Warm weather brings return of Curbside Swap in Sioux Lookout

Jesse Bonello - Staff Writer

Sioux Lookout and area residents had the opportunity to turn their unused things into other people’s treasures last weekend during the return of Curbside Swap, which typically occurs once a month in the spring, summer, and early fall.
This year’s first Curbside Swap turned into a two-day weekend affair. The Municipality announced they were trialing the weekend format.
“Also, on a one-time trial basis, the Municipality is permitting items placed out on Saturday to remain out overnight through Sunday. So, the hours for the event this weekend will be from 8:00 a.m. Saturday, May 30th through 8:00 p.m. Sunday, May 31st,” the Municipality of Sioux Lookout shared in a Facebook post on May 28.
“We’re very pleased with both yesterday (Saturday) and today (Sunday). People are still going around today to pick up things. I think people did a lot of purging over the last two months, so I think the participation was considerably more this time. It seemed to work really well to extend it into Sunday,” said Joyce Timpson, member of the Sioux Lookout Environment Committee.
“It’s all about reducing our waste, and re-using good things. In some cases, some people will pick up something that needs repair, and they’ll repair it and use it again,” she said.
Timpson said residents were reminded to take necessary safety precautions, such as disinfecting and social distancing, while participating in the event.
“Most people who were putting things out spread them out so people didn’t have to rummage through boxes… We asked people to make sure their hands were washed before they put items out, we asked people to disinfect the items if they felt it had been handled frequently, and we suggested that people disinfect items they pick up,” she said.
The Government of Ontario extended all emergency orders until June 9, which includes prohibiting gatherings of more than five people. Timpson said the Curbside Swap provides the benefits of reducing waste and creating space, similar to a garage sale, without the safety risks of gathered crowds and the exchanging of money.
“The thing about the Curbside Swap as opposed to garage sales is people come one-by-one and they aren’t in crowds as you often see at a garage sale… Garage sales tend to have more people congregating around the sales and there’s an exchange of money. With the Curbside Swap there’s less people, usually less items, there’s few people around, and there’s no exchange of money,” Timpson explained.
“Curbside Swap takes place the last Saturday, or hopefully the last weekend, of every month beginning when the snow goes and it ends when the snow comes. It’s generally from the end of April to sometimes the end of October,” she concluded.
To stay up to date on Curbside Swap, and to see items that are available during the event, join the private Facebook group SLKT - Curbside Swap.