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People are getting into Saturday's Palo Alto Citywide Yard Sale for all sorts of reasons -- and it's not just to rid their homes of junk, they say.

A record 370 residents are taking part in the rummage sale, which runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, according to Wendy Hediger, coordinator of Palo Alto's Zero Waste program.

Among this year's offerings: Persian rugs, antique beds, a cigarette-lighter collection, kayaks and even a zither.

For many, the citywide event is their first-ever garage sale. Hard economic times are motivating some, as families move in together and need to downsize their belongings. Other residents are using the opportunity to raise funds for a cause.
But most cite the environmental and financial roots of the event -- it helps keep unwanted stuff out of the landfill and allows them to recoup a little money.

Cities around the Bay Area have been sponsoring yard sales for nearly a decade as an aid to reaching a state-mandated 50-percent-solid-waste reduction. But public officials don't all agree on which direction the trend is heading.

Dianne Dryer, Menlo Park's environmental-programs coordinator, said the city doesn't do garage sales because of low staffing. She doesn't see an upward trend as staff cuts hamper other cities, she said.

But Cynthia Palacio, senior analyst for the Mountain View Public Works solid waste and recycling section, said technology is helping her city to lower costs and reap benefits from the sales. Mountain View offers a map, registration and online shopping from a Web site, cutting down on printing costs and staff time, she said.

With the city's Google Wi-Fi, residents can shop from the sidewalk on their PDAs. Palacio photographed an item and sent the image to her sister from her PDA for possible purchase, she said.

Diverting waste from the landfill can also translate into money for cities. Mountain View's May 2 citywide garage sale diverted an estimated 73 tons of refuse from the dump and saved $7,000 in disposal costs, according to Palacio.

Environmental benefits aside, Palo Alto resident Elise Demarzo's motivation is space, or lack thereof. She has a house-full of furnishings to unload, as her parents are downsizing their home and moving in with Demarzo's family. Her brother is also moving here from Finland. The family will offer antiques, Oriental rugs, bikes, air conditioners, an office desk, stereo, books and Klipsch speakers.

"We're looking to turn the garage into an art studio for the kids, so this will be a big help," she said.

It hasn't been too hard to get her children to part with old toys, including "a pristine spring horse for some lucky kid out there," she said. Demarzo uses a value-added approach, as she's told her children: "You'll have more room and some money to get other things you want."

Lynne Navarro is turning her sale into a charity drive for breast cancer. Five members of her walking team, which raises funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, are holding a group sale. Her children, ages 6 and 12, will sell lemonade and cookies for the fund, she said. Her mother, a breast-cancer survivor, will sell plants.

For some sellers, finding an appreciative home for esteemed objects trumps money. Jody Stauffer hopes her zither (a stringed instrument that resembles a portable harp) will go to someone who will love it as much as she does, she said.

Stauffer, a garage sale newbie, said she's tried selling items on craigslist and donates often, but after 31 years of marriage, she and her husband feel overcrowded by their possessions.

The idea of being a responsible steward of her belongings resonates with Stauffer. "I can't stand the thought of putting anything in the landfill," she said.

Recycling and reusing are taking on an added layer of meaning for Janet Stpeter, who is going to part with a trunk full of vintage clothes.

She's collected the fantasy dress-up wear -- think Carmen Miranda -- for special occasions, such as a martini party she threw for her girlfriends.

In addition to the clothes, she's also selling an antique four-poster cannonball bed she purchased at an estate sale for a Castilleja School piano teacher, she said.

And lest anyone think garage sales only offer junk, Mountain View's Palacio would beg to differ. "It's no longer the garage sale of my grandmother. It's headboards, dressers, appliances and artwork. I see stuff you'll never see again," Palacio said, referring to the solid-wood 1927 handmade chair and the wooden tray with horseshoe handles that she has picked up.

"I filled my three-bedroom home from estate, yard and garage sales in less than six months," she said.