Enterprising people exist both in France and Switzerland
Interestingly, picking up furniture and other items put out on the street goes against established rules, but it is precisely thanks to those who do it that the situation is resolved to everyone's satisfaction. Among those who monitor the condition of Geneva's sidewalks is a resident of Haute-Savoie, Claudine, who at sixty years old made this her profession, and for three years now has been visiting neighboring Switzerland every week.
In an interview with the newspaper Le Temps, Claudine noted that luck does not always accompany her. "There are months when we manage to fill the van on each trip, and there are periods when we find hardly anything." In August last year, Claudine discovered a true eldorado in the Geneva commune of Plan-les-Ouates: before her eyes, the entire contents of a house were being carried out. The owner was hastily moving to another place, and Claudine was able to collect many items in excellent condition. Recently, luck smiled on the Frenchwoman in the commune of Veyrier, "giving" a cat tree and two pairs of old rugged boots made of thick leather. The owner of the shoes, who saw her, said, "My mountain boots are already 50 years old, and I am glad they will still serve someone."
How does Claudine plan to dispose of the boots? "I will polish them with shoe cream, put hobnails in the soles, insert new laces, and sell them at a fair near La Roche-sur-Foron (Haute-Savoie)." In three years of "collecting," the Frenchwoman has already memorized the days when it is allowed to put out bulky items on the sidewalk in Geneva communes. "In the Vésenaz area, it's the second Thursday of the month; in Puplinge, the last Wednesday; in Veyrier and Plan-les-Ouates, the first Wednesday."
She leaves her home village around noon; at 1:00 PM her van is already touring Veyrier, then Troinex and Plan-les-Ouates. By six in the evening, the Frenchwoman returns home, unloads the "booty," and if the day was not very successful, goes hunting again at nightfall. She has to act quickly because there is great competition in this field: even Swiss people often take items put out by owners, and garbage collection trucks pass early in the morning.
Primarily, Claudine takes dishes, household appliances (vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens), clothes, and bags. "At home, I sort through them, give what I don't need to the Roma, and give nice clothes and toys to my grandchildren and the children of my poorest acquaintances." A considerable part of the "catch" is sold after repair and refurbishment. "Arabs buy a lot from us, and then these items undoubtedly 'go' to Algeria or Morocco."
Initially, Claudine started collecting unwanted items out of necessity, because she lost her job as a head waiter, one of her daughters was experiencing great financial difficulties, and her husband was suffering from depression. "A friend told me that in Geneva you can collect items put out on the street, I went with her, then bought a car and started doing it myself."
The wastefulness of the Swiss bewilders Claudine. "Sometimes you just need to tighten a few screws, and a microwave or vacuum cleaner can serve for a long time. In our country, such things are not left on the sidewalk."
The most beautiful items the Frenchwoman has found include an almost new table football, a signed painting by an artist that she sold for 300 euros, and a box full of CDs. She likes to come to "work" after Christmas, because that's when you can find lots of garlands and other decorations, and even gifts that someone didn't like.
Mathieu Reiss, a representative of the Geneva canton waste disposal service, noted that it is forbidden to take items put out on the street without permission, because they belong to the commune, which must collect and then destroy them. According to Claudine, at night customs officers ask her to stop, but immediately let her go on once she tells them she is carrying items collected from the streets. "The Swiss are okay with someone clearing their sidewalks of junk, and the waste disposal workers have less work."
Alain Borel, in the recent past, also regularly checked Geneva's sidewalks. "Today my house is beautifully furnished, 90% thanks to found items, and I don't need anything else." Alain lives in the town of Évires (Haute-Savoie), worked for a long time as a financial analyst, but one day radically changed his life, becoming a professional in the field of reuse. Alain bought dilapidated houses, renovated them, furnished them with furniture collected from Geneva's sidewalks, and rented them out. "It's a noble action, because I believe many items are still in too good a condition to 'die.' And I only collect what I will really use."
His biggest "trophy" turned out to be a tricycle that he gave to his disabled daughter Zoé. In addition, Alain came across wooden ladders, boxes of excellent stemware, bottles of wine from the mid-20th century, washing machines, a metal and wood porch, a deep fryer, a kitchen door, a coffee maker, and a 200-kilogram meat curing vat. From a discarded bicycle, the retired financier made an electric bike, and from parts of electrical appliances, a complex system that charges his car battery using energy from solar panels installed on the roof of his house.
What amazed Alain most was when he found unopened Christmas gifts, and the most practical find was a new mattress that still had a store tag on it. "Thanks to it, my wife's back hardly hurts anymore." In a word, jacks of all trades can find application everywhere.