It didn’t take long to find it. I spotted it in the alley — shiny, sharp, and built to last.
Not much different from any other screw, yet special in its own way. I dropped it into a new jar.
I started this hardware jar on January 1, 2025, after a series of nails and screws on streets and driveways around Bolton Hill and the city punctured my car tires. This was the collection at the end of last year — 495 grams of near-misses and bad intentions.
As a dog owner walking up and down Bolton Hill streets and alleys, I see quite a few hardware offenders. Each piece lying in wait, ready to ruin a work commute, a bike ride, a sunny mood.
Last summer I wrote this about it: I’ve followed the progress of many a renovation project. I’ve learned how generous neighbors are with their decommissioned items – leaving doors, radiators, mantle pieces, and other fixtures for salvage in the alleyways.
Unfortunately, renovations often leave unintended collateral in the form of nails, screws and other sharp debris. My car has suffered many a blowout from rogue hardware.
There are a lot of loose screws – and nails – out there. I’ll be keeping a sharp eye out for them again this year. Ready to start your own collection?
—Mary Ellen Chambers
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