They put out this shelf and I want it, but I don’t want to seem strange? It would make a nice plant shelf, but it’s not something I can scurry away with, so people would see me while I carried it. Is that a bad thing to do?
EDIT: Never mind. Someone beat me to it. 😭
I actually love it when people take things I put by the curb. I would much rather someone get use out of it than have it end up in a landfill.
One persons trash is another persons treasure.
There is a reason why this is a universal saying.
If it’s up for grabs, grab it
People around me put things out early with the expectation and hope someone will come and take it.
Where I live, there are people who make a decent amount of cash by grabbing whatever metal they can find out of the trash and taking it to scrapyards. There are a couple of trucks that swing past my house a few times the night before and the day of trash pickup. And myself, I grabbed two bikes by just knocking on the door and asking.
Something is wrong with anyone that would look down on you for it
its very normal to to do this in southeast asia
My neighborhood has bulk trash pickup monthly. Most of the bulk trash gets put out the week prior to pickup day. The majority of this trash doesn’t make it to the dump! People with trailers come by and pick up anything remotely usable. I like to think they are reusing/upcycling this stuff but I really don’t know. I see this as a huge win because it keeps stuff out of the dump but it does feel very dystopian to see a junk economy like something from Fallout.
I’m in the USA btw. Others have pointed out that some countries have different laws regarding ownership of trash. Don’t get in trouble with law enforcement, get to know your neighbors better! It’s not trash if they give it to you.
this is quite literally how I get all of my furniture, extending the lifespan of consumer goods is a good thing.
now you know for next time!
If I put something by the road, instead of in the bin, it is because I want someone to take it. Yes take it. If you are unsure, go up and let them know you want it,I can say with absolute confidence, they will say to take it.
Once I was moving house and we set an old couch out on the sidewalk. It was very large and heavy so we were concerned that no one would take it. But we lived in a poorer area where most everything got taken, and sure enough it did disappear.
A few more days went by and we continued packing to move. The big day finally arrived and I went out that morning to greet the mover truck and found that whoever took the couch had come back and returned it during the night! I was like “you can’t do that!” LOL
Brb, dropping the kids off
I put out one of those big plastic storage units with like 30 little drawers recently, figuring although 2 were missing, someone could still use it. I stood it next to the dustbin, on trash day where it would be optimally visible for anyone who wanted to scrounge it.
The bloody HOA took a picture and sent a nastygram.
I have no HOA, I need no HOA,and want no HOA. I do not care if my neighbor puts his car on blocks. City code enforcement will eventually move on any outrageous lack of upkeep.
?
I do that all the time. A thing is a thing, and it can be your thing now. I only try to ask myself two things:
- Do I really need that?
- Is it in a good condition? I have a lot of used stuff at home, so if I took something half-broken, it would look like a dumpster already.
Sidenote: I live in Denmark, where people overconsume, and then get rid of stuff which is still in good condition.
I recently moved to Denmark. A lot of my stuff is from the trash, including a huge old school full wood dinner table, TV, and my stereo system (works as a charm, sounds amazing). I also picked up an amazing old cast iron frying pan.
I make sure to check the big thrash (storeskrald) regularly. Things pop up there that I would never have afforded myself if I had to pay for it.
I think Denmark/Copenhagen is a bit crazy in this regard though.
About the craziness - yes absolutely. In most other places, you use a thing until nobody would use it, or sell it online. And here, people are just: “nah…”
Well, better for us. I also have a shitton of good stuff, including half of my clothes (I’m lucky to have size M, so a lot of stuff fits). Second hand stores look weird now: “Whoa, you need to pay for that?”
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” exists exactly for this, I think.
Except in Germany. Anything put outside for refuse collection is considered property of the town or city.
Taking something from the pile is punished as theft, and if caught, you will be fined.
I was thinking that I could as well live in Germany, until this moment. Seriously.
There’s a well established tradition of hand-me-down furniture being put out in alleys in East Vancouver. When you move and have no furniture, you can just tour the alleys and come away with a coffee table and a sofa or a couple of chairs. Did it a few times. You gotta know how to check for bed bugs though.
This is totally kosher where I am and I’ve done it before, but if I think I’ll be observed I’ll ask my neighbor. They’ve always responded with some variation of “oh of course, I consider it trash” and sometimes explain reasons they’re getting rid of it that dissuaded me from taking it that weren’t immediately obvious.
And if you don’t know who owns it, leaving a note to ask is simple.
I’ve been the one to leave stuff out that I didn’t have space for anymore, with a note on that it’s free to take
One man’s garbage is another man person’s good un-garbage.
Just go and ask
