No Stupid Questions

You can politely ask them about it. Maybe there's a good reason they threw it out. Maybe it's infested, or broken.

I do that all the time. A thing is a thing, and it can be your thing now. I only try to ask myself two things:

1. Do I really need that?
2. Is it in a good condition? I have a lot of used stuff at home, so if I took something half-broken, it would look like a dumpster already.

Sidenote: I live in Denmark, where people overconsume, and then get rid of stuff which is still in good condition.

I think that it is weird that you ask us and not your neighbour

If I put something by the road, instead of in the bin, it is because I want someone to take it. Yes take it. If you are unsure, go up and let them know you want it,I can say with absolute confidence, they will say to take it.

This is totally kosher where I am and I've done it before, but if I think I'll be observed I'll ask my neighbor. They've always responded with some variation of "oh of course, I consider it trash" and sometimes explain reasons they're getting rid of it that dissuaded me from taking it that weren't immediately obvious.

One man's garbage is another man person's good un-garbage.

"One man's trash is another man's treasure" exists exactly for this, I think.

When I lived in a college town, the last week of May was the best time to get used furniture.

College kids everywhere abandoning all kinds of shit on the greenbelt that they had no way of bringing home.

I'm sure there is furniture in my current home that came from some stranger college kid.

this is quite literally how I get all of my furniture, extending the lifespan of consumer goods is a good thing.

now you know for next time!

As a kid in the 80s I lived in a burb where once or twice in the summer they had a day where they could put out big clunky stuff for trash pickup that normally wasn't allowed. So stuff like furniture, mattresses, old tires, etc. You'd routinely see cars driving past to see if there was anything they wanted to take. Our church friends, a family with 6 kids, would have a few ride off on their bikes and scout for useful stuff and call dibs. Then one brother went back home to get someone to bring the station wagon around while the others kept guard over the claim.

It was a good system for giving a second life to stuff that was still good (or fixable) but that you didn't want or weren't able to lug to the flea market or something.

There's a well established tradition of hand-me-down furniture being put out in alleys in East Vancouver. When you move and have no furniture, you can just tour the alleys and come away with a coffee table and a sofa or a couple of chairs. Did it a few times. You gotta know how to check for bed bugs though.

its very normal to to do this in southeast asia

If you're sure they don't want it, take it.

If you aren't sure, ask, if if they are there, and if they aren't there, take it and ask later if they wanted it (return it if they did).

There's no shame in re-using good or even repairable stuff: indeed, be proud.

It's only weird if the person who threw it away makes it weird by getting upset and calling the cops, which is their legal right for some damn reason.

I don't mind people picking through my trash; just as long as they don't make a mess throwing garbage out of the can and leaving it all over the place.

It wouldn't be weird, but talk to your neighbour first.

The free pile is always available.

In my neighborhood taking stuff left at the curb is the norm. Sometimes we‘ll leave a sign to clarify something is free. There have been times when I’ve taken something, used it for a while, then put it back out in the curb for someone else to enjoy.

It may or.may not be weird depending on the situstion, your neighbor's personality, your relationship with your neighbor, etc.

But weird != wrong.

Just go and ask

People around me put things out early with the expectation and hope someone will come and take it.

Lmao, not at all. Check it for bugs, but trash is fair game. I live in a college town and there is good furniture out every semester if you like the look of it.

It's technically illegal, but if cops aren't pursuing stolen cars, they damn sure won't care about trash bring stolen.

And, based on your edit, I'm not the only person who agrees.

Why is that weird? I put things out hoping someone will grab it, so i don’t have to risk the city not taking it.

My neighborhood has bulk trash pickup monthly. Most of the bulk trash gets put out the week prior to pickup day. The majority of this trash doesn’t make it to the dump! People with trailers come by and pick up anything remotely usable. I like to think they are reusing/upcycling this stuff but I really don’t know. I see this as a huge win because it keeps stuff out of the dump but it does feel very dystopian to see a junk economy like something from Fallout.

I’m in the USA btw. Others have pointed out that some countries have different laws regarding ownership of trash. Don’t get in trouble with law enforcement, get to know your neighbors better! It’s not trash if they give it to you.

If I have a bulky item to discard, I call 311 or use the My311 app to arrange city pickup, and put it by the curb the day before. It's my hope that none will still be there by the time the truck arrives. Because that means it's being used by someone, which is better for everyone. If it's a neighbor, that's cool too.

I got a decent table saw this way. I don't mind picking up something that someone else doesn't want and I might one day use.

Where I live, there are people who make a decent amount of cash by grabbing whatever metal they can find out of the trash and taking it to scrapyards. There are a couple of trucks that swing past my house a few times the night before and the day of trash pickup. And myself, I grabbed two bikes by just knocking on the door and asking.

Why don't you just go ask them?

That's how I got my dining table in my old apartment.

We have a big trash day once a month in my town and I always keep an eye out for something good. Recently I picked up a nice, sturdy, homemade cart with big casters in good condition.

Next time just go take it. No one will care. They might even help you lol

I did it this morning

That's how I got almost all of my furniture:-). Granted, I didn't do it in a "next door neighbor" setting, but rather apartment where it's more acceptable. Oh well now you know:-).