The Hope Chamber of Commerce is hoping the old saying is true – One man's trash is another man's treasure.
The inaugural Trash To Treasure event is scheduled for Saturday, June 18, throughout the District of Hope, and the public is encouraged to bring out any unwanted items for people to look through and perhaps take away.
Unlike the previous spring cleanup events, this is not a district run program and the items will not be removed at the end of the day. Instead, if someone sees something they like in front of a house, they can just take it with them.
"It's more like a garage sale, with no money," said Victor Smith, president of the chamber.
The idea is to allow people to get rid of old, unwanted items that may be useful to someone else.
Smith called it a "win-win situation" because the old owner gets rid of something without paying dumping fees and the new owner gets an item for free.
The project also works as part of the Communities in Bloom, which is one of the event sponsors.
"Recycling items is part of their mandate," said Smith.
But it doesn't just promote recycling, Smith has advertised the event in the surrounding communities, to promote Hope.
"It will get people coming to Hope. It's good for business. People will be buying coffee and lunch," said Smith.
They will also get a chance to see what Hope has to offer.
The event runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Smith says there are four easy steps to participate.
First gather any items you would like to see removed. Then place those items in a visible location at the front edge of your property so prospective "treasure hunters" can look at them without blocking traffic.
Third, place a sign in front of the objects, identifying them as free or trash to treasure items – that will prevent any possible misunderstandings.
Finally, and most importantly, at the end of the day homeowners must bring in any items that were not taken.
"I think this is a great idea to make this available to the community," said Hope Mayor Laurie French. "But I don't want people to think this is a reinstatement of the spring clean up."
The District has no involvement with the program.
"As long as people are diligent in bringing it back in at 4 p.m., I think it will go well," added French.
But homeowners should beware, if they leave their items out on the street after the event, they could find themselves with a ticket.