Patch readers who responded to our Block Talk survey on curb mining have seen some things. It’s one thing to leave used but still usable furniture at the curb, but some other free offerings are just weird and creepy, a couple of readers said. (Shutterstock),
Why anyone would want her neighbor’s old underwear is a mystery to Christine and the folks on her block. Ten years later, they’re still talking at block parties about the time Ethel across the way tried to give hers away.
“She put an entire table full of old granny panties and bras, which I think were part of her starter set because they were dingy,” Christine said. “They were clean, or at least I think, because I sure didn’t go and sniff them. But why would anyone do this?
“It’s OK with me if people take Ethel’s ratty old drawers,” she went on. “But this can’t be a regular thing everywhere, can it, that people line up their old underwear at the curb with a sign that says it’s free and think it will just, poof, disappear? This is creepy and weird. It’s not normal.”
The Athens (Georgia) Patch reader was among more than 100 people who responded to our informal survey for Block Talk, Patch’s exclusive neighborhood etiquette column. We asked readers to define the etiquette of curb mining and porch stooping — a growing freecycling trend that involves placing usable items on curbs and stoops for others to salvage.
Christine and Royal Oak (Michigan) Patch reader Deb should compare notes about unsettling curb offerings.
“You know those bottles with ships inside?” Deb said. “There was a small bookcase with these things glued to the shelves, only they had doll heads.”
Margaret doesn’t approve of the practice of people giving away their underwear and creepy doll head crafts — or anything else — in this manner.
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“There are social media sites and places like Goodwill that don’t add to trash being left on the sidewalk.” the Norwalk (Connecticut) Patch reader said.
Safe To Assume It’s Free?
Many readers said it’s generally safe to assume that items left at the curb are free for the taking. But there are important considerations to keep in mind.
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“It depends,” said Phoenixville (Pennsylvania) Patch reader Althea. “Is it in a spot that is obvious, it’s available, like at the curb of a home that sits back a bit from the road? Does this household frequently put things out for others in a particular place? For me personally, it has to be in an obvious place or have a sign saying it’s available.”
Assume nothing, Worcester (Massachusetts) Patch reader Shawn said. Items that are free should bear a sign saying so.
“Lots of people use [vintage items] as decor,” Shawn said “Old bikes and signs are now decorations.”
If there’s no sign saying an item is free, leave it, said Oak Park-River Forest (Illinois) Patch reader John.
“The kids may have dumped it there for future use,” John said. “A good guide would be, ‘If it’s too good to be true, it usually isn’t.’”
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“I’ve found some amazing stuff on curbs but always knock on the door to make sure it’s really being left out for the taking,” said Chatham (New Jersey) Patch reader Bill. “Otherwise, how would you know it’s not waiting for a prearranged pick-up by someone known to the resident?”
Bill added, “I also don’t want to be pictured in a perp walk if it was.”
What If It’s Junk?
Christine didn’t say if anyone grabbed the chance to give new life to what Christine suspects was Ethel’s original underwear.
But if they didn’t, leaving it out there for days “Is not acceptable,” a Plainfield (Illinois) Patch reader said. “If no one wants it, you can’t just leave junk out on the street. It should be gone in a day or two, whether recycled or hauled away.”
Sayville-Bayport (New York) Patch reader Flo gets all that. She just doesn’t think it’s worth a confrontation.
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“After a few days dispose of it yourself,” Flo said. “Don’t create a situation neighbors will be unhappy about.”
North Kingstown (Rhode Island) Patch reader Dave also advised a peaceful approach.
“If you’re comfortable enough, you can have a friendly talk with the neighbor about scheduling a trash pick-up for it or bringing it to the dump themselves, since it’s only about five minutes away from our neighborhood. I usually wait it out for some time, though, and things usually disappear eventually.”
Is There A Moral Line?
We also asked readers about the ethos of curb mining and stooping. Specifically, we wanted to know if there’s an unspoken moral or benevolence code under which people of means leave curbside freebies for people who can’t afford to pay retail or even second-hand store prices.
Kingstowne-Rose Hill (Virginia) Patch reader Sue thinks so.
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“I don’t think it’s morally proper to help yourself if you’ve a comfortable income,” she said. “How do they sleep at night? Think of others who are just starting off on their own, barely able to rub two nickels to make a dime.”
She added, “Been there, done that.”
“Generally, it would be nice if people would see this as a hand up for people who aren’t quite as privileged,” said Pennsylvania Patch reader Boho Barbara.
It’s fair game “if it’s a trinket,” said River Edge (New Jersey) Patch reader Liz. “If it’s furniture that may benefit someone who can’t afford it, leave it.”
Penniellen, who once split her time between residences on the coasts and reads New York City’s Upper East Side Patch and San Diego Patch, said motives are not always as they seem.
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“I think they should leave them, but if there’s no law, who’s to stop them?” Penniellen said. “Don’t forget that lower-to-middle-income people take things to resell, not to furnish their own abodes. They load them up into vans they drive into better neighborhoods to go scrounging.”
Some readers’ eye-rolls at the question were almost palpable.
“You’d never say a rich person should not buy something on sale and should leave it for someone with a lower income,” said Massachusetts Patch reader Flower Girl. “Sometimes, when you wait to see if ‘someone needs it more,’ then it rains and things get ruined, or someone else grabs it to re-sell.”
“Income has nothing to do with it,” said New York City Patch reader CHB. “If the item is in a poor neighborhood, the people living there have access to it. People living in more affluent areas have the same type of access.
“If a poor person goes to a more affluent neighborhood and finds something, they can take it and bring it to their home,” the reader continued. “I see this happening here all the time. A discard is a discard. One person’s discard may have no value to one person and great value to another.”
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Confusing Freebies And Charity
There’s no moral ambiguity to resolve, said Burlington (Massachusetts) Patch reader Tony, who argues that not taking the item “does not guarantee a poor person will.”
“To be frugal, take the item. To help the poor, turn to private and public institutions,” Tony said. “Confusing curbside freebies with helping the poor is counterproductive.”
Across America Patch reader Melon doesn’t care who mines the curb and figures freecycling is an opportunity for upcycling.
“When I set out items, I just want them gone,” Melon said. “I don’t care who benefits from the items. I set out faded metal lawn ornaments, and who knows who is handy with paint? An office chair that looked brand new with a note on it that read, ‘tends to sink,’ who knows who is handy with ideas?”
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Deb, the Royal Oak Patch reader whose neighbor set out bottled doll heads, never thought much about a curb mining code of ethics.
“It’s a nice thought,” she said. “But are people expected to ask for a financial disclosure before they allow someone to cart away their junk? Like little financial crimes police squads? Come on. Thiss may be the actual definition of ‘too woke.’”
Lisa’s Book Of Curb Mining Etiquette
“Items at the curb are the universal sign that the item is free for the taking (unless it is marked with a price tag),” Wauwatosa (Wisconsin) Patch reader Lisa said, adding, “I am the neighbor who puts free stuff at the curb frequently.”
In her book, a key point in the etiquette of curb mining is to pay for a tag for the junk and leave it to the sanitation department to pick it up. If it is junk, treat it as such.
“I do not put out things like mattresses, furniture,e or very large items. It stays out until it is picked up or until garbage pick up, whatever comes first,” Lisa said. “Everything I have ever left has been picked up, most within a couple of hours.”
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Also in her curb mining etiquette book: Put the word out on social media that you’re setting free-for-the-taking items at the curb and post pictures. “Makes things go more quickly,” Lisa said.
Most importantly, she said, remember that what you do on your property can affect your neighbors’ enjoyment of theirs.
“My neighbors have never complained,” Lisa said. “I am very mindful of what I put out, and make sure it is not a long-term eyesore or rat trap.
“There has to be balance,” Lisa said.
About Block Talk
Block Talk is an exclusive Patch series on neighborhood etiquette — and readers provide the answers. If you have a topic you’d like for us to consider, email [email protected] with “Block Talk” as the subject line.
