I wish I were a recycling guy !!

[Foxie]

A few times ive been driving with a friend and we've seen people throwing out dining tables and bar stools and such, often if we stopped to take a look they'd open the door and say things like "Go ahead and take it we dont have room/ need it anymore" the two swivel leather-top bar stools i found were in perfect condition but since i hate leather i gave them to my dad to use.

[dreambaby05]

Well, I was very lucky, found a heavy pancer necklace in silver, while on the recycling depot to recycle. Just stepped out of the car, someone must have dropped it by accident.
Now my hubby is enjoying the necklace - Well worth to do recycling !! =)

[Rockin' Kitty]

A friend of mine works for a recycling company in Toronto and he is not allowed to keep any recycling. He does though. He stashes things and tells others to go get it lol

[roars]

Are they doing bad things to you or your property? Are they being messy and leaving your recycled stuff out of your blue bins? i am sorry but if not, please Let people be people.

[Bastet13]

Are they doing bad things to you or your property? Are they being messy and leaving your recycled stuff out of your blue bins? i am sorry but if not, please Let people be people.

The last house we lived in had a lot of homeless people digging in our garbage all the time. Some were very considerate and some just didn't care and ripped open all the bags and there was garbage all over the place. One time my husband yelled at one of them to get out of our garbage and told him to get a job. The guy was pretty argumentative and came back later and threw a bag full of garbage all over our yard. I used to keep our bottles in a garbage bag back out on our back porch right beside our door and they would actually come right into our yard and steal them (we have a big guard dog too, so it was even more bold of them to risk the chance that the dog wasn't out). I'm much happier in the neighborhood we're in now and feel much safer for myself and my children without all those garbage pickers around.

[AndieH]

May I ask why? If you put it in the bin, you don't want it. If someone else can use it, i think that's great.

I wished our recycling men actually gets to recycle our recycling stuff instead of having people rummaging through our blue bins and taking things out.

Sometimes i wanna be mean and let my dogs out so they can scare them away from it.

[ex0ticb3lla]

The last house we lived in had a lot of homeless people digging in our garbage all the time. Some were very considerate and some just didn't care and ripped open all the bags and there was garbage all over the place. One time my husband yelled at one of them to get out of our garbage and told him to get a job. The guy was pretty argumentative and came back later and threw a bag full of garbage all over our yard. I used to keep our bottles in a garbage bag back out on our back porch right beside our door and they would actually come right into our yard and steal them (we have a big guard dog too, so it was even more bold of them to risk the chance that the dog wasn't out). I'm much happier in the neighborhood we're in now and feel much safer for myself and my children without all those garbage pickers around.

just because people dig through your garbage doesn't mean they're homeless LOL i don't exactly wear my evening gown when i'm out to pick garbage

[Bastet13]

just because people dig through your garbage doesn't mean they're homeless LOL i don't exactly wear my evening gown when i'm out to pick garbage

You go down the alley opening everyone's garbage bags and digging through yuck? Then you go home to play on your computer? Maybe I am ignorant about those people being homeless. But I'll tell you, I've known several poor people who had nothing more than an apartment, and didn't even have electricity or a phone or furniture of any kind, but they still weren't dumpster diving or digging through people's garbage.

Mind you, I hear a lot of the "beggars" out there actually make a pretty good living. I remember one lady in particular was quite upset when the news crew followed her home one day and showed everyone her nice house and big screen tv. Financially, she was way more well off than me.

[harbie]

[QUOTE=Bastet13;2660584] You go down the alley opening everyone's garbage bags and digging through yuck? Then you go home to play on your computer? [QUOTE]

I'm pretty sure she washes her hands first and I don't think she "rips open" garbage bags. If you have read any of her brags they are about the recycle bins and the icoke pins, stouffers pins, $5 gas coupons etc she finds . I do it occasionally too and I am NOT homless

[Bastet13]

[QUOTE=harbie;2660625][QUOTE=Bastet13;2660584] You go down the alley opening everyone's garbage bags and digging through yuck? Then you go home to play on your computer?

I'm pretty sure she washes her hands first and I don't think she "rips open" garbage bags. If you have read any of her brags they are about the recycle bins and the icoke pins, stouffers pins, $5 gas coupons etc she finds . I do it occasionally too and I am NOT homless

Yeah, I'm willing to bet she doesn't walk into people's yards to steal things either, but that was the kind of stuff I was talking about in my post when she replied. LOL I've been known to get the occasional PIN from a bottle off the ground or in a recycle bin myself.

[brodey]

Lmao. Haha. All so true. Love seeing treasures at the side of the road!!!!!!

[Jaysmom]

...But I'll tell you, I've known several poor people who had nothing more than an apartment, and didn't even have electricity or a phone or furniture of any kind, but they still weren't dumpster diving or digging through people's garbage.

Mind you, I hear a lot of the "beggars" out there actually make a pretty good living. I remember one lady in particular was quite upset when the news crew followed her home one day and showed everyone her nice house and big screen tv. Financially, she was way more well off than me.

So you think it's degrading to look through people's bins?? That's the impression I get from your pointing out that some "poor" people have too much dignity to go dumpster diving, lack of electricity and all.

My son and I go on recycle bin walks and collect everything from bottles, icoke points, stouffer pins, to extra fliers for extra coupons, and box tops for education. I don't think it's degrading that I'm trying to stretch our money as far as it will go, and a lot of our walks benefit charity (extra coupons = more we can donate, box tops = more money for schools). If people aren't cutting off the box tops, I can guarantee they will end up being lost and no school will benefit. IMHO it's too bad that as a culture we're socialized to believe that we should be "too good" to try to make value out of what others have thrown away.

I wished our recycling men actually gets to recycle our recycling stuff instead of having people rummaging through our blue bins and taking things out.

Sometimes i wanna be mean and let my dogs out so they can scare them away from it.

How very kind of you. Have you thought of starting a neighbourhood watch to "scare" off all the people who have the nerve to breach the sanctity of your recycle bin? (Is there a smiley for sarcastic?? I just can't find it...)

[Deal_Princess]

theres a guy who drives around my neighbourhood picking up ppls trash hes actually snagged a few things I was gonna get.. hes got a nicer car then me too shucks

[Bastet13]

So you think it's degrading to look through people's bins?? That's the impression I get from your pointing out that some "poor" people have too much dignity to go dumpster diving, lack of electricity and all.

My son and I go on recycle bin walks and collect everything from bottles, icoke points, stouffer pins, to extra fliers for extra coupons, and box tops for education. I don't think it's degrading that I'm trying to stretch our money as far as it will go, and a lot of our walks benefit charity (extra coupons = more we can donate, box tops = more money for schools). If people aren't cutting off the box tops, I can guarantee they will end up being lost and no school will benefit. IMHO it's too bad that as a culture we're socialized to believe that we should be "too good" to try to make value out of what others have thrown away.

"degrading"? absolutely. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about the people who are walking down the back alley, see something sitting in the recycle bin or something nice sitting beside the garbage bags and go ahead and take it. That's not what I'm talking about. It's the people that have turned their lives into "living" off of other people's garbage, going from garbage bag to garbage bag down the alley opening them all up to dig through rotten filth to try to find something worthwhile in there. I "believe" their time would be better spent contributing to society and making money to buy the things they need. Yeah, yeah, yeah, those people don't have it so easy and it's so hard to get your life going from that point, but anyone who really WANTS something will do whatever they have to in order to make it happen.

My daughter and I don't walk down back alleys hoping to find something nice in other people's garbage. Instead we deliver flyers to try to get some extra money to help us get by. I was taught anything you want in life you have to work for. Of course I'm constantly on the search for deals and ways to save money and am not too proud to use a coupon (my wallet is FULL of them) and I do check this site often looking for freebies! Happy Smart Canucking Everyone!!

[Jaysmom]

My daughter and I don't walk down back alleys hoping to find something nice in other people's garbage. Instead we deliver flyers to try to get some extra money to help us get by. I was taught anything you want in life you have to work for. Of course I'm constantly on the search for deals and ways to save money and am not too proud to use a coupon (my wallet is FULL of them) and I do check this site often looking for freebies! Happy Smart Canucking Everyone!!

Perhaps I misrepresented myself - I'm not teaching my son that in lieu of other earning means it's appropriate to replace that income with that earned from our recycle bin walks. I'm teaching him that there are other things he needs to do in addition to a flyer route, to take advantage of all money making means offered to him - passive or otherwise. If we are taking the wagon to the park, then instead of walking there via a front street with no added benefit, on recycling days we walk there via the back alley. The end result is the same: we go to the park. The only difference is one way allows us to donate 10 deoderant & 5 body wash to help those less fortunate (Every P&G flier is enough to get 2 old spice deoderant (when on sale) and 1 old spice body wash), and the bottles we collected this summer were enough to purchase him a Thomas the Tank Engine table. Both he and society benefited from time that would have otherwise been wasted, the time it took for us to go to the park. I also sell on eBay (and he helps), I can sit and watch TV, but if at the same time I can use my laptop to print a shipping label, and make money, I do that too. I want him to know that an idle minute is a wasted minute.

I'm also teaching him it's valuable to help others when he is able to - whether that is financed personally or through the coffers of a larger corporation (from the above P & G example). Although I'm sure there is a percentage of homeless/disadvantaged individuals who find themselves in their situation due to pure laziness, the number of homeless persons who suffer from some form of mental illness (which occurs through no fault of their own) is significantly greater than that of the general population. And often they have no family support structure that is able to finance a better lifestyle for themselves - as opposed to those suffering from the same illness, but with supplemental means to pay for housing and other living expenses. I want him to know that it is only by chance that he does not suffer those ailments, and not by birth rite. The same chance that led to being born in Canada and not a third world nation, where people looking through his trash would be the least of his concerns. No one gets to choose their family or mental state. So if he can help those that are less fortunate it is his duty to not only look out for himself, but for them as well. If someone who is truly "lazy" is helped in the process, than that is the price of getting aid to those who truly need it.

If I see someone digging though trash (as opposed to say a recycle bin) I am thankful that I am not in that situation, and hope that through my own fortunate circumstances are able to help them. I also appreciate that they are not stealing to better themselves, and are instead trying in the best way they know how to help themselves. If they were cable of maintaining a job, then yes, it would be degrading to choose to support themselves in that fashion, but how many "sane" people would make that choice? Not everyone 'deserves' to be in the position they are in.

I would never tell someone that if they worked hard they could be in my position, because there are many hardworking people that aren't as fortunate as we are. We work constantly, but I know many other people who hold down 2 jobs (the equivalent of our work week) and will forever have a mortgage, or rent, and struggle to make ends meet.

We own our home and don't have a mortage. Things are financially tight right now because we have launched a new business and as some people are "house broke" we are business broke. Tools over $500 need to be written off over the span of 5 years - meaning that 80% of our purchases are taxable in the first year of that purchase. So instead of being able to draw a wage, that money must be banked for when taxes are due - a not insignificant amount when we have purchased not thousands of dollars in equipment this year, but hundreds of thousands. We work 70 hour work weeks to get this accomplishesd, and thankfully I can do my part of payroll/accounts payable/receivable from home, so I can spend more time with our son. Next year when things are not tight, and the taxes have been paid, but we still benefit from the write-offs for another 4 years, I will still walk to the park via the alley, and I will still sell on eBay. The only difference is that I will be able to personally contribute to charity more than I have this year.

Don't worry about my son, he will understand that hardwork is mandatory to bettering oneself. But I don't dare preach to someone else that if they "do what I do" they can be successful as well. The value of hardwork can not be undermined, but it is not everything.