A ‘citywide treasure hunt’ is on as Ottawa brings back Giveaway Weekend

Items set out at the curb for Giveaway Weekend in Ottawa. (Kimberley Johnson/CTV News Ottawa)

The City of Ottawa is looking to help people reduce and reuse this weekend as it brings back an event called “Giveaway Weekend.”

Participants can leave their gently used items at the curb for others to pick up for free.

Katya Moravec is a project manager for environmental programming with the City of Ottawa and says the goal is to help keep items that can have a new life out of the landfill.

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“It’s basically a citywide treasure hunt,” she explained. “Residents can go out, peruse their neighbourhood, they get to know their neighbours, and they get to find things that hopefully give them a second life.”

The city last held the event in 2019 and Moavec says it has returned by popular demand.

Participants can put their unwanted items on the curb with a printed sign that says ‘free’ to help clearly label the items they’re willing to part with. Moavec says the city has also prepared a multilingual sign that can be printed from its website, which aims to help avoid any confusion.

“What might be garbage to you is a treasure to me,” said Moavec. “Anything that we keep out of the landfill and can extend for longer is a win for us.”

The city is asking people to place safe, reusable items at the curb, such as:

• Books, CDs, DVDs
• Children’s toys and clothes
• Furniture and small appliances in working condition
• Tools in working condition
• Kitchen gadgets, dishes, cutlery, pots and pans
• Unwanted gifts
• Musical instruments
• Sporting equipment
• Bicycles
• Yard and garden equipment
• Plants and potted trees

There are some items the city says should not be given away, including car seats and booster seats, baby gates and walkers, cribs, cradles, bike helmets, bedding, mattresses, and food.

“For safety reasons, please only place safe, reusable items at the curb. Do not set out garbage, hazardous waste, or broken goods,” the city says.

If you choose to participate, the city says you should not place items on the sidewalk, in the right of way, or in parking lots. Items should be clearly labelled as free to take, either with a handmade sign or by using the city’s prepared, multilingual poster.

At the end of the day, bring any uncollected items back inside.

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The city says items that are not taken can be donated to charitable organizations, shared through your local Buy Nothing Facebook group, or posted on other free exchange websites.

For those looking for items, the city says to not block driveways, right of ways, or parking lots, watch for children and pets, and respect private property by not walking onto lawns and gardens. Only take items that are clearly labelled as free and do not leave unwanted items on someone else’s property.

The City of Ottawa is also running a contest this weekend. Residents can share their finds on social media for a chance to win prizes. Details are on the city’s website.