A reminder that this years Spring Curbside Giveaway Weekend takes place this weekend on Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12, 2013. If you’re doing some spring cleaning and have some items in good condition that you’ll never use again, make sure to save them for the giveaway weekend.
What to do
- – place unwanted, reusable household items at the curb on your front street
- – label each item with a “FREE” (pdf – 13kb) sticker or sign
- – keep any items safely tucked away that you don’t want to give away
- – remove leftover items from the curb by dusk on Sunday
What to give
- – books, CDs and DVDs
- – furniture and small appliances
- – sports equipment and toys
- – tools
- – yard and gardening equipment (e.g., lawn mowers, snow throwers, rakes, shovels)
- – kitchen gadgets, dishes, cutlery, pots and pans
- – unwanted gifts
- – construction material including drywall and hardware (e.g., nails, bolts and screws)
- – electronics
- – clothing
- – paint
What not to give
- – any items infested with bed bugs (e.g., mattresses, furniture, bedding)
- – toilets (with a flush volume of 13 litres or more)
- – visit the Consumer Product Safety Bureau to find out about items that aren’t safe to give away (e.g., baby walkers, lawn darts)
Giveaway etiquette
- – Take only the items at the curb marked “FREE”.
- – Respect other people’s property – don’t walk or drive on people’s lawns or gardens.
- – Giveaway items should still be in good condition.
- – Don’t discard any items on another person’s lawn.
- – Obey the traffic laws at all times (e.g., don’t block traffic, park illegally or block people’s driveways with your vehicle) and watch out for children.
What to do with leftover items
- – Consider donating unwanted items to:
- – Canadian Diabetes Association (clothing only)
- – Goodwill Industries
- – Salvation Army
- – Thrift Stores (during business hours)
- – Donation Centres
- – warehouse located at 25 Furniture Park Road (off Gateway)
- – pick up of large items (i.e. furniture) by calling 1-800-PLS-GIVE (1-800-757-4483)
- – Local community gifting groups dedicated to keeping still useful items out of the landfill by offering them (free of charge) to others who are able to use them:
- – Bulky items (e.g., furniture, mattresses) left at the curb will not be picked up with regular garbage collection. Contact 311 to arrange for special collection. A charge may apply.
- – Leftover construction / renovation material will not be picked up with regular garbage collection. Please take it to a landfill.
Information on the giveaway weekends is also available by contacting 311.