Finding jewels among junk and other joys of bulk garbage collection
Many towns offer bulk garbage collection during their spring cleanup, which for pickers is like free shopping
Driving around a Newfoundland town this month there are two noticeable things: buds starting to show on the trees and people getting ready for bulk garbage collection.
That's when municipalities haul things like old appliances and household items to the landfill without an extra charge to the previous owner.
For most people, that's a chance to clear out some of the junk and clutter, but for pickers like Andrew Emberley of Pasadena, it's the best time of the year.
"It's like we get three Christmases," he said. "Actual Christmas, then spring cleanup and fall cleanup."
Emberley credits his grandfather for teaching him how to see the value in what others considered junk. He had worked at a landfill and would often bring his grandson home old pedal bikes and toys. Because of that, Emberley always had things to tinker with and discovered that with a little love a lot of what people throw out can be salvaged.
But finding treasure in other people's trash may not come as naturally to others, so here are a few helpful tips from other pickers in the province.
Ditch the garbage thinking
Ask any picker what drives them crazy and you'll hear the same thing — seeing perfectly good items going to the landfill.
Every spring Emberley is shocked by what people throw out.
"People think it's gross or dirty to go out picking garbage. But honestly it's not, you're free-cycling or you're up-cycling," he said. "It's crazy the amount of stuff that goes in the garbage, and if you can save even one thing from going in there, well, then you did a good job."
Know what you want
Just like going to the grocery store, it's helpful to have an idea of what you'd like to get. If you need a dresser, then check out dressers on the curb. If you're into gardening, look for things like old buckets or shovels. If you find one with a broken handle, don't worry. You might find a replacement one street over.
Curbside picking is also a good time to find collectibles that just need a little love.
Emberley's passion is nostalgic finds. He's always on the prowl for old bikes, vintage furniture and things that look like they have a story.
"There's a lot of things that are old and people are never going to experience it because it's just going to be all gone and once it goes, it's not coming back," he said.
Make it your own
If a vintage item is not your to your tastes, then change it. A coat of paint can transform an old trunk into a modern-looking coffee table. Or turn it on its end, add some shelves and you have a bookcase or minibar. There are tons of up-cycling ideas online and how-to videos on social media.
Wendy Parsons is a picker in Corner Brook who's always looking for solid furniture to refinish. She doesn't get thrown off by orange oak cabinets with outdated handles.
"They just need a cleaning, a freshening up, a coat of paint and it's therapeutic for me," she said. "Then it's rewarding to see these pieces go off to new homes. Some of these pieces are decades old and they have decades of life left in them."
Think outside the box TV
Vicki O'Neill, an interior designer based in Corner Brook, says thrift shopping and curbside picking can land you some really great conversation pieces.
"We've also found some old television sets, the big fat ones, and my partner uses the guts of it to make guitar pedals and amps and then I kinda make stuff out of the outside," she said.
She's made one into a cat bed and another into a funky way to display her plants.
Picking etiquette
You may be looking at a garbage pile but that doesn't mean you need to treat it like trash. It's never OK to make more of a mess than what you found, said Emberley, and it's down right rude to "root through people's garbage bags."
Another golden rule is if it looks it doesn't belong there, it's best to ask. No one wants to be the person who took a kid's bike just because they left it on the side of the road.
For homeowners putting things out for bulk collection, O'Neill offers some advice: separate the things you think could be useful from broken items and things that are outright trash.
"I've seen a few cool things but are buried under a giant mattress and I don't want to touch that," she said.
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