OK, so stuff on the free counter isn’t always bad. Case in point: truffles!
Chocolate!!!
OM NOM NOM!!!!
We work with people who own a lot of stuff. Sometimes, they want to get rid of this stuff. However, they don't want to throw this stuff away. Instead, that feel that they must reuse and recycle it.
And so, they leave it on the "free counter," a place in our office that has been specifically designated for this stuff that's living in a purgatory between the trash can and someone else's junk drawer.
This is the stuff they leave for us to take, if we dare. This is the stuff on the free counter.