[blukatzen]

I've been thinking about how much I've seen recycling of things in the garbage cans in this area, and one thing we do have in Chicago is a phenomenon I call the "Metalmen". They are usually Hispanic folks, with worndown looking trucks, with built-up sides in which to collect rubbish, that is, non-food "garbage". (as an aside, I found out by the city garbage collectors in my old neighborhood that there are different terms used for different types of garbage.)

"Metal-men" are those that ride around in alleys, or down streets, near pickup days, and they glean metal items out of trash or things lying about like a chair with metal frames, for example, and they load it on the back of the truck, sometimes piled way high up. They do not drive very fast, usually.

One guy jumps out and loads things up. Then they take it down to the local metal scavenger joynt, and get paid cash for the stuff. What I don't like are the "down on yer luck" guys that come through the alleys with a shopping cart (their home on wheels) and pick through one's garbage bags (leaving a horrendous mess behind, food mess in summer, drawing all sorts of flies) looking for soda cans and other metal things.

People in the city will drive off the little guys, or leave their soda cans in a plastic bag outside the garbage can, and they will leave metal objects, like metal furniture, metal bed frames, used metal gym equipment, used bikes that may be broken, etc. outside on the "skirt" of the garbage periphery, yet outside so the metal-men can take it away.

They do provide a valuable service for all of us that are too lazy to walk or drive down to the metal scavenger shop for the few dollars it will bring. So, there is an unspoken agreement in the city with people who WILL do this job. It works.

The caveat is when someof the metal-men get a little too greedy and want your metal garden chairs and table, or barbeque set. This happened to my neighbors. Now they chain their barbeque set to the garage with a big chain and bolt. They've lost 3 barbeques so far. Most of us have now gotten metal fences with locks on them, and this is not a problem.

[blukatzen]

http://www.gdrc.org/uem/waste/swm-ias.pdf

Short, interesting article on Scavenging in the 3rd World. Useful to see if/when it may come here.

Blu

[Loki]

Blu, I've seen a couple of those Mexican "metal-men" around here, but they're not very common (yet).

Speaking of scavenging, here's a description by FerFAL, who lives in Buenos Aires (I saved this to my HD but can't find the link):
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') have a hard time seeing people eat out of trashcans, that’s one thing I’ll never get used to. Every night entire families, wife, husband and 2 or 3 kids, little kids about 3 years old go throw trash cans in search of food. At almost every light stop there’s little bare foot kids begging, all dirty and skinny. That’s the thing that affected me most, the starving children.

[I_Like_Plants]

Yes, always follow the Diver's Code, leave the place as neat or neater than you found it!

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

And use manners.

My last landlord asked a diver to not make a mess (she was throwing trash out onto the ground and started to walk away without cleaning it up). The female diver responded by getting particularly nasty, and started towards my frail landlord with threatening body language and being beligerent and mouthy.

You won't be welcome if you try and pull that kind of crap.

[I_Like_Plants]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('uNkNowN ElEmEnt', 'A')nd use manners.

My last landlord asked a diver to not make a mess (she was throwing trash out onto the ground and started to walk away without cleaning it up). The female diver responded by getting particularly nasty, and started towards my frail landlord with threatening body language and being beligerent and mouthy.

You won't be welcome if you try and pull that kind of crap.

[blukatzen]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('uNkNowN ElEmEnt', 'A')nd use manners.

My last landlord asked a diver to not make a mess (she was throwing trash out onto the ground and started to walk away without cleaning it up). The female diver responded by getting particularly nasty, and started towards my frail landlord with threatening body language and being beligerent and mouthy.

You won't be welcome if you try and pull that kind of crap.

[I_Like_Plants]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('blukatzen', '
')That's what I was addressing in one of my posts above! I now mix cat litter and the waste in with other trash and rubbish. If someone came threateningly to myself (and it would have to be by my garage) I've plenty of VERY sharp garden tools nearby.

Blu

[hubbertspeak7777777]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('uNkNowN ElEmEnt', 'C')an you say hepatitis A?

One of the neighbour kids was starting to teach one of my darlings how to dumpster dive. I caught them, threw them in the bath and gave them the scrub of their life. I don't think that's gonna happen again anytime soon.

[hubbertspeak7777777]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Novus', 'I') don't think this trend of dumpster diving will last very long. In good times people over consume and throw good stuff away. There was not much dumpster diving in the depression because for the most part people didn't throw anything away that was worth keeping or eating. Peak dumpster anyone.

[hubbertspeak7777777]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', '
') She's tough, with integrity, and she's got big chi chis.

[blukatzen]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('hubbertspeak7777777', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', '
') She's tough, with integrity, and she's got big chi chis.

[kadoomsoon]

Now now.
Ok.
Dumpsters are bad places.
You throw in a dead rat.
Baby diapers in every store trash can, they never washed.
and
MRSAYou can get sick from this activity, since dumpsters is where the sick throw their things. viruses are very contageous.

This is not a good plan.

As things get worse, what is going to get thrown in there is the very worst only, it will not be a good source when the economy goes down.

If it is bad enough to throw away when people are starving, you won't want it.

Better not start this habit, it is not a suvival instinct that will work.

Take up rock climbing without a rope if you want to take risks, at least you are healthy until the end.

[I_Like_Plants]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kadoomsoon', '
')
Better not start this habit, it is not a suvival instinct that will work.

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pretorian', ' ')and you are mentally challenged person, ( this is not a sickness, so dont worry),

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('hubbertspeak7777777', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', '
') She's tough, with integrity, and she's got big chi chis.

[billg]

If it was so dangerous I don't think so many people would do it.

A lot of the dumpsters are dedicated dumpsters...when I went to Bodo's bagels one time to dive...all I had to do was pull a huge clear bag of bagels out of their dumpster.

I do believe that the Bodo's employees were quite aware that people came to their dumpsters to pick up their expired bagels, otherwise they would have taken measures to keep people out.

It is a tragedy how much food gets thrown away.

[I_Like_Plants]

billg - that's a symptom of the instinctive sharing humans do, that the empire is trying to stamp out.

I will always throw anything useful away in such a way that someone can take it and use it.

Other people do this too - it's an instinct.

Just as people instinctively set up what are known as gift economies, an excellent example being sites like this one.

[JJ]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('billg', 'I')f it was so dangerous I don't think so many people would do it.

A lot of the dumpsters are dedicated dumpsters...when I went to Bodo's bagels one time to dive...all I had to do was pull a huge clear bag of bagels out of their dumpster.

I do believe that the Bodo's employees were quite aware that people came to their dumpsters to pick up their expired bagels, otherwise they would have taken measures to keep people out.

It is a tragedy how much food gets thrown away.

[crossthread]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kadoomsoon', 'N')ow now.
Ok.
Dumpsters are bad places.
You throw in a dead rat.
Baby diapers in every store trash can, they never washed.
and
MRSAYou can get sick from this activity, since dumpsters is where the sick throw their things. viruses are very contageous.

This is not a good plan.

As things get worse, what is going to get thrown in there is the very worst only, it will not be a good source when the economy goes down.

If it is bad enough to throw away when people are starving, you won't want it.

Better not start this habit, it is not a suvival instinct that will work.

Take up rock climbing without a rope if you want to take risks, at least you are healthy until the end.