As the snow melts and the trees bud, thoughts of manicured lawns and clean houses set in. Spring cleaning is on the brain. Once we get into our basements, storage rooms, or garages, we often find old or unused items we no longer want. But what can we do with these unwanted things?

The Town of Niverville has set up quite a few options. The first is the community-wide garage sale, an excellent way to get rid of things you no longer have use for. It also keeps funds in the community and items out of our landfills. 
“This year, the community garage sale is on Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30,” says Chantal Gadient, Recreation Director.

Maps of the participating homes will be printed and displayed at Bigway, Country Snacks, and the town office. 85 homes participated in last year’s community garage sale. 

After the garage sale, if you have any big items left over, you can deposit them at the end of your driveway on May 1, the town’s free giveaway day. If you see something at the end of a driveway that you could use, pick it up!

You can also bring anything (except ozone-depleting appliances) to the arena and place it in one of the big bins. These bins will be available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on April 30 and May 1.

Other options for getting rid of unwanted items include selling them online using sites like Kijiji or the local Niverville Buy, Sell, and Trade Facebook page.

“Ultimately, what I love about it is that you can select what you want and I love the upcycling aspect of it,” says Niverville resident Jen Neufeld. “I can get a piece of well-loved furniture, paint it, and it looks brand new.”

If time is a major factor for you, the local MCC thrift store is a great place to give away gently used items. Keep in mind: they do not take broken appliances. All proceeds are used locally and globally to meet basic human needs and work for peace and justice. 

The Town of Niverville is also teaming up with NCI to clean up the town. On April 29, all students of NCI, along with teachers, will be split into groups and directed to every part of town to pick up garbage.

“Once a garbage bag is full, the students will leave it for a town staff member to pick it up that evening,” says teacher Deanna Wiebe. “We end the day with a treat for all involved. It’s a win/win situation.”