It wouldn’t be weird, but talk to your neighbour first.

You can politely ask them about it. Maybe there’s a good reason they threw it out. Maybe it’s infested, or broken.

I actually love it when people take things I put by the curb. I would much rather someone get use out of it than have it end up in a landfill.

There’s a well established tradition of hand-me-down furniture being put out in alleys in East Vancouver. When you move and have no furniture, you can just tour the alleys and come away with a coffee table and a sofa or a couple of chairs. Did it a few times. You gotta know how to check for bed bugs though.

I got a decent table saw this way. I don’t mind picking up something that someone else doesn’t want and I might one day use.

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I did it this morning

I happily took an awesome nursing chair from my next door neighbour’s curbside…the only awkward part will be putting it to the curb myself one day in the very near future 😂

One persons trash is another persons treasure.

There is a reason why this is a universal saying.

If it’s up for grabs, grab it

If I have a bulky item to discard, I call 311 or use the My311 app to arrange city pickup, and put it by the curb the day before. It’s my hope that none will still be there by the time the truck arrives. Because that means it’s being used by someone, which is better for everyone. If it’s a neighbor, that’s cool too.

My neighborhood has bulk trash pickup monthly. Most of the bulk trash gets put out the week prior to pickup day. The majority of this trash doesn’t make it to the dump! People with trailers come by and pick up anything remotely usable. I like to think they are reusing/upcycling this stuff but I really don’t know. I see this as a huge win because it keeps stuff out of the dump but it does feel very dystopian to see a junk economy like something from Fallout.

I’m in the USA btw. Others have pointed out that some countries have different laws regarding ownership of trash. Don’t get in trouble with law enforcement, get to know your neighbors better! It’s not trash if they give it to you.

You already know the saying about one man’s trash. Just use that if they ask about it.

If you’re sure they don’t want it, take it.

If you aren’t sure, ask, if if they are there, and if they aren’t there, take it and ask later if they wanted it (return it if they did).

There’s no shame in re-using good or even repairable stuff: indeed, be proud.

The free pile is always available.

In my neighborhood taking stuff left at the curb is the norm. Sometimes we‘ll leave a sign to clarify something is free. There have been times when I’ve taken something, used it for a while, then put it back out in the curb for someone else to enjoy.