Every quarter, we see an increase in the number of beat up little pickup trucks, many pulling trailers, cruising the streets of the neighborhood.
It's bulk trash collection time.
And there is apparently a large and possibly growing community of people who derive some or part of their income from going through the neighborhoods, slowing down to peer at the piles of trash left at the curbsides, picking out the still usable treasures and loading them up. Entire families are engaged in this activity.
Can't say I blame them. The more well-to-do neighborhoods will leave perfectly usable furniture (but, sad to say, last year's styles), computer equipment, fencing materials, appliances, televisions, machinery, etc. all sitting there, ripe for the picking. The early trucking family gets the best of the lot but even today, four days into our cycle, I'm seeing trucks loaded up with some pretty fine looking furniture.
My own contribution this quarter was pretty slim: I had only an old but serviceable chandelier (sans glass chimneys) and a broken pool brush to offer. They were both snapped right up. I have some large boxes I didn't feel like cutting down for regular trash pickup, so they're still sitting out there waiting for the city truck to grab 'em next week.
I'm thinking I'm missing out on something, though. I've been meaning to refurnish my living room, and some of the stuff that's going past my window is, at least from this distance, really nice.
I may have to get me a pickup truck.
Where we lived up until a couple years ago, if we put something in the alley behind our house, it would be gone within a day. Didn't matter what time of year. Out here, they scan the alleys every day. I love it.
I love this. Reuse is such an incredible way for people to get rid of their trash without ... well ... just trashing it.