Does putting a ”free” sign on something give people more peace of mind abandoning their junk on the street?

Does it all disappear within a day? Do people who want it pick it up?

I participate in a killer web site called Free Cycle where you join type in your zip code and post the items you want to get rid of and I have yet to see anything last more than 30 minutes. Put it out by the curb for the person to pick up and POOF it is gone! If it is large…let them know they have to carry it out of the house on their own and it’s a done deal. Best part is you can find killer items….I have a large leather couch in my office I got on FC and an awesome Baby Grand Piano and numerous other do dad’s all for FREE!

Well, here’s the thing: in this city, if you have a microwave that functions and you don’t want it anymore, if you put it on the sidewalk (typically with a sign saying “Works” or some such) it will be gone by nightfall. That means that it ends up with someone who actually wants it and will use it, instead of it going into a landfill as it would have done if you disposed of it properly. I’m ok with that, especially since we don’t ever get ugly heaps of garbage as a result. It’s a remarkably efficient process.

@dappled_leaves [… a microwave that functions and you don’t want it anymore, if you put it on the sidewalk (typically with a sign saying “Works” or some such) it will be gone by nightfall.
Usually around here it is the appliance recyclers who would take TVs, stereos, and such, because they can make money by selling it in bulk somewhere.

I’m ok with that, especially since we don’t ever get ugly heaps of garbage as a result. It’s a remarkably efficient process.

@Hypocrisy_Central Sure, that could also be the case, or that people collect to sell to those people. But again, they’re going to be useful to someone.

I should add that I don’t think we even have dump fees here, and that we do have regular collection of bulky items. So it’s not even about being cheap – it’s mostly about offering stuff to other people before it gets designated as landfill.

We have a certain days when the council tell us to put ‘rubbish’ out. There’s a day for garden waste and a different day for other stuff. People put out furniture and the like. It’s often gone well before the council come to take it. I’ve picked up wicker chairs that had nothing wrong with them and one day I saw a drawer unit and went to get the trailer to pick it up but it was gone before I got back. Talking of TVs, my ex used to repair them. We put two out on the footpath to be taken by the council and walked back inside. We went out less than five minutes later, they’d gone. It’s just another method of recycling.

There’s a TV program in the UK called something like “Furnish your house for free” and the presenters go around and find used, free furniture and rework it for people to use. The last time I saw it they’d found two beautiful timber and glass cabinets. They were absolutely gorgeous! Someone put them in a dumpster to go to the tip.

I love the idea of being able to find quality furniture for nothing and giving it a new life. I wouldn’t pick up electrical equipment because there could be faults I’m unaware of.

@dappled_leaves I should add that I don’t think we even have dump fees here,…]
They do have fees here, and they can get petty, you are dumping a load and the minder sees a toaster, even a 2 bread toaster, there is an extra appliance fee. Extra fees for mattresses, TVs, stereos, and don’t get caught dumping an old school monitor. You can dump dirt, but that will cost you extra too. I think people place this stuff on corners with ”free” hoping someone will take it and they can avoid extra dump fees.

We have dump fees here and they can be expensive. I think that’s why the council have these days a few times a year. The rules are that two men must be able to lift the things put out.

As to the ‘free’ sign. Some people put people out on other days and then I think putting a ‘free’ sign out is helpful. It lets people know they’re welcome to take the item. I had to check whether the wicker chairs were there to be removed. I didn’t just take them.

The ‘some people put people out’ should read, some people put things out. It made me giggle so I’m leaving it there. If your husband’s driving you mad, or that child is just getting to be too much, put them on the footpath! The council will take them away – for free!

@Hypocrisy_Central Dude, that is crazy.

@Earthbound_Misfit No need to write “free” on anything here – if you leave something on the sidewalk unattended, it’s not going to last long. In order to encourage people to pick it up, better to write “It works!” :)

Around here, plenty of people do it right in front of their home. A neighbor of mine put out some gardening equipment in front of her house with a “free” sign. To her, it meant “it’s going in the garbage, so take it before the garbage-men take it”. But I guess it depends on what the item is. If it’s in front of the house, it seems they’re trying to see if anyone wants it before trying to dispose of it. If it’s in a neutral area, then yeah, that seems like someone trying to make themselves feel better about illegal dumping.

@Earthbound_Misfit I had to check whether the wicker chairs were there to be removed. I didn’t just take them.
That tells me the items were right in front of the person’s home, not on some corner where there were no homes, next to an empty lot, or the corner of a parking lot where there would have been no one to ask in the first place.

Can’t say that’s something I’ve ever seen. In my experience if somebody no longer wants something they just set it out on the curb and it’s usually gone in a flash.

If the goods are in some obscure place, then they’ve been relinquished as possessions I’d say. There is a difference between dumping rubbish and putting usable items out for people to re-use too. If the stuff is crap, then those people are just illegally dumping rubbish. We can’t do that here. You can put out rubbish for the council to collect at set times and they will. You can’t take your rubbish to the nearest common ground and dump it there. There are strict penalties for doing that.

^^ Around here there are several areas known to be “Dump-n-dash” spots. people just stops the truck it seems and shove sofas, mattresses, old exercise bikes, etc. right there without no attempt to give it away.

edit @Earthbound_Misfit You can’t take your rubbish to the nearest common ground and dump it there. There are strict penalties for doing that.
There are penalties here, but you have to get caught, and most know that is about as likely as someone getting hit by a golf ball sized hale stone in the middle of a 101 deg. day in mid-July.

What you’re describing is different to what any thoughtful disposal of unwanted goods. That’s just dumping. I’m sure some people dump goods people can recycle, but I’d bet a lot of it’s just crap too. People do the same here. They stop at the side of the road and dump rubbish on unused land and the like. As you mentioned, tip fees can be expensive so people avoid using the authorised tips.

I’d say preventing unwanted dumping is one reason the council now operate these days. People can have a clear out a few times a year and it cuts down on the costs of getting rid of illegally dumped rubbish to at least a degree.

I look at this way. I would rather put it out on the curb for someone if they can re-use it, recycle it for cash or whatever, Saves me a trip to the dump especially if someone sees another use for it. I dont like yard sales either. Too much work in my opinion

I get notified every time someone posts an item on my local FreeCycle.com. There is always a taker, it seems, no matter how odd or undesirable the items seem. The giver always checks in to tell us that the item(s) have been taken.

I often see items with “Free – help yourself” on the little grassy triangle at the end of my road. Those always disappear quickly also. “One man’s meat…

… is another man’s murder?

I guess it depends on how you want to look at it. I see putting “Free” on it reassures people that they aren’t stealing something.

It is amazing the stuff I’ve left out there (in front of my house) that gets taken. I wish I’d known of this phenomenon when my kids were rude teenagers.