After Moving Day, group collects good-condition discarded furniture, objects for charity
Posted July 2, 2023 12:48 pm.
Last Updated July 2, 2023 6:40 pm.
They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
That’s the philosophy for one non-profit organization in Montreal that gives a second life to discarded furniture and other household objects that are still in good condition.
And the prime time for scouring the streets of Montreal to find such hidden gems? The day after Moving Day.
It’s part of the “RebutRécup” project – or Trash 2 Treasure – by the Société pour l’action, l’éducation et la sensibilisation environnementale de Montréal (SAESEM).
“We are collecting goods, furniture, books, everything that people want to get rid of during the moving time,” said Jean-Sébastien Matte, the executive director of SAESEM.
“The material would be distributed to other organizations, a non-profit organization for the families that are in need, like the Petits Frères, Le Chaînon, things like that.”
On Sunday the group was in the Plateau-Mont-Royal looking for items that can be donated. CityNews followed along as they collected chairs, a vacuum cleaner and more.
“A nice desk we saw in full oak yesterday lying in the street,” said Matte. “A lot of tables, clothes. So that’s basically what we’re collecting.”
And while the group is focused on finding useful objects on sidewalks after Moving Day, they also offer a free service to collect furniture from people’s homes. On Sunday they picked up desks and children’s toys, among other items.
The City of Montreal predicts about 50,000 tons of garbage has been put on the curb because of people moving over the past few days.
“The city asks everyone to, if it’s possible, re-gift your furniture,” said Philippe Sabourin, a spokesperson with the City of Montreal. “If those furniture are in good state, you should gift the furniture or otherwise use the recycle bin or go at the call centre. We’re open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.”
Last year they collected more than two-and-a-half tons of material. So far this year, they’ve given a second life to seven tons of furniture and household objects that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill.
“We’re trying to pull it out of the street so it can have a second life and that it doesn’t go to the landfill, basically creating a less pollution,” said Matte.
Pickups are done in a fully carbon-neutral way – either by electric truck or bicycle trailer.
