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On regular occasions, you’d be forgiven for thinking that whole suburbs are being evicted on the same day.
Nothing of the kind.
It’ll be Sperrmülltag – the inorganic waste collection for stuff that you can’t get rid of in the normal rubbish collection.
It’s recycling to the power of 10.
In these globalised affluent times (ignoring current recessionary trends for a minute), the folks who take greatest interest in picking over the piles of goodies are folks from Germany’s Eastern European neighbours (Poland, Czech Republic) who descend like locusts, load everything that’s resalable into their vans and they’re off to Warzsawa or wherever.
Wasn’t always like that.
In my impoverished youth, I virtually furnished my apartment from the detritus of the flash subdivision where the landlord lived.
Found a very serviceable sofa once. Didn’t smell too badly, not too many holes, only missing 2 legs, interesting list to the front which resulted in Cousin Graham’s rolling off onto the floor in the middle of the night.
After the third gravity-induced excursion (never was the sharpest knife in the drawer…), he insisted on commissioning the inflatable (deflatable, actually – had a puncture) camping mattress.
He refused to come a stay again until I’d de-sofad my life…
Mainz Daily Photo 
>Amazing. The same happens in Ocala, Florida. Once a month people can put out stuff they can’t put in the regular garbage. But the night before and early in the morning, scavengers arrive, grab what they want, throw it in the trucks or minivans and take it away, probably to be sold in garage sales or flea markets.The funny thing is that the same people who throw it out might very well buy it again when they visit the flea market!
>”De- sofaed”? I’m putting that one on my JB list too.I have been known to screech to the curb and nab some items from the neighbor’s pile as well.V
>No-one more ungrateful than a relative!!