Heartwarming hand-me-downs: how rehoming household items helps the community and environment

When you look around your home, you may see the items around you as just objects serving basic, everyday functions of your life. But what if we started to view our possessions as more than just objects, and began seeing them as valuable stories and treasures instead?

When we shift our mindset about our belongings, we can rethink how we manage them, especially when it comes to disposing them. Your items have more value than you may realize, and by finding new ways to love old items, you are helping the environment by reducing waste.

Below, residents in our communities share their stories of how older possessions were given new life.

Generations of comfort shared with one rocking chair

Oshawa resident Emily shared a story of how she furnished her rental apartment thanks to finds on Facebook Marketplace. When she moved in with her partner, Emily sought out affordable chairs using the online platform to connect with other residents.

“I remember picking up a particular rocking chair from one home only a few blocks away from me and getting to speak with the owner before she helped me put it into my car,” Emily said. “The owner told me about how the rocking chair had been used for three generations of her family to rock their babies to sleep, and that it held cherished memories for them. They hoped it would serve me in my new space.”

“I got the joy of using it in my new craft room while I crocheted, and my cat even found it to be one of his favourite napping spots,” Emily shared. “Knowing how much it had been loved by the family before somehow made the chair even more comfortable.”

Hand-me-down winter coats keeping a community warm

For Jessica and her group of friends, sharing clothing is especially helpful for their growing children.

“We pass down clothing year after year,” Jessica explained. “When items find their way back to my family, we then get to pass it along to my sister and her friends, who have children younger than ours. Some winter jackets have been through five kids now!”

Downsizing for one family, upsizing for another

When Erica and Jamie were moving into their new home, they were able to connect with the previous homeowners, Wilf and Lynn. Wilf and Lynn were moving into a retirement facility and no longer needed the furniture they had for their place. Instead of hosting a garage sale, Wilf connected with the young couple and offered them not only furniture and well-loved possessions, but stories about the home and how the items had been used.

“Wilf invited me to dinner with him to walk through the house and see if there were any furniture or items that we’d like to keep,” Erica shared. “I got to learn more about Wilf and Lynn’s life, about their children and all of Wilf’s “inventions” from his time as an engineer. Wilf shared a lifetime of memories of the house and its possessions, and I was blessed to be able to hear about a home that held such love.”

“Moving from a smaller home into a larger one, my husband and I felt lucky to be able to get some new-to-us furniture to fill up the extra space,” Erica continued. “Not only did it help us save money, but it kept a ton of useful household items and furniture from ending up in a landfill.”

“When we finally got the keys to the new house, I was also grateful to find that Lynn had left us her curio cabinet, which included a small inlaid wood music box they picked up from their 30th wedding anniversary to Italy.” Erica reminisced. “Inside the box was a handwritten note from Lynn about how curio cabinets are meant to hold the most precious moments of our lives and that she wanted to leave me one of her happiest memories. The best part? The melody it plays is Memories from the musical Cats.”

“Wilf and Lynn are no longer with us, but every time I sit down at my ‘new’ antique secretary desk and pull out my laptop, and every time I add a new item to the curio cabinet alongside the music box, I smile and think of the couple who helped a younger couple make their dream home a little more comfortable with the hand-me-downs they spent a lifetime loving.”

Give items new life with Curbside Giveaway Day

If you’re interested in rehoming household items so someone else can create their own memories with them, you can get involved in Durham Waste events like Curbside Giveaway Day.

Curbside Giveaway Day, which happens this Saturday, September 19, is an event for all Durham Region residents. From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., residents can place unwanted items in good condition—clearly marked FREE—on their curb for anyone to pick up. At the end of the Giveaway Day, residents return unclaimed items to their home.

Curbside Giveaway Day events are an opportunity to reduce the amount of garbage going to disposal by giving away your unwanted items or by going on a treasure hunt to find some new-to-you items. It’s a fun way to help the environment while connecting with your community. 

For more details, visit durham.ca/CurbsideGiveaway.