Nundah residents, it’s time to round up old furniture and other items for disposal for scheduled kerbside collection on Monday, the 19th of August 2019. Also, get ready for scavenge hunters who may come by your neighbourhood to claim items you no longer need for their own use.
In Brisbane, there is no law against the practice of scavenging during kerbside collection. In fact, the Council encourages residents to salvage and recycle other people’s stuff as much as possible as it will help limit landfill buildup.
Now that it’s clear that scavenge hunting is not illegal, here are a few tips to remember when you spot scavenge hunters in your street:
1. If you’re tossing out items you have no more use for, then let strangers look into your stuff. If they take home your old furniture think of how much this would be better for the environment.
2. Technically, the moment you discard goods by the curb, it becomes the property of the Council and no longer yours. Thus, anyone is free to help themselves to it until the kerbside collectors come around.
3. To prevent scavenge hunters from making a mess of your pile before the collectors arrive, place them by the kerbside an hour before pick-up time. Some come by at midnight or at dawn when you’re asleep and you could wake up in the morning with your old computer monitors or TV smashed to bits.
4. If you’ve got completely unusable toasters, TV and other appliances, make sure to cut off the cords before placing them on your pile. This way, if the scavengers are only looking for cables and copper, they won’t have to destroy everything else. They can just easily take what they need and go.
5. It might help to also label which items are still working well. Tape a sign that says, “Still Works But Not Worth Selling” and you’d be surprised how easy it would be to encourage more responsible scavenge hunting.
A spokesperson from the Council, however, has a piece of important advice for scavenge hunters: “Ensure that leftover items are stacked tidily and not creating any obstructions to the footpath or roadway.”