Dumpster Diving: Is Trash Picking Right or Wrong?

We have all done it; you know what I'm talking about. It is dark outside, no one is around there it is right there for the taking. You look and look and look. I'm talking of course about taking something from the trash. Dumpster diving, curb crawling, gleaning, scavenging, finding buried treasure, whatever you call it, it is still always the same. People toss out stuff that is completely normal. People toss trash everyday. But once in awhile people toss out perfectly good items that literally could be just about anything. TV's Microwaves, old sofas, end tables, the remains of their yard sale, whatever it is it will end up poking out of someone's garbage can down the street and you will want to take a look at it.

Now in today's society there is a tone of waste. Recent surveys have shown that Americans waste close to 50% of the food, which enters the country or is produced here. On top of that food waste there is a large amount of industrial waste, such as TV's, scrap metal, old computers, all sorts of stuff that could find the right home without a problem. So if there is so much waste then why is there such a stigma on people picking through trash. It would seem that the logical thing to do would be to look down upon people wasting these items, not upon the people redeeming them to a new life. Perhaps it is a sign of desperation, a man digging through garbage clearly is in need of something correct? Devil's advocate would say "yes" but I say "no". Just because a man is looking through trash doesn't mean he is in need of anything, perhaps he finds it a source of entertainment? Who knows?

The fact of the matter is that many American families pitch perfectly good items on a daily basis, and truly one man's trash can be another man's treasure. Further more the industrial and retail sectors are constantly looking for the quick buck. Industrial factories will pitch perfectly good equipment and buy new just to get the tax write off for the new equipment. Retail establishments will pitch items, which are not selling well enough or if they have a minor defect such as a scratch or dent. One would like to think that our society is not nearly this wasteful, and one would be right. See when someone picks through the trash when a man sees that TV on the curb and goes and gets it he is stopping the chain. He is recycling, reusing. That person is a member of the same society that discarded the item to begin with. While there seems to be a stigma behind digging through the trash, one thing is for sure, if it was not for the people who do, then we would all be worse off.

So the next time you see that TV go ahead and grab it, take it home and see if it works. If not then put it out on your curb and write "Broken" with a permanent marker on the screen. Then the next guy that comes along won't waste his time or energy, or perhaps he will take it and scrap it for the copper inside. Most of all don't look down on the guy who pulls up next to the dumpster with a flashlight and takes a look inside. He may have just tossed something on accident, or maybe his kid lost his retainer, or maybe the guy is trying to save the world from impending environmental disaster due to global warming and over consumption. Who Knows? But you don't, so don't assume or judge or scorn him.