The things people throw away....why not at least DONATE?

[Coventina]

I was just out walking my dog.

Had to make a little pit stop in the alley to discard his business....

Found two pristine, beautifully matted and framed Audubon prints.
Absolutely perfect condition. No cracks in the glass, no fading of the prints...PERFECT!

I'm going to probably hang them at my work.

Why wouldn't someone at least take them to Goodwill or something?
It is not a cheap, do-it-yourself matting and framing job someone invested in these things.

Go ahead and think I picked up trash in the alley, but I think they are beautiful and couldn't stand to see them go to the landfill.

[blm]

1. I'm glad they were rescued.

[Croney]

2. We often put free things out on the street.

We have collected many beautiful things that way too. Trash picking can be fun!

[a kennedy]

5. We do have a city wide "clean up" so I will probably put my printer out for the city clean up.

[Coventina]

6. I'm all in favor of free-cycling, but these were actually in the trash bin.

The only reason I was brave enough to take them out is because it was full of other clean trash.
If they'd been soiled, I would have left them, and been sad about it.

It's just coincidence that I happened to come across them before they were ruined.

I just don't get the thinking of people who do stuff like that.

[Sogo]

29. There are no coincidences....

It'll be really great when at some time in the future you go to have them reframed and an original of the Declaration of Independence is discovered behind one of them....

[Scrivener7]

32. There might be a story behind it. Maybe a gift from a cruel in-law that was discarded after

the divorce was finalized. Something like that.

(PS: I changed my name, y'all! I used to be Squinch.)

[a kennedy]

3. That's like how do I get rid of my printer??? NO ONE TAKES THEM.......

I don’t know what to do with it.

[Coventina]

8. Our city has periodic electronic recycling events.

Maybe yours has one too?

[Ocelot II]

16. Recycling centers take them.

[Grasswire2]

21. I have four non-working HP printers in the house.

DISGUSTING.

They would sell more fricking ink if their printers kept working instead of dying.

[Shermann]

28. I'm surprised there aren't more threads about printers on DU

They really are a travesty of technology. A printer could be built to last a decade. Printer cartridges could be filled to more capacity and sold far cheaper than what they are.

INSTEAD...

Companies manufacture printers as cheaply as possible as loss-leaders. They mark up cartridges where all the real money is made. To stay ahead of the aftermarket cartridges, they change the formats continually which obsoletes the printers. They also manufacture roadblocks to prevent cartridges from being refilled.

All the used cartridges and useless printers head for the landfills. We are not paying the true cost of this mess.

[Grasswire2]

35. It is insane.

My most recent one died before I was on the second ink cartridge. A failed internal power module, evidently.

[Ron Obvious]

40. My 1993 HP 4p and 1997 HP Officejet G95 are still working a treat.

I just put another cartridge in the 4p (its third) and it's as good as new.

I don't have a point. I'm just smug about it.

[3catwoman3]

33. Put it on your curb with a sign saying $50 and...

...someone will steal it.

I've read about people who put stuff out with a sign saying "Free" and no on takes it. Put a price on it and GONE.

[PoliticAverse]

4. They did donate them...

to you.

Enjoy them.

[no_hypocrisy]

7. Reminds me of a family I knew in the Seventies.

Sunday Dinner: a beautiful Roast Beef and the fixin's. Everyone had at least one slice.

After Dinner: the entire remaining roast was dumped in the garbage. Meaning no leftovers. They saw it as "old food" and therefore, it was garbage.

BTW, this was a UNION family, not upper middle class.

[Coventina]

9. Wow! The mind boggles.

Leftovers were and remain a way of life in my family.

[leftieNanner]

12. When my kids were little

we didn't call them "leftovers", we called it a smorgasbord.

Put everything in the fridge out on the counter and eat whatever you want for dinner.

Tricky Mom! My kids thought it was fun! And my husband will eat anything except spicy or spoiled.

His Dad, however wouldn't eat leftovers. Step Mom would take them to work at lunch - and then she would make a fresh meal every night. Wonderful woman!

[Kali]

19. oh my god

that is sick

[Sogo]

30. Well then they never had the joy of L/O lasagna

on toast with sliced avocado on top.....

Sometimes I make lasagna just so I can have it leftover....tastes sooooo good!

[Delmette2.0]

10. My sister and i make sure to tell our adult children how much we pay

for proper framing and matting. We just shared the expense of preserving a photo that is 140 years old.

It is a picture of the family home in Norway about 1879-1880. If that is our Great great-grandfather in the corner, the one of the babies is our grandfather. Worth every penny.

[Coventina]

11. That is so cool! Yeah, that wouldn't be a cheap frame job.

I have some old family photos that I should probably think about doing something like that....

[Delmette2.0]

14. Special museum quality glass.

UV protection and none glare.

We have a locally owned frame shop that we have patronized for years. These ladies are worth every penny for their expertise and artistic suggestions.

Find one near you and see what they suggest.

[Coventina]

18. Thanks. I do have an upcoming frame job that will require museum standards.

My prize possession: I have an autographed print by Shepard Fairey (the Obama "Hope" guy).
I bought it for $150. It's already going for around $700 now....

I know it's not high or super valuable art, but it's something I will treasure the rest of my life!

[Delmette2.0]

20. I need to figure out how to post my pictures.

Then you would know how unspectacular the old farm house is. Also you would see pictures of my grandpuppy, Daisy.

I swing from historical to frivolous.

[Coventina]

22. I know. People have explained it to me for years, but I've never actually done it.

I'd love to see your photograph!

One branch of my family are fairly recent immigrants from Norway as well.

In fact, some years back, a relative in Norway died, and I inherited part of her estate!
Turns out, my mom's family were her closest relatives. My mother had already died, so me and my siblings got about $800 each.

It kind of blew my mind that the lawyers went to the trouble to track us down here in America. They could have easily kept the money as none of us even knew of the existence of this relative!
Maybe Norse lawyers are more upstanding than the ones we have here.

[Delmette2.0]

23. Sorry to digress from the OP.

Where in Norway? My family is from Dregendal, Telemark.

[Coventina]

24. No apology needed! Sorry to say....I don't know.

I think this particular relative lived in Oslo, but where the family's "roots" are, I don't know.

My grandfather probably could have known, as it was his parents that came over, but he's gone now, as is my mother.
One of my mother's siblings might know. I'm not in touch with them, as they became Trump humpers.
*sigh*

I should probably get over it, though, because I really don't know anything about that side of the family and I'll regret it down the road if I don't at least try to find out.

[Delmette2.0]

25. Telemark is just west maybe NW of Oslo.

I would have to get out my map. Bite the bullet for the sake of family history.

[Kali]

13. my urban sister "gives away" lots of things in the alley (also to goodwill, but save a trip?)

plenty of people work the alleys so they probably know someone would find them before trash pick-up day.

[Coventina]

15. Well, these were actually in the trash bin.

I posted details in another post on the thread.

It is true that we have alley scavengers, but they are generally looking for scrap metal.
They might have taken the frames as scrap. Probably would have busted the glass out and left the broken glass and the prints and taken the frames.

[Kali]

17. oh, well that is messed up

good thing you saved them. I can't throw anything away so I do have some sympathy for someone that does manage to get rid of stuff LOL, but I'm with you - donate it somewhere so someone else can enjoy or benefit.

[blueinredohio]

26. If its junk I throw it away otherwise I put it by the street

with a free sign by it. If no one takes it then ill take it to goodwill.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

27. Read Secondhand: Travels In The New Global Garage Sale

By Adam Minter. It's about what happens to stuff when no longer wanted, and Goodwill figures strongly in it.

[mdelaguna]

31. Some goodwills are picky

And make you take their refused goods to the dump

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

34. Which tells you a lot. If they don't want it,

and the book makes clear that Goodwill either sells stuff quickly or passes the stuff on to other markets, including overseas. Which means if they won't accept it in the first place, it truly is worthless and in need of being dumped.

[Hotler]

36. Somebody threw away a perfectly good white boy.

[Coventina]

37. !

One of my favorites!!

[NJCher]

38. we have someone in our neighborhood who

consistently throws out new things: lamps, chairs, storage bins, shelving, you name it. I take the stuff and see if I can find a home for it with one of my gardeners at the community gardens I supervise. I'm usually successful.

And I won't kid you: If I can use it I'll keep it! About six months ago I needed a crane neck lamp to help provide close up light with plant seeding. Sure enough, this person threw one out, totally brand new. I looked it up on the i'net and it was selling for $161.

But last week took the cake. There was a bicycle parked by the trash pickup. It was such a nice bike that I figured the person was just visiting the house where it was parked. Absolutely spotless, not a scratch on it.

I came home very late that night, something like midnight, and there is was, still sitting there. (dead end street) Wheeled it home and called my contact who knows who needs what at the community garden.

This time, however, she said she didn't know of anyone who needed a bike and we had no place to store it at the garden.

My spouse is going on a trip and thought he could use it for off road ventures, so he looked the bike up. The bike is no longer made but parts are still available. It doesn't need any parts, but nice to know. Oh and did I mention that this bike sells for $8-10,000 new?

[Coventina]

39. Wow. Almost sounds like a serious mental or emotional issue.

I mean, seriously!

I'm glad you are able to put the items to good use!!