Maybe your garbage needs a little love

The city of Barrie is encouraging residents to participate in two recycling initiatives. (City of Barrie)

The things in your garbage may not need to be there just yet.

With the help of some initiatives from the city of Barrie, you can show your used or broken items a little bit of love and potentially give them a longer life.

On June 13, residents are invited to participate in the city’s Curbside Giveaway Day. Barrie is encouraging residents to set aside items that are in good, usable condition on the end of their driveway or their lawn with a ‘free’ label on them, with hopes that someone else can take them and put them to good use.

Anything that isn’t taken must be taken back by 9 p.m. on the same day.

Broken items can be brought to Barrie Public Library’s downtown branch for the Repair Cafe. At the cafe, residents can show their small household items, wooden items, clothing, textiles or even children’s toys to volunteers who may be able to fix them.

The library says repairs are not guaranteed and electronics like cell phones and laptops are not eligible for repair.

The city says 29 of 30 items brought last year were able to be repaired, saving over 100 kilograms of material from going into the landfill.

For more information on both initiatives, visit the city’s website.