Where I live is very much a summer town (at the coast) and we see stuff out at the curb like you wouldn't believe. People throw out perfectly good furniture, even. We like to grab the wooden furniture and re-finish it. We either use it for ourselves, sell it or donate it to someone who needs it. Do you see this in your areas?
Absolutely. When I lived in Chicago, you could refurnish your whole apartment with stuff left in the alleys! In the big cities though, guys with trucks are usually going around all the time to collect stuff that can be resold/melted down and sold/ etc.
It's the same all over I think. The people who have the money just throw away good stuff. The people who don't not have money go and get it. If they donate it, then someone has to pay for it to get it. Of course, the money does help those who are less fortunate but is less fortunate who don't have the money. Sounds like a Catch-22 situation doesn't it.
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I'm in New York, and yes, I've seen many times stuff on the curb. My former roommate was very much into picing stuff up, but I was more careful. I always thought that some things might have some kind of infestation....
Yes. That is one reason I love Freecycle, helps to curb that. But I don't only blame consumers, I also blame manufacturers. A washing machine used to last and last, you could have it repaired, and it would last for a long time. With computerized everything, it's not the same. A lot of times, it's cheaper to junk your stuff and buy new than to have it fixed. That's ridiculous.
The throwaway society was brought home to me rather forcibly when I needed a new part for my car (one of the major manufacturers) and discovered that although the car was under 10 years old the part had been discontinued several years previously.
Manufacturers discovered a lovely (NOT) little idea called "planned obsolescence" several years ago. The idea is that there is no money for the manufacturer for you to buy a washer and have it last for 20 years. So now much of what you buy is only supposed to last a few years because they need you to buy another in order for them to maintain profits.
And I think they would make more money if they would just make it last and charge outrageous prices for fixing it. Not! I think money is a disease. When you have it you want more. When you do not have it you go insane until you get it.
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We don't see a ton of it around my area because I think a lot of people do sales in their yards or resell to used furniture stores.
Which is fabulous. I wish we saw more of that here.
People tend to put things in their cellars / gardens here until they decide what to do with them, then have to throw them out 30 years later as they're riddled with woodworm.
It has become a disposable society
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