Our local council is very good with recycling efforts. We have rubbish collection once a week along with a paper collection and a can/bottle one. Once a year we have an inorganic rubbish collection where we can put out all the big stuff: old, tires, TV’s, mattresses, broken bicycles, toys, chairs. Just about anything you can think of, apart from toxic stuff. That has a different collection point.
Each year this collection is a source of amusement. We get a notice in the mail telling us to put out our junk for collection on such and such a day. This year it was the 26th. No one listens. As soon as the notice appears in mailboxes, the rubbish starts appearing on the curbside until the neighborhood starts to look a bit tatty and scruffy. Then all the fun starts. We have droves and droves of people in vans, trucks, cars trolling the streets for items of interest - things other people have thrown away that they think they can sell or use.
This year we put out one tire, an old fishing line and the iron supports of an old swing. Only the tire remains.
Yesterday I had to go and pick up my husband and our neighbor after golf. Traffic was heavy. In fact it was like rush hour traffic on a Sunday afternoon! Riding my bicycle around our normally quiet streets has become a dangerous affair with drivers scanning piles of rubbish rather than looking for innocent cyclists.
I think it’s great that people can use the stuff they pick up - recycling at its best - and it’s a good conversation gambit with neighbors. “What have you got left in your pile?” But, oh, boy! I’ll be so glad when the rubbish is gone and traffic levels are back to normal. It will be great to ride my bike in safety again…
Does anyone else have rubbish collections like this? What things would you like to collect? (one of the neighbors saw a broken terracotta pot that we all agreed would make a great garden feature. When she went back it had already gone. Someone else had obviously had the same idea.)
That sounds great! We have Freecycle here, but no real swap like what you’re describing. Though I have been known to grab useful stuff that’s sat out on the curb for garbage day. We got a really nice 100 cd rack that way. Only a few scratches. :)
by Mary Winter August 27th, 2007 at 7:18 pmWe used to have it in our old neighborhood. I’m not sure if there’s a rubbish day in this neighborhood we’re in now. I certainly hope so - my kids have more junk than I have places to stash it!
TJ
by TJ Michaels August 27th, 2007 at 7:30 pmwww.tjmichaels.com
I live in an apartment complex and we have several dumpsters. Any furniture that goes out, disappears quickly. In fact, if we want to get rid of something we’re not using, I’ll put it out by the side of the box. It’s usually gone within an hour or less.
My sister is one of those folks who rescues stuff from the garbage. LOL She can usually see uses for stuff that most folks can’t.
It’s great when people do this kind of recycling, but it can be dangerous if they’re not looking where they’re going. *g*
by N.J. Walters August 28th, 2007 at 7:10 amOh goodness, NJ! I need your sister to come by my house!
TJ
by TJ Michaels August 28th, 2007 at 10:01 amYes, furniture seems to disappear quickly, as do old bikes. It certainly saves it all from going to landfill, which has to be good!
by Shelley Munro August 28th, 2007 at 6:13 pm