Comments on: The Culture of Throwing Away Anything Not Perfect

By: janette

janette — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:42:26 +0000

My sister is the boss at the city dump and every week during the summer,she calls us to let us know what people have brought in to be thrown away. People only have to pay to dump stuff not to take it out of the landfill,so we have totally furnished our back yard of lawn furniture terra cotta ots and even plants and shrubs from the local greenhouse at the end of the season. We got our dining room table and an antique Hooser cabinet from there also. Our kids bikes come from the dump every summer and it’s so much fun to see what there is each week. Everything is sorted into different areas at the dump so we are never in the area where there’s food garbage…just usable furniture and metal. It’s a blast and our house and garden look like we spent a ton on our stuff. If we decide that we don’t like something, we just take it back!

By: ThiNg

ThiNg — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:25:35 +0000

Loved this article!

I stick a free sign on all the stuff I don’t want to toss. It’s always gone in 1-2 days. If it’s electronics I put it on the porch with a sign.

Saves me driving to the dump and paying to get rid of it!

By: Cindy M

Cindy M — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:48:43 +0000

I live on a fairly busy street corner. One thing is sure these days, anything I put out on my driveway or curb will disappear. I once contacted my waste collector that I’d be putting my old washer at the curb (they do monthly pickups on the bigger stuff). I looked out my front window not 10 minutes later and it was gone. I’ve had any kind of scrap wood taken. I put 2 used beat-up lawnmowers out and a guy in a gorgeous red sportscar pounded on my door and was thrilled to take them for me. Ditto 2 old window air conditioners in bad shape. I say God bless, if you can figure out how to make use of any of my old stuff, go for it. I think it’s wonderful that all of us can benefit from each other’s castoffs.

By: Robb

Robb — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 06:42:40 +0000

GREAT article! Thanks Jennifer! I really enjoyed reading it and I agree with you and the other posters!

By: jacasimov

jacasimov — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 05:06:32 +0000

I also take usable items fro,m people’s trash if I have use for them. Sometimes, I’ve even turned around and resold them at a yardsale when I realized I couldn’t actually use them. I see nothing wrong with it, throwing it away is relinquishing your hold on it, you can’t control what happens after that. Personally, I think people should be pleased someone found a use for their cast-away items.

The only real objection I have is when people go through the cans themselves. I’m not sure why I feel that way but it feels really invasive as if they’re trying to find information or something. I try to shred everything but I’m always a little bit weirded out by the idea of someone picking through my papers. Plus, very unsanitary to pick through the cans. Don’t believe me? Smell one.

I also leave things out on top of the cans for people to take if I can no longer use them. They’re always gone in a day or two.

By: Diane

Diane — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 02:27:27 +0000

In our neighborhood people leave usable things beside the garbage can and others frequently pick them up to refurbish. Some are not even damaged – just “outgrown”. No one seems to object to others picking things up!

When our office was in a nice apartment complex, people would leave brand new items next to the dumpster when they moved. We got lots of new items this way, without any effort other than picking them up.

The sad thing was that if no one picked up these items they would be picked up with the trash… and there was a Goodwill store right across the street!

People were not only too lazy to bother moving their possessions when they left, they couldn’t even deliver them to Goodwill.

Unbelievable to me! Glad your neighbor got the message!

By: minnie1928

minnie1928 — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:14:09 +0000

I see so much stuff that is thrown away that is completely useful. If people really don’t want things that are still usable, why don’t they donate to the local Salvation Army or similar organization. Around here we have trash pickup 2 times per week. I usually only put one can out about one time out of three pickups (every week and a half or so). Other houses put 2 full cans out twice/week! To put this in some perspective, we are both families of 4. However, my recycling can is always full and always out, while there’s is not.

By: Hilary

Hilary — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:40:35 +0000

I set up an entire store at my college with stuff people threw out at the end of the year. It was very successful! I think if you are used to buying things resale, then the “dumpster diving” thing becomes more normal because it’s just free resale. My hope with the store is that it would educate people about buying resale (or picking up free things for that matter!)

By: adreamwarrior

adreamwarrior — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:21:33 +0000

While I’m not a “dumpster diver”, I do see alot of the things people throw out on my route.

One of the things I have noticed is that the higher the value of the house, the more trash.

Over the years I have “picked-up” several new or nearly new items. One thing I always do when I see something I would like to have is go knock on the door and ask.

I have only been told no once, and I think that was because the couple was going thru a very messy divorce (I found this out later).

I think of it like hunting on private land. “Always Ask Permission”