Last weekend really felt like summer to me for one key reason, and it wasn’t the weather… it was the abundance of yard sale signs I passed on my morning dog walk. I love a good yard sale, but sadly, many of us city-dwellers don’t have much of a yard on which to display our unwanted treasures. Fortunately, there is a solution…
I recently got the following email from Cambridge’s Recycling Director by way of my neighborhood listserv:
UNWANTED FURNITURE? OUR SUPER FRIENDS CAN RESCUE IT!
Arrange a free pickup of your good-condition furniture. Moving and can’t take it all with you? Plan a few weeks ahead. Visit CambridgeMA.gov/Furniture for our interactive list of organizations and details on pickup and drop-off options. These groups taking living, dining and bedroom furniture…and put them to good use. Groups with a star (*) also take mattresses in good condition. Plus, they’ll pick up your stuff for free!
Salvation Army* 1-800-SA-TRUCK or use their online form
MA Coalition for the Homeless* 781-595-7570 x13 or albenny@mahomeless.org
Aid to Incarcerated Mothers* 617-536-0058
Boomerangs 617-309-7220 or use their online form
MIT Furniture Exchange 617-253-4293 or fx@mit.edu (free pickup for large donations only)
Epilepsy Foundation 888-322-8209 or use their online form
For more info, visit: CambridgeMA.gov/Furniture
CALL THEM AT LEAST A WEEK OR TWO AHEAD TO ARRANGE A FREE PICKUP
Waited until the last minute? You can sell or give stuff away through boston.craigslist.org or freecycle.org. Postings are free, most do better with a photo and it’ll be gone in no time. If it’s a ripped, torn, stained, about-to-fall-apart mess…unfortunately it probably is trash! City trash crews will pick up ONE piece of furniture per week from residences served by the Cambridge Department of Public Works. Remember, it’s heading to the landfill or incinerator if you choose this route, so, if it’s usable and is in good condition, please see what you can do to arrange a rescue! For more info, visit: CambridgeMA.gov/Furniture.
CLEANING OUT YOUR CLOSET?
Don’t throw it out. Click here for a Google map of where to donate your stuff in Cambridge with clothing drop boxes, thrift stores, consignment shops and second hand stores! You can donate clothing and textiles that are torn, stained, broken or missing something, to Goodwill, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Got Books/Clothes, and Planet Aid. These groups take clothing, shoes, belts, purses, hats, linens, stuffed animals, and fabric scraps. Just no dirty rags, nothing wet, nothing soiled, no carpets, no rugs, and no mildewed items. If it’s not wearable, damaged clothing is recycled into wiping rags and everything else is processed back into fibers used to make paper, yarn, insulation, carpet padding, and sound proofing.
You can also find more detailed info in the Cambridge Chronicle’s recent write-up of the campaign.