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.

its very normal to to do this in southeast asia

As a kid in the 80s I lived in a burb where once or twice in the summer they had a day where they could put out big clunky stuff for trash pickup that normally wasn’t allowed. So stuff like furniture, mattresses, old tires, etc. You’d routinely see cars driving past to see if there was anything they wanted to take. Our church friends, a family with 6 kids, would have a few ride off on their bikes and scout for useful stuff and call dibs. Then one brother went back home to get someone to bring the station wagon around while the others kept guard over the claim.

It was a good system for giving a second life to stuff that was still good (or fixable) but that you didn’t want or weren’t able to lug to the flea market or something.

I’m pretty sure that’s ok. Now if it was someone’s underwear or hair…that is another story.

Just go and ask

Yes it’s weird. What if they see you? How will you act? They might come in your home to look at it. What if in a few weeks they change their mind and want it back? I think this is a weird situation

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!

I think that it is weird that you ask us and not your neighbour

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.

If I have a bulky item to discard, I call 311 or use the My311 app to arrange city pickup, and put it by the curb the day before. It’s my hope that none will still be there by the time the truck arrives. Because that means it’s being used by someone, which is better for everyone. If it’s a neighbor, that’s cool too.

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” exists exactly for this, I think.

I got a decent table saw this way. I don’t mind picking up something that someone else doesn’t want and I might one day use.

I did it this morning

No

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.