Hahaha. In Germany many people put their not used anymore items just outside of their houses with signs: "to give away". I've found furnitures, books, washing machine??? :D
I've heard stories about people putting out old appliances and furniture out on the curb with a "free" sign. It sits out there for 4 weeks. Then they put out a sign that says "$20. inquire within" And an hour later it was stolen.
That's true. I did it too when I moved out from our apartment. We have things away serially, like every week days there would be new items, and I got "scolded" by another person living in the building. He/ she (suspect she's a she) said that I am creating a trash problem in the apartment, and asked me to throw the things away after 24 hours of no one taking them. I discussed this with my wife and we decided not to throw the things away onl after 24 hours. We decided to throw them away after a week.
We have actual FB groups in many cities in my country where people tell others where there are skips usually accompanied with image. Even my own apartment building allows people to leave things they don't need for other people to take. My rocking chair, hallway table, and a lot of other stuff were found in one of these ways. I think I have bought maybe 5 furniture pieces in my life, the rest are someone's cast-offs although some could be classed as antiques. My dining table was my great grandma's. People don't really leave stuff at the curb here though.
CR user here. One time we were taking some items out of my house in order to have them recycled for parts. I was taking out an old washing machine we had replaced some time ago, needing some major fixes to go back to usability... it had already been taken away by someone in the five minutes it took me to return back to the front of my house with another batch of things, and I couldn't help to chuckle at the speed in which things got recycled in my neighborhood
It's commonly understood, at least where I live in the States, that if you are getting rid of something that still works you can leave it out on the curb for somebody else to take for free, sometimes with a note saying "Free" but usually without it.
When I was young and struggling I got most of my furniture that way. I still even have some of it
For our senior prank we went around for weeks picking up furniture left on curbs. We managed to set up full living room dioramas in front of the school with couches, recliners, coffee tables, TVs, etc. A bunch of people came back and used the furniture for their apartments when they moved out after graduation
Just beware what you grab this way as it's a great way to spread bug infestations. A friend of mine kept having to deal with bed bugs and cockroaches in her apartment because a guy living down the hall liked to refurbish free furniture he found on the street and kept bringing new infestations in after they cleared out the last one.
The town I live in now has 2 bulk pickup days for heavy items, up to 5 items, a box of stuff counts as one. They usually don't care if you go a little over either. Then theres the pickers, who go absolutely nuts right before. Antiquers fighting over furniture like dogs over a bone, metal scrappers, etc...
Then theres my parent's town, which will pick up whatever you leave as long as it isn't hazardous. And if they won't take it, you leave a sign that says "free" and someone else will!
That's how I built my first pc back in the 90s. I cobbled one together from pcs people junked in my old neighborhood.
I live in a rural town and people put items like this in front of their homes all the time. I have fixed washers, dryers, etc and had things picked up. If it's there on trash day it gets hauled off.