Letter to the Editor
Combat at the dumps
Published Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Digg
delicious
Facebook
Mixx
Reddit
Stumble It!May 25, 2008
To the editor:
I’ve been spring cleaning for the last three or four weeks and made quite a few trips to the various transfer sites around town. Every time I pull in, my vehicle is mobbed by people who are picking through the dumpsters that want to see what I’m throwing out. Today, my truck was still in motion when a guy tried to pull out a piece of rusty diamond grate in the bed. I almost ran him over. Last week, a guy fought it out with an old bag lady for a rickety barbecue grill that I pitched. He managed to win the battle and proceeded to load it on a trailer he was towing behind his bike.
It used to be that there were just a few people that were doing this. But nowadays there’s literally dozens of them at every dump. And it’s become a contact sport. Not just among the divers themselves, but for people like me who just want to dump their trash. As entertaining as these bum fights are to watch, I have to draw the line when my kids lock the doors as soon as we pull up. It makes no difference to me if you want to dig through coffee grounds, diapers, cat litter, used syringes and all the other fun things you find in most dumpsters for 80 cents worth of aluminum. Knock yourselves out. But don’t harass me, don’t beat on my windows like you want to wash them for a dollar and don’t step behind me while I’m backing up. There’s plenty of trash to go around, I promise.
Jim Ahiers
Fairbanks
Community Discussion
Newsminer.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full user's agreement.
I use the transfer site on Farmer's Loop near College Rd., and I've never had any problems with people approaching my car. If it's the re-use area, I expect people to pick through what I put down, but no one has ever touched me or my vehicle. Not sure about everyone else, but I haven't been troubled by going to the transfer station. Maybe I'm lucky?
Shore 'nuff, wez heres in dis town liks to gez dem sooper dooper bargins at dem garbige sites.
Wez mitty prouds to bez livin in such a hi class towns lik dis here 'un.
Backs homz in Arkansaws wez never had such a goods living in dem der trash bins.
An wezs also luvs the greet welfares in this here fins place.
Please, if it is my husband run him over! We probably have 4 grills from the dump, plus a bunch of other crap we don't need. What is with these Fairbanks/North Pole men and dumpster diving????
Yeah, I've alays wondered why people would dig through waste to collect an aluminum can when they could get, you know, a job, and actually make money without risking contracting a deadly disease.
I have no problem with people reusing/recyling other peoples trash, but almost everything pulled out is just going to rust away in somebody's front yard.
I've almost finished putting together a first bike for my grandson, using bits and pieces from bikes people have tossed on the "pallets" plus a few new parts.
Next, I start on a bike for my granddaughter, using the same approach. I want to thank whoever threw away that little 12" girl's bike with the bent rear wheel ... I found another 12" bike with a good rear wheel. (I wasn't planning on a bike for my granddaughter yet but this was too good of an opportunity.)
My electric meter box and main circuit breaker were provided by someone leaving it on the "pallets" ... saved me a tidy sum.
Also scavenged a bunch of 318 engine parts. The best part was the newer version timing chain cover, which had been on my "need to buy" list. (Should have grabbed the block too but I wasn't thinking that far ahead.)
Just a few personal examples of "reusing/recyling other peoples trash" -- examples that aren't "just going to rust away in somebody's front yard."
akmommie - be glad it's only 4 grills ... I have three motorhomes plus a bus.
Maybe the Grizzlies or Nanooks can sign up the old man and the bag lady! They might show them a little fight. Can't believe dumpster diving has become a contact sport.
Just think! 3/4 of this garbage salvaged from those metal gold mines is just that... Garbage! It'll end up on pallets in the front yard as lawn ornaments. I envy the folks who live next door to one of these entrepreneurs!
I have experienced the over zealous enthusiasm of a dumpster diver who wanted to root through my trash while it was still in my truck. I informed him he would have to wait until the trash was out of my possession and in a dumpster. By the look he gave me, you could tell he thought I was the rude one.
Get used to it, folks. This is just the beginning. One person's garbage is *several* other people's gold.
LadyNYC made a good point: this is a phenomenon which WILL keep growing so get used to it. I've noted many more "bag folks" at the transfer sites lately - even prior to the weather warming up. It is, I believe, a sign of economic hard times creeping up on us in our little artificial bubble here. I am not against salvage, I believe in recycling and reusing. I AM against these people grabbing stuff out of my hands as I carry stuff to the dumpster - and I'm against leaving stuff on the "recycle" area just to walk into a certain for-profit 2nd hand store a few days later and see those things FOR SALE. I didn't put them there for someone to profit from!! (And I'm not the only one who noted this happening to their "donations.") After that happened a couple of times I joined the Yahoo group Fairbanks Freecycle <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fairbanksf...> Great way to get rid of things without being harassed by "bums." The thing that worries me more than the issues writers have stated here is the identity theft problem. Just be VERY careful what sort of personal papers you're throwing out; I found someone's bank statement, credit card bill and other personal mail on the ground outside a dumpster at the Fox site the other day, enough for an unscrupulous person to have a great time with. Shredding or burning those sensitive documents is a necessity nowadays. We aren't in Kansas anymore, Toto. . .
Seeing more people at the dumps collecting others trash, can be a sign that OUR economy is in the DUMPS
What I love is the people who destroy what gets left at the recycle area...Perfectly usable couches & chairs will get the cushions cut up and thrown around..I have even seen where someone put a paper bag of dog doo there that got stepped on..Or clothes that are thrown all over. Or things people couldn't sell at a yard sale deliberately destroyed by the people who were selling them, at the dump, because they couldn't sell them? Why didn't they just donate them or is it a "they couldn't make any money from it so no one should be able to get to use it, period!" thing?
I have stopped putting things there, I take most of it to the Salvation Army store now. I have seen many things thrown away (In the actual dumpster)that should have been donated.
I once had to go in one(mostly empty) to get out a whole box of newer Bibles, about 30 of them! Isn't that like bad karma, or something, to throw out a bible?? I thought so?! These were then taken to, you guessed it, the Salvation Army thrift store who were happy I had saved them :o).
akmommie-HAHAHAHAHA I hear that one & second it!!
ak mommie: LOL
Jim Ahiers: is that really all you have to bitch about? count yourself lucky sir...
Even better are the people that send their kids in after items they can't reach from the ground. Then there are the people that try to make a living out of dumpster diving, digging items out and then selling them at garage sales and on craigslist.
If you don't like people getting your junk, all you have to do is throw in the trash and then toss in something truly disgusting on top of it.
I have no problem with people taking what I don't want. My problem is with those who try to dive into the back of my truck, and don't understand why I won't let them.
endoTR and Frank, on my way to work yesterday morning, I saw someone dumpster diving in the parking lot of a food bank.
A sign of hard economic times? Oh, youbetcha.
Quite cynically, I'm wondering when my neighbors, friends, and myself will be doing the same.
Be nice to the "bums" that can't wait to dig through your garbage. All too soon, that person could be someone you love, or even you yourself.
When we all quit consuming so much junk made in China and sold in box stores and then throwing it away when we want something new, there will be nothing of value in the dumpsters to dive for.
In lieu of a real recycling program in Fairbanks I applaud the dumpster divers for recycling what the rest of us irresponsibly and wantonly waste. There is much more abuse (e.g. commercial contractor hauling huge trucks full of construction and demolition debris) by people leaving trash than there is by those collecting valuable items and hauling them away.
Dignity and respect are the discussion today. If you need what I don't, please, help yourself. Allow me the dignity to place it where I deem it belongs. Give yourself the dignity to dive with respect to yourself and to others. Personal junkyards are a serious issue in this town and surrounding area. If we all use a little more jurisprudence in choosing what we are going to take/leave, there would be fewer places for Code Enforcement to patrol.
Remember, we all have the CHOICE to go directly to the dump thus avoiding being attacked by disrespectful divers.
And finally, if anyone attacks me or my family while we are trying to unload our refuse, it is our Right to Preserve and Protect ourselves and we will do just that.
Dive with discretion.
Thats right, get used to it. With the Environuts wanting to protect all the animals and not caring for us humans, this is all we have to look forward to for shopping. I spend alot of my income on gas so i can go to work to earn more money to buy more gas, there is not a lot left for other items, and like a lot of others have said, one mans trash is another mans treasure. So, I say bring on the trash, i am in need of some treasures, Christmas is right around the corner.
LOL @ AKmommie!
That made my morning :-)
My concern is the children who are left to run through the area unsupervised. I backed up the other day and was startled to see a 4 or 5 year-old run between my car and the truck next to me; I have no idea where this child came from and left wondering about contributory negligence in a potential lawsuit had this child ended up beneath my car. It's a dump--not a playground, and had my 3 year-old not been yelling "Gotta' go potty!" I would have taken the time to find the parents and grump at them.
I am sad that people destroy what others have left behind, and by people who can't distinguish between stinky garbage and recyclable goods. I've also had people approach me as I opened my trunk to grab stuff out of the car. While I am concerned about the aggressiveness a few people exhibit, I've had no problem suggesting that people back off until I at least unload the trunk! Sheesh!
I've picked up some cool items at the recycle bin, and sometimes I get a chuckle out of the nostalgic stuff left behind. At some point, though, the "good" of these places is going to be hindered by people's stupidity or greed.
My husband and I suspect the bums may be the reason that the city/borough wanted to ban the dumpster diving. We too are mobbed when we try to dump something. It is really really bad at the University/College Rd dump. The men mob me and the vehicle. I cannot dumpster dive anymore because those men have a monopoly on everything. I love to dumpster dive and shop at the dump! I can do that in North Pole ok. Unless that red bus is there making the rounds, stalking out people. I fully agree with the letter writer. It is getting out of hand. I dont want to ban it, but those bums have got to go!!!
I saw that there were comments made about taking items to places such as the Salvation Army for recycling instead of leaving them at the transfer stations. I would like to say first that I think that the Salvation Army is a wonderful asset to our community and much needed too. However, A couple of years ago, I went with my daughter's Girl Scout troop up to the landfill for a field trip and while we were there, a Salvation Army Dumpster Truck pulled up and proceeded to dump a huge load of clothes and other things in the landfill. I asked the guy giving the tour about it and he said that they visited the landfill at least once a day because they received too many donations to be able to deal with it all. From then on, I have found other places to donate my clothing, books, and other stuff to. There are many wonderful non-profit places around town that will take donations and give you a receipt to use as a write off when you do your taxes.
AlaskanGirl30
Thank you, writer, for saying what needs to be said. I agree, for the most part, with everyone, ... far too many people throw away perfectly reusable items, but it is their choice to throw away. Until they do, however, divers need to be courteous and allow them the opportunity to discard.
A similar thing happened to me a few years back, I was "pinned" by two dueling divers who wanted what was in the back of my truck (a rocking chair). The laughable part of the story ... I wasn't throwing away the chair, simply two bags full of yard waste and dog poo. They irritated me and I told them off, but looking back, it is a hilarious story!
Maybe if you cover your load like your supposed to, you wouldn't have people snatching stuff out of your truck. I've never had a problem with scavengers touching my truck when I pull up to a dumpster.
I use to feel bad when I would go to the transfer site and see people digging through god knows what, but I have to agree with everyone here that in the past few years it has gotten really ridiculous. I was helping my father bring his broken lawn mower to the dump the other weekend, and two guys jumped into the back of the truck while we were still moving! I do know a person that has been going to the dump for years because he fixes old pinball machines for a living and finds antique parts in the dump all the time, but these people that are making it outright dangerous are going to ruin it for everyone else by forcing the city to ban dumpster diving.
i leave, on occasion, things on the recycle platform, things i know will be of use to others. That i understand. but when i am throwing away stinky bags of my kitchen trash and the guy with the hook is looking at them like he CANNOT wait to get his hands on them, i almost feel like i should turn around and take it back home, because apparently i'm not finding enough use for used coffee grounds and mac and cheese boxes.
So how much longer is it before dumpster divers pass up the aluminum cans and engine parts for someone's bank statements? How much longer is it before dumpster divers start "making money" by filling out credit card applications they find in the garbage? How much longer will it be before my garbage that sits out on the street for 3 hours waiting for the garbage man is ripped open and sorted through by strangers?
I really don't care if these people want to dig around in germ infested dumpsters and contract diseases that will eventually kill them. But identity theft concerns me much more than any of these people contracting TB or AIDS.
Just curious, if someone jumps into the back of your truck while it's still moving and falls out, who do you think pays for that idiot's broken leg? I'm waiting for the first law suit to be brought against the city for some getting sick or injured while dumpster diving. Or does anyone else out there think it completely fricken retarded that the city start disinfecting dumpsters so they're safe for people to climb in?
Hahahah, Non-Lemming. I had something like that happen once too. I had a 3-wheeler in the back of my truck, surrounded by a few bags of trash. These two fellas came up to me, arguing about the rig, and politely asked if they could help me unload it. "No thanks," I said, "it is just along for the ride today." One of them then tried to convince me it was not worth keeping. Hahaha; I laugh about that every time I use it!