Environmentalism or laziness? | Public Spaces

On Capitol Hill, it's never been uncommon to see heaps of discarded possessions left in front of homes and on sidewalk corners. The idea, one supposes, embodies the old adage, "One man's junk is another man's treasure."

The trend has grown in recent months, though, and it's almost impossible to go for a walk now without encountering used furniture, home ware and clothing. Tonight, in the span of five blocks, I spotted an old mattress in an alley and a pile of books and shoes by the sign at Thomas St. Park.

Which begs the question, Is this environmentalism or laziness? Sure, it's wonderful if your old paperbacks make it onto someone else's shelves, but in the years I've lived here I've yet to see anyone claim these free offerings. I'm not saying it hasn't happened, but my experience has been the things just sit there for days and often get rained on. At which point, they're worthless.

I realize most buildings don't allow garage sales and not everyone has a car to haul larger items to the dump, but between Craigslist, eBay, the nearby Value Village and scads of worthy charities, it seems counterproductive to scatter piles of stuff throughout the neighborhood.