago. The donation centers wouldn't take it and no one was going to buy it so out it went. It wasn't there long.
One of our neighbors recently tossed a bunch of bikes. My son was convinced they were perfectly good bikes but they were I the trash can and we didn't have any reason to go through their trash but we did wonder if they were fixable and if someone could have used them. I know we donate stuff if we think someone can use it and if in good enough condition.
We have places that we can donate easily to but I know some people online that are a bit rural and all the donation places near them have closed and no one will come and pick stuff up. They are elderly and feel bad but they can't take larger items more than a hour from their house to donate.
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Post by lily on Apr 1, 2016 20:12:57 GMT
this was kind of funny....my cousin wanted to get rid of her couch so she called Purple Hearts to come get it. They refused to take it because "it was too nice".  |
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Post by melanell on Apr 1, 2016 20:15:06 GMT
We put out a sofa of my MIL's once that was so bad. And someone took it. I was floored. I was sure that would be the one item that would really sit there until trash day.  |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 1, 2016 20:15:28 GMT
I know what you mean. My niece used to date a guy that worked for a trash company and he said people constantly threw out perfectly good, working items all the time.  Depending on what it is, I try to either sell, donate or give away stuff if it's still useful to someone. If it really isn't useful to anyone anymore, then I do what I can to recycle first before putting it in the trash. |
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Post by gmcwife1 on Apr 1, 2016 20:20:59 GMT
I know that here, there is only a few places that will come to your home to pick up donations, and they are on a set schedule. So maybe, every Thursday they hit your town. If you work Thursdays, then you're out of luck unless you just leave it on your porch or something. But I am sure some people don't have that kind of set-up, or would feel nervous about leaving anything of value on their property, even if they didn't want it. In my area, people have been placing free items on the curb for decades. They did it when I was little, and they still do. And there are people who drive through the towns looking for those items. They pick up the stuff, rehab it a bit if needed, and unload it at the weekly fl;ea-markets in the area. It's definitely a win-win situation. (Although I imagine that in areas with HOAs, leaving unwanted goods on your curb for up to a week in advance would be prohibited. Not that most items last that long.)
We always keep a bag or box going for donating, and then I'd drive around with it in the back of the car for weeks until I finally remembered to bring it in. But now, we have a drop-off location closer to home, and so I bring items more often. The only items we have ever put curbside were large plastic kid toys (like a sandbox or kiddie picnic table), an old grill, or other furniture. And they always disappeared before trash day. Both of these are true for us too. We keeps a box going and then it gets put in dh's truck for him to drop off. And I often see people put free items out on the curb for the taking. |
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Post by jenjie on Apr 1, 2016 20:21:46 GMT
There is a guy on the next block who is a trash man. He routinely sells - or tries to sell - things other people have thrown out. I don't know him so I don't know how much success he has.
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Judy26
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Location: NW PA
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Post by Judy26 on Apr 1, 2016 20:25:03 GMT
We have many curb shoppers in our area so if something is still in working order it gets taken out of our garbage pile long before the garbage truck rolls through.
Last summer my sister has a sofa and chair she put out with a free sign on them. After two days nobody had taken them so she put a sign on them stating they were for sale for $100. Someone "stole" them that very night!
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basketdiva
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Post by basketdiva on Apr 1, 2016 20:29:25 GMT
I've put many items at the curb with a free sign and the items disappear in a flash. It's a win-win situation for me. Of course I donate,or use Craigslist but sometimes this is a much quicker way to get rid of unwanted items.
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Deleted
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Oct 1, 2024 22:44:27 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2016 20:32:31 GMT
We have to take our trash to the dump. They have a swap shop there. You can leave pretty much anything there, and take anything you like. It's the easiest way to get rid of stuff, and most of the time my stuff never even makes it to the shelf. Usually someone takes it out of my arms on my way in.
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kate
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Post by kate on Apr 1, 2016 20:40:29 GMT
They have a swap shop there. You can leave pretty much anything there, and take anything you like. What a great idea! We have to make arrangements with the super to get rid of big things. In our building, people often set "nice" stuff right next to the trash/recycling area; often, it gets picked up. I get paralyzed trying to donate/recycle everything when I'm doing a purge. We used to have an agency 2 blocks away that took women's clothing and household goods, but they've moved far enough away that pushing my grocery cart full of donations to them is no longer practical. |
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flopsykitty
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Jun 26, 2014 18:08:12 GMT
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Post by flopsykitty on Apr 1, 2016 20:46:44 GMT
I have a friend who put out a perfectly good washing machine at the curb, hoping someone would take it, but despite the "free" sign, not one took it. He changed his sign to read, "For sale $50" and someone "stole" the machine.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Apr 1, 2016 20:55:18 GMT
I have a friend who put out a perfectly good washing machine at the curb, hoping someone would take it, but despite the "free" sign, not one took it. He changed his sign to read, "For sale $50" and someone "stole" the machine. I wonder if people think it's broken if it's free? I saw a treadmill outside last week and thought about having dh pick it up for the dogs, but then wondered if it was broken and that was why it was free. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2016 21:10:31 GMT
Depending on what we're wanting to get rid of, we leave it at Salvation Army that is across the street, put it on the curb, or just wait until we are willing to have a yard sale. We've put out things that truly were trash but didn't qualify for recycling and someone came along to pick them up. My favorite was a cooler DH messed with, drilled holes in for some homebrewing experiment. There was no way to repair it and the recycle center wouldn't take it so we put it out with the trash. Someone came along and picked it up. The next trash day, I was walking the beagle and saw our cooler sitting out with their trash.  They figured out it was un-repairable. Our band director seems to be in an upgrading phase as he has posted to get rid of a riding lawn mower, a couch, two cars, and a few other stuff. Some free, some cheap. When you're friends with nearly all of your students and their parents, you're bound to find someone who wants a cheap car. |
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Post by myshelly on Apr 1, 2016 21:11:56 GMT
The charities here are SO picky about what they will take that I mostly put things on the curb.
It's usually gone before the trash truck gets here.
I consider that win-win.
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Post by utmr on Apr 1, 2016 21:18:18 GMT
We had furniture to donate and the charities were very picky about condition and came on very infrequent schedules. We took what would fit in the car to goodwill and put the rest out for heavy trash day. Some was scavenged immediately and the city hauled away the rest.
I think the charities do themselves a disservice by being so picky. I remember a thread on the old board about how Dress for Success only wants name brand, nearly new items and trashes the rest. It's much easier to just drop off something at a place that will take anything and not deal with the frustration of being told my cast offs aren't nice enough.
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Post by peasapie on Apr 1, 2016 21:28:34 GMT
Someone here mentioned free cycle and I joined last year. It's amazing what people will list on there - and how many people want it.
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Post by nellej on Apr 1, 2016 21:52:29 GMT
It has always bothered me to be driving down a street on a trash collection eve to see some of the things that people will throw into the trash. I realize that having a yard sale or listing something on Craigslist can be a lot of hassle, but calling a charity to pick it up takes only a minute or two and the item will continue to be of use to someone rather than fill the already overflowing landfills.
I agree with you, but here is an alternative viewpoint. We have suddenly lost our mum/wife this last weekend. Bereaved people are so overwhelmed with so many things to sort out. We are trying to recycle as much as we possibly can, but I can now fully understand why some families may be so overwhelmed that they just have to put some items into the trash. |
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Post by melanell on Apr 1, 2016 23:03:41 GMT
I have a friend who put out a perfectly good washing machine at the curb, hoping someone would take it, but despite the "free" sign, not one took it. He changed his sign to read, "For sale $50" and someone "stole" the machine. I wonder if people think it's broken if it's free? I saw a treadmill outside last week and thought about having dh pick it up for the dogs, but then wondered if it was broken and that was why it was free. When we were kids my dad would put a sign on our curb junk that said "Free. Works fine." or something like that. And a few times people came to the door to ask if the things were really free or if they really worked! |
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Post by cadoodlebug on Apr 1, 2016 23:08:28 GMT
I love TrashNothing.com. I have gotten rid of so many things that would otherwise go in the trash. And I've picked up a few great items such as brand new inkjet cartridges.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Apr 1, 2016 23:47:00 GMT
I wonder if people think it's broken if it's free? I saw a treadmill outside last week and thought about having dh pick it up for the dogs, but then wondered if it was broken and that was why it was free. When we were kids my dad would put a sign on our curb junk that said "Free. Works fine." or something like that. And a few times people came to the door to ask if the things were really free or if they really worked! Good idea, I will have dh do that next time we put something out |
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Post by darkangel090260 on Apr 1, 2016 23:57:58 GMT
I have leaves I rate things at clothing is a lot
1- new or like new sale
2- great to good sale or donate
3- good to fair-donate
4- play clothing giveaway
5- trash- anything that can not get repaired or reused
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zztop11
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by zztop11 on Apr 2, 2016 0:06:08 GMT
My husband says that if you want to get rid of something put it by the curb with a sign that it cost $5.00. Someone will steal it and you won't have to deal with it. To be serious though, I do feel bad for throwing some things away. I am lucky to live right near a Goodwill and I can easily bring my things to them. As a matter of fact, just did that today. |
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Apr 2, 2016 0:06:50 GMT
We have bulk trash removal every quarter, but we have lots of pickers that come through and do curbside picking before the city picks it up. I think that is why I don't worry as much--I know it will be picked up and recycled long before it hits a landfill. We have pickers come through every evening before trash day and the morning of trash day (early). They clear out anything that might be even remotely usable or metal for scrap. It is extremely common to put out an item that is still in good shape and either add a sign on it saying "free" or put a curb alert on CraigsList. I also put paperbacks on the very top of my recycling cans, and people can easily see them from the sidewalk and almost always pick them up. |
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PLurker
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Post by PLurker on Apr 2, 2016 0:18:11 GMT
I have a friend who put out a perfectly good washing machine at the curb, hoping someone would take it, but despite the "free" sign, not one took it. He changed his sign to read, "For sale $50" and someone "stole" the machine. That's exactly what I was going to say about something someone left for anyone to take (a nice couch or chair?? I forget now) , as they just didn't need it anymore and wanted to do something nice for someone. No one took ti until he put a price on it and then it was gone overnight. I guess free must be garbage and something with value is good to enough to steal.  |
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Post by melanell on Apr 2, 2016 0:26:28 GMT
They clear out anything that might be even remotely usable or metal for scrap. My in-laws had a pretty sever flooding issue in their yard once that filled their basement with water right up to mere inches below the first floor. Everything down there had to be trashed. We rented an enormous dumpster and had it filled well before the basement was empty, which was obviously not good, since they charged heavily for over-filling it. Before that day was over, a guy stopped by and asked if he could remove all of the metal from the dumpster. We all had way too much on our plates to be hauling scrap metal anywhere. We all had work, and this happened right after DH & I had returned to work after DS #1 was born, so we really couldn't take more time off. So it was such a great solution for everyone. The metal was recycled. The guy made some free money. We didn't have to add one more thing to the to-do list, OR or pay any overage fee because he emptied so much from the dumpster, that we had enough room for what was still left. (He actually came back once more before our rental time was over to grab some more.) |
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They figured out it was un-repairable. 
