I believe in recycling. Often I do it on the sidewalk.
Yesterday I was tired of two old lamps that were abandoned in the apartment when I moved in. I never really used them since they looked cheap and ugly. They just sat in an unused bedroom taking up space. I got tired of looking at them so I took them outside with a sticker that said “Free-works”. I also had a laptop from 1995 with Windows 95 on it and put that on the sidewalk wall as well. In less than an hour everything was gone.
This isn’t the first time I have done this. In almost every community I have lived in, when I have put things outside they have been taken. It is remarkable. It doesn’t matter what it is, or what I think is junk, people still want it. I have even brought things home from work, thinking I might use them and then change my mind. Then I put it out and someone takes the free gift.
When I move I deal with my old goodwill furniture like this. I put it outside with a sign saying “Take me” and it disappears. I have never really had to worry about giving things to friends since I like to try new furniture and when it is just a few bucks you don’t feel any pain in losing it.
It is a fun experience to see the things you have recycled. I have written in the past that I have benefited from things that people have thrown out. The last thing that I got was a London Fog bag that was clean and in excellent shape. It was about $100 retail I looked up, and I use it as my storage for my paints and equipment. It looks like it was new in a store. To me, this is being a responsible adult. You try to reduce waste and promote recycling when it makes sense.
That is why I support companies that recycle, upcycle, and reduce waste. I love going to Goodwill and sort of discovering things. My favorite was one in a very rich neighborhood and it was amazing the things they had. I would gladly take any rich person’s junk.
It makes you feel rich when the things you think are junk are valued by other people. This is not to brag since I didn’t buy those things but rather to say it is another reason to feel grateful for what we have.
You don’t need to go to Goodwill to recycle. Just put it on the sidewalk with a note.