– There is no doubt that the problem increases in connection with the start and end of studies. That’s what Ole Bjørgen, subject manager for the city watchdog scheme at the Urban Environment Agency in Bergen municipality, says. He talks about the phenomenon of curb mining or stooping: Putting furniture on the street, as we say in Norway. It is a common sight further south on the continent and in densely populated areas in the USA. In addition, it can be reminiscent of dumpster diving, which is fishing up edible food from the boss pan to shops and cafes. But with the opposite sign: Someone put the sofa, shelf or cupboard out on the street in the hope that others will use it – or at least take pity on it. In Norwegian cities, used furniture especially pops up during the weeks when students are on the move. – For me, curb mining is a slightly more fancy word for littering, says Jørgen Bakke Fredriksen, press contact at the waste disposal and recycling agency in Oslo. Garden furniture on Nygårdshøyden July 2024. Photo: Bergen municipality – Stupid that it’s illegal Opinions about the trend are divided. – It’s nice that someone else might be able to get them then. Or maybe it looks a bit messy? says a young woman news talks to on student-heavy Nygårdshøyden in central Bergen. But leaving furniture on the street is actually not legal in Norway. – It’s stupid that it’s illegal, says a young man. If you have furniture you don’t use, which is nice, but which you can’t have, other people can enjoy it, he says. – As long as they don’t stand and block an ambulance, it’s fine, says another man. What do you think about furniture display? I think it’s perfectly fine. I don’t care. I don’t think it’s good. Show result Nygårdshøyden a few days ago. Photo: Silje Olsen / news Handing out NOK 1,000 in fees The authorities consider the display of furniture to be littering. It stands in the way of, among other things, the visually impaired and the blind, and also loses value the longer it sits in the rain. In Bergen, the city environment agency is out checking every day and documents everything they find. If the items are not gone after two or three days, they issue a fee of NOK 1,000 to the garden owner. – It is the person who owns the entire building who is also responsible for the area around the building, points out Ole Bjørgen of the Urban Environment Agency in Bergen municipality. A box toll with a slightly unfortunate location on Nygårdshøyden in July. Photo: Bergen municipality Found an aquarium with dead fish in It’s not just sofas, mirrors, paintings and other small furniture people see on the street. From time to time the municipality finds a little more unusual things. – Once, a few years ago, there was an aquarium with dead fish floating in the water, says Bjørgen. – I don’t know if the cats in the area ate the fish, but the fish was in any case gone the next day. It’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced. Nøstetorget by collection containers August 2024. Photo: Bergen municipality Expensive for the community Bjørgen thinks it’s good that people are concerned with recycling. But then he asks them to take advantage of municipal recycling offers and deliver large items to environmental parks or to environmental buses around the districts. In any case, the street is not the right place for such objects, believes Bjørgen. – There will be a relatively large cost when our contractors have to go out and remove this type of waste. This comes from the community’s money, he says. Sofa at Øvre Nygård August 2024 Photo: Bergen municipality Have you placed furniture on the street? Yes. Not yet, but will probably do it someday. No, I would never have done that. Show result Millions of kroner for clean-up Also in Trondheim, leaving furniture is a daily problem, which increases in the weeks when students move in and out of the city. In the last five months, notices of non-conformity have been written in 273 cases where people left waste illegally, informs Trondheim Renholdsverk. They spend 3 million a year on clearing public return points. In Stavanger, on the other hand, there is not a particularly big problem with placing furniture on the street. – We have certain urban areas where people leave things at collection stations throughout the year. But it is not to any great extent, says Tor Martin Larsen, head of the renovation, urban environment and development section in Stavanger municipality. He believes that people are good at making use of recycling stations or the municipality’s scheme at hentavfall.no, where they order collection of waste and reusable items. Found a whole bathroom on the street In Oslo, the big challenge is that people leave behind furniture, especially at the return point for glass and metal. Jørgen Bakke Fredriksen in the waste disposal and recycling agency in Oslo says there is perhaps an increase in the summer, which may have to do with students on the move, but that they struggle with the eviction all year round. It has not bothered him that things are seen on the street to be picked up by others. – If it rains at night, the sofa is no longer very usable. It’s a bit short-sighted. Most of it probably ends up as waste, says Fredriksen. Oslo municipality also uses resources to clean up around the return points almost daily. – What is the strangest thing they have seen on the street? – A few weeks ago, it looked as if someone had left an entire bathroom: tiles, rebar, the sink, simply the entire inventory. We suspect that a company has done it to save money, but we don’t know, says Fredriksen. Tips and tricks Check the map in your municipality for disposal of cardboard, paper, glass, plastic and metal packaging. Check your nearest recycling station. In Trondheim, you can throw away white goods, textiles, wood (and much more) six days a week, at Heggstadmoen. When you have to throw away a lot, Bård Sande recommends that you rent a container or a waste sack. Several companies offer collection of waste, either in a container or in a waste bag. Several municipalities have collection arrangements for waste, such as hentavfall.no in Stavanger and Trondheim. If you need to get rid of furniture quickly, you can give it away at Finn.no or Tise. Published 12.08.2024, at 05.50
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Place furniture on the streets of Bergen and other big cities to give it away – news Vestland
