Reduce, reuse, recycle... but most of all REUSE

"Reduce, reuse, recycle" goes the slogan; but chief and most effective of the three is reuse! Re-purpose what you own already, or connect with someone who can use something you no longer need. Reusing eliminates the waste of having to produce and transport something new, and eliminates the need to landfill something that potentially retains a worldly utility; and thereby circumvents some of the damage the demands of our consumer economy do to the environment.

For people like me who hold on to far too much stuff, next week in Narberth is a wonderful time of the year: Clean-up Week! Over next week you may put out whatever you wish (with some exceptions - see below) in front of your house and it will be hauled away for you, one way or the other.

But Clean-up Week is so much more than that. The fun really begins well before the trash trucks arrive. It is traditional to lay out your unwanted stuff by Sunday afternoon (June 6th) and people browsing for free stuff will begin making the rounds. You will see serious stuff-hunters with maps and cell phones, pickup trucks and minivans. You will see vehicles and bicycles driving down every street in Narberth at about 2 mph. You will see the guys in the scrap metal salvage truck on the lookout for anything of use. It's not uncommon to have most of your unwanted things taken by neighbors before the trash trucks even arrive. My wife and I always make bets about which of our junk might get taken and which not; and we are often surprised. Over the years we've also received plenty of great stuff too, including furniture, toys, books, garden pavers, and plywood.

By the way, it's also polite to label non-working appliances as such.

For more information about Clean-up Week, here is the Borough's notice, with pickup schedule by street (link will download pdf):