Is your “trash” someone else’s treasure?

When decluttering you may come across items that you think no one would ever want. You’d be surprised!  Take these examples:

While decluttering his kitchen, a client came across very old spice tins that he was going to toss in the trash can. We discussed the fact that the vintage tins might be of interest to someone, and I agreed to see if I could find someone who would want them. I posted them on Marketplace for free and received several messages about them. One guy said he just wanted the spices, that someone else could have the tins. I was immediately skeptical, even suspicious. (I even googled What do people do with old spices?) Turns out he was planning to use the spices to deter pests in an organic garden. Another person wanted the tins because they reminded her of cooking with her grandmother.

The same client had a vintage metal Raggedy Ann/Raggedy Andy trashcan. My contacts who sell vintage items weren’t interested, so I put it on Marketplace, again for free. To my surprise, the man who met me to pick it up was quite young, and he expressed immediate delight in the item. He has a photography studio downtown and needed a trash can, so he looked on Marketplace. He was so happy that he posted a picture of the item on his Instagram page, and later sent me a picture of the trashcan in his studio. It’s always a joy to help clients find homes for items they don’t want; it’s a double win when the item goes to someone who delights in it!