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Mattawa, are you ready for the Curbside Giveaway?

It’s not garbage if you like it, and residents can have their pick April 23
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If you're lucky, Mattawa, a chair like this might appear on a curb near you / Photo by Victoria Walton/HalifaxToday.ca)

Mattawa, April 23 marks the day of the ever-popular Curbside Giveaway event. What treasures await discovery on the curbs and roadsides this year? The possibilities are endless, after all, it’s not garbage if you like it.

New to the world of the Curbside Giveaway? Wondering what the fuss is about? Here’s the deal. On Saturday, between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mattawa homeowners can place their unwanted but reusable items next to their curbs or sidewalks and if anyone likes what they see, they’ll snatch it up and bring it to a new home.

It’s a win-win situation. People can clear some space in their homes and garages and others might finally get that lamp they’ve been looking for. “The initiative gives useful items a new life while keeping them out if the landfill” the municipality outlined in a recent release. The event “also encourages recycling and builds a stronger community.”

The municipality also recommends posting a “Free” sign next to your item pile, just to make it crystal clear to roaming pickers what is available. Also, you might want to stash little Billy’s bike in the garage, because if it’s lying near the curb, it might become a casualty of the Curbside Giveaway.

Also, once 5 p.m. rings, the town wants you to remove your items back to where you had them. Any material not removed by dusk on Sunday could result in a by-law violation. The town also wants you to keep sidewalks and fire hydrants clear as you arrange your free pile for display, and always “obey traffic laws at all times.”

The town also offers some helpful suggestions regarding what you should and shouldn’t put out. The should nots include large appliances, items that are not re-usable, mattresses, and dangerous and illegal items.

Those are a no go. What should be included? Small appliances (that work) are good, art pieces, bikes (not little Billy’s), dishes, cutlery, books, movies, plants, tools, usable paint and building materials, and the list goes on.

And what if your free pile is not properly pillaged? The town recommends you donate it to a local charity or non-profit organization or try to sell the items. The idea is to reduce items going into the landfill, so save that as a last resort. Worst case, put the lamp your sister-in-law gave you back on the basement shelf where it’s spent the last decade, and sleep well knowing that you tried to make the world a greener place.

David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.


David Briggs, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

About the Author: David Briggs, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering civic and diversity issues for BayToday. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada
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