"But I might need it!"

My father has been clearing out a corner of his shed. This is not to be confused with clearing out the shed. That would be too much to expect. This is a corner, very much a corner. He wants a space for his new dust extractor to perch when it is not in use.
He has found some 'treasures'. There is the inevitable jar of rusty screws, nails, nuts and bolts. They have all been tossed in there over the years on the grounds, "They might be useful one day." There is the old electric typewriter rescued from the dump, kept because "the springs might be useful". There are two old inner tubes from my tricycle. "Well they could be useful!"
There are the old drink coasters, kept because they are made from cork and you never know when you might need some thin cork.
The magic apparatus, carefully shrouded in old sheets and a bedspread, is something I know he will never use again. He says so himself but he cannot quite bring himself to part with it. We will leave that there.
My sister comes in. She has picked up a new type of tomato for him to plant. She barters the plant for the jar of rusty screws.
Now, what is he going to do with the fishing rod? He was given the fishing rod by Mum years back. The idea was that he would go fishing when they went on holidays in the caravan. He hates fishing. He would go fishing with an unbaited line and a book. There were very few caravan holidays anyway because of Mum's other commitments, grandchildren, Probus, Guild, Lunch Group and so on. He decides he is giving the fishing line to a mate who also enjoys fishing wih an unbaited line.
The Mother Earth magazines he has saved for years are going and so are the old Linking Ring magazines. The Readers' Digest condensed books that he used to make solanders are going. The old rake - he was going to replace the handle - is going.
All of this is carefully packed in the proper, separate containers and put out for the rubbish collection. It is lined up neatly along the curb according to council regulations. It will not be wasted. Almost all of it can be recycled.
As I am going indoors from taking out the last load for the day I hear someone calling out,
"Hey, look what someone's throwing out. It might be useful one day."