Almost everybody has some extra junk lying around. That is why Santa Clara organizes a citywide garage sale every year. This year a second garage sale was scheduled just before the annual cleanup campaign.
“It is an opportunity for individuals and private parties to have garage sales on a specific dates,” said Karin Hickey, staff aid for environmental programs.
The city’s information technology employees draft maps of the city. Then, citizens register their homes online to create a map of locations participating in the community-wide sale, Hickey said.
This year, the city added a second day to the sale, which was held April 30, to give those with an abundance of unwanted goods another day to unload them.
Hickey said the program is a good way to divert materials from the landfill as well as give neighbors an opportunity to get to know one another.
The decision to add a second day was due in large part to community response about the clean up campaign, Hickey said. Much of the feedback from those dissatisfied with the clean up campaign who wanted another day, closer to the clean up campaign, to help thin their stores of extra items before putting them on the curb for disposal, she said.
In addition to the second day, Hickey said the increased digitization of the sale has been a game-changer. While the registration was updated once weekly, now the registration is updated as soon as someone adds their name.
The registration page also allows garage sale hosts to go online and log what type of items they have for sale. Garage sale goers can peruse the available items and tailor their shopping accordingly, she said.
“The garage sale has always been a positive community-based campaign,” Hickey said. “It is kind of more of an event. You can plan your day around it … it helpful to have the items listed if you are looking for something specific.”
Those interested in participating can visit santaclara.gov/garagesale. The sale also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter. The second garage sale will be held August 13
