Winnipeg’s giveaway weekend was back after three straight cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it looks like there was a lot of pent-up demand for the event.
The weekends are a way to keep items out of landfills, in which Winnipeggers are encouraged to put unwanted items — everything from furniture to toys to kitchen gadgets — on the curb for other treasure hunters to take home.
City waste diversion supervisor Mark Kinsley told 680 CJOB that Winnipeg is unique because of how often the city holds these popular weekends throughout the year.
He said he’s received calls from other municipalities looking to replicate Winnipeg’s success.
“It’s a simple enough program that we encourage everybody to at least try out,” said Kinsley.
“As long as your communication is diligent and clear, there’s no reason it can’t have the success that Winnipeg has seen.”
Kinsley said while the stats are hard to track, the success was easy to see with the naked eye.
“Whoever wanted some treasure found some, and those who wanted to get rid of some stuff did so as well,” he said.
“So it was an all-around great program again.”