How About a "Trash to Treasure Leftovers Fair"? - Neighbors could take advantage of housecleaning to gather together half used cans of paint (tightly covered!), leftover lumber, wood, tiles, fencing, carpet scraps of useful size, unneeded tools in good condition, lamps and light fixtures, pictures and statues, furniture and furnishings they are ready to discard etc. We could have one big Trash to Treasure rummage event. Everything would be free for the taking, first come, first served. The Sanitation Dept. could pick up the leftovers. This could be an annual event for the neighborhood. If you like this idea and want to help hash it around, contact us.

By Peter Kokh, neighbor

sounds like a good idea

Timing: could be either in late spring to benefit from winter and early spring housecleaning, or in late summer or early fall to take care of all the leftovers from summer construction and remodeling and redecorating projects.

Location: this would seem to be item #1. There is a lot of empty land along Lisbon Avenue and that location would be most visible to passersby. Or on the school playground at Westside Academy 1 between 31st and 32nd along W. Vine. Either way, we would have to get permission and support from the landowners.

Would people just bring their leftovers and dump them? Or would they register for 10x10 plots of display area (e.g. first plot free, additional space at a charge)? You would have to have aisles or walk spaces so people adopting items could safely remove them. You would have to have some sort of supervision, a crew with armbands or caps to identify them.

And it seems you'd have to have some sort of agreement with the sanitation department on picking up whatever is leftover at the end.

And perhaps you would have to have rain date arrangements.

It's a good idea and could start a tradition, but would need some real brainstorming and organizing.

Does anyone know of similar events elsewhere?

By Duane Lenyard