When the Take It or Leave It shed at the Transfer Station closed because of the pandemic, residents began saving boxes of items they deemed too good to throw away, awaiting the shed’s reopening. That finally happened Wednesday morning, June 16, when residents quickly filled the display table with a diverse collection of treasures, from a pickle recipe book to a partially used container of window glazing.
Christina Middleton arranges new donations for display at the Take It or Leave It area at the Transfer Station. (Photos by Jen Manell)
The opening was not without glitches. In order to manage the expected avalanche of cast-offs, the town solicited volunteers to keep order in the shed and to turn away residents when no more space was available. But no volunteers showed up Wednesday morning, and Transfer Station worker Al Cozzolino didn’t open the shed until Department of Public Works Director Tim Kilhart gave the OK. Luckily, the Wednesday crowd was smaller than expected, and although the table was filled by 10 a.m., only a few more items trickled in by the 11:30 a.m. closing hour.
Few takers showed up that first day, so most of the items were unclaimed, sealing their fate in the iron jaws of the trash compactor. Cozzolino told the Press the shed has to be emptied at the end of each Wednesday and Saturday in order to make room for new arrivals.
On Saturday morning, with no volunteers available for the 8 a.m. opening, Assistant Town Administrator Marie Sobalvarro took the first shift. Every visitor to the shed received a leaflet describing what was acceptable and what wasn’t (see table below), as well as a list Sobalvarro created of alternative donation centers, such as Household Goods in Acton and the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Leominster. Early morning drop-offs were slow, but by 11:30 a.m. leavers had to be turned away due to lack of space in the shed. Space opened up again soon after that and no further closures were necessary.
Items left on Saturday include a pile of 78 rpm records.
Takers and leavers were clearly delighted with the reopening, and most left with at least one item. Comments ranged from “my grandson would love this” to “my neighbor’s daughter could use this” to “my wife will probably make me come right back with this.” One treasure hunter saw a man pick up a ceramic compost bin and offered him $5 for it. The man was briefly taken aback but accepted the cash.
Most popular
The most popular items were coffee makers, books (except self-help books), kids’ toys and games, and tools. On this particular Saturday morning, every tool found a new home, including a slide switch angle grinder, a sanding drum kit, and even a small toolbox with miniature tools. Resident Brian Noble, who said he calls the Take It or Leave It “The Harvard Supply Company,” said that items he wishes for during the week frequently show up in the shed on Saturday morning. Clutching a box of light switches, he told the Press, “My wife told me just this week that one of our light switches wasn’t working.”
A few items went quickly, including a Hostess Twinkies maker, some half-peck wooden baskets, an electric drill, and a propane torch. Some were niche items that just needed the right customer to come along, like a seven-piece finger sandwich maker, a pile of 78 rpm records, and a package of doggy diapers. An album of the 1975 Bainbridge-Guilford High School Band playing Chicago’s greatest hits seemed destined for destruction, but a record collector who said he was always on the lookout for unusual albums snatched it up. Least popular items were printers (which aren’t supposed to be left at the Take It or Leave It, but three managed to sneak in), glassware, picture frames, travel mugs, and gift-wrapping items.
At the end of the day, the table was still fairly full. The snow shovel and humidifier had no takers on this hot June afternoon; a briefcase full of French lessons on cassette tapes sat among various pieces of lacrosse gear and empty slide carousels, all headed for the trash compactor.
Cozzolino said that he may put another table outside the shed once the initial influx of items is over. He said he typically filled one trash compactor on Wednesdays and two on Saturdays with leftovers from Take It or Leave It, and he doesn’t want to be overwhelmed with trash during the first few weeks it’s open again.
Volunteers needed
Volunteers are still needed to keep things in the shed organized on Wednesdays and Saturdays for the next few weeks. To volunteer, send an email to askthetaharvard.ma.us.
