The Backyard Philanthropist

Every year I am both shocked and dismayed when in my community of Ladner, British Columbia the annual ’spring cleanup’ occurs.  Once a year, our city has given our community 72 hours to dig through our over stuffed garages, our cluttered yards, and under the stairs for unused or broken items.

This year I tossed to the curb the old porch screen that got broken when one of the dogs ran through it, an old sandbox table that someone outgrew, luggage that got wrecked in my many travels and plant pots, a couple lamps I no longer use that were taking up valuable garage space.  Oh, and an old go kart the boys made many years ago that was getting rusted at the side of the house under the pine tree!

For me to take all those items to our local garbage dump, not only would it entail me attempting to backup with the trailer on, but it would also cost me about $20.00.  Spring cleanup takes merely an hour of my time to go through my garage and discover items that can be ridden.

So, the stuff goes out the curb…and a wondrous thing occurs; for 72 hours people from around our community and beyond drive slowly along the streets scoping out other people’s junk.  My discarded lamp was picked up by a woman walking by with her dog.  The sandbox table by a family who happened to be driving by.

Large trucks roll along picking up feverishly all and anything that has metal especially copper; these are the professionals who then take all that metal and recycle it making money.  Can you imagine?  Making money from old rod, old broken down bicycles, barbecues…what a novel concept.  AND cleaning up our neighborhood in the process.

We hear a lot about recycling, how we have too much stuff in our homes.  Did you know one of the biggest growing industries is mobile storage?  And look at the reality show, ‘Hoarders’.  They are in no way at a lost for participants for their show.

I applaud my community and the city leaders for maintaining spring cleanup when many other communities in the lower mainland have chosen to cancel this annual junk frenzy as it is too time consuming and costly to their city.  Spring clean up is one of the most grassroots way of re distributing our wealth in the form of ’stuff’.  You know the saying, ‘one man’s junk is another man’s treasure’ and that is so evident during spring clean up days.

Now if only someone would take that go cart before my kids get home from school!!