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Treasure or Trash? Residents can decide

There were some great ‘treasures’ to be found, left at curbside on Saturday morning.

There were some great ‘treasures’ to be found, left at curbside on Saturday morning.

The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury held its first Curbside Treasure Hunt Day on June 22, an effort to encourage re-use and recycling, and keep no-longer-wanted items out of landfill.

The concept was simple: any item in relatively good shape could be placed at the curb, with a sign specifying that it was “Free” – and anyone could come along and pick up discarded treasures, to take home.

Marilyn Copeland dashed across the road to rescue a partially-reupholstered antique chair. Would she be going out again, to do more treasure hunting?

“I’m waiting on my friend with a truck – but he’s gone home with a load,” Copeland said. “I’m not early enough!”

It was only 8 a.m.

Just how successful the inaugural treasure hunt was remains to be seen; homeowners and treasure hunters have until 7 p.m. to cruise the neighbourhoods, and cull what they want. Anything unclaimed at the end of the day must be brought inside again by homeowners, donated to charity  – or arrangements made with the County, to safely dispose of the items at landfill.

But a quick drive past showed that not every household was participating in the Treasure Hunt, especially in the newer subdivisions. In areas like Grand Central and Summerlyn, only handful of householders had set items at curbside.

Or perhaps treasure hunters had already been by, and scooped up what they wanted.

“I took a couple of loads already,” said Virgilio Grego, as he stopped to pick up an ornate outdoor light.

He was happy that the items were being recycled and kept from landfill, but disturbed by signs of a materialistic, throw-away society. “It’s too much stuff,” Grego said. “It’s a lot of new stuff.”

Some of those who decided not to participate in the Curbside Treasure Hunt Day found another way to recycle their treasures - and make a little money at the same time. There were a lot of Garage Sales and Yard Sales taking place around Bradford, on a sunny Saturday morning.


Miriam King

About the Author: Miriam King

Miriam King is a journalist and photographer with Bradford Today, covering news and events in Bradford West Gwillimbury and Innisfil.
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