The Art of Garbage Picking by Stocky Thunderdumps (my pen name)

As I promised----

We've all done it. At one time or another, we've seen something interesting on the curbside on garbage day and picked it up, and, even if we didn't, we wished that we had. Garbage picking, also nicknamed Dumpster Diving, is the active search for fascinating and sometimes valuable merchandise that others have purposely thrown away. Not only do Dumpster Divers pick up stuff from off of the curb, but they also as the name implies, dive into dumpsters in apartment buildings and behind shopping centers, in hopes of finding something worth saving.

Garbage picking is a type of reincarnation for inanimate objects, so to speak. They are tossed out without much of a second thought and probably immediately replaced. Material possessions have become somewhat disposable throughout the years with the constant desire to revamp and upgrade and improve once perfectly ordinary items. It can also be quite profitable; especially in areas where aluminum cans have return deposits. In more cases that not, items found in the trash can be sold at rummage sales, pawned, or even sold for scrap. It’s not exactly a career, but, surprisingly enough, in some countries it is.       

In several different areas around the world garbage picking is as natural as walking down the street. Argentina, in particular, has an estimated 40,000 to 120,000 trash scavengers that depend solely upon collecting and selling other citizens rubbish to make money, either for themselves or for occupational organizations, which pay anywhere from 80 cents to $4 dollars a day to sort, gather and resell unwanted waste.            

Argentina, as well as other countries, America included, has resorted to garbage picking due to economic crises, war and financial depressions. Even during economic upswings, trash scavenging is a regular refuge for the desperate throughout the developing worlds. In Cairo, Egypt, citizens use donkey-drawn carts to collect garbage to transport home to refurbish and then sell. And in the Philippines, people even purchase recyclable trash from residents.        

 Laws have been passed in different regions regarding the sanitation of peoples trash, stating it must be reduced to a minimum, to not infect or contract any diseases or germs to those who may stop by and rummage, in hopes of finding anything that will sell, in order to feed themselves and their families.   

Garbage picking has also been viewed as more publicly accepted since the laws were approved. Both sides of the spectrum in favor of and against the legalization garbage picking have resulted in communal acceptance. The more liberalized officials have recognized that garbage pickers are living proof that the poor are honest, hardworking people with limited opportunities. The right, more reactionary types, once aggressively acclaimed criticism of garbage pickers, naming them as potential thieves who tarnish the public with their unethical behavior, now see them as a form of the poor, who are trying to make ends meet, despite community criticism.

Though it may be quite socially accepted due to current events in areas such as Russia and Mexico, it’s still relatively frowned upon here in the United States.On one of my usual Tuesday night quests through East Utica, I found that carousing in other peoples trash was not only upsetting to the trash-owners themselves, but as well as the police officers that routinely patrol the neighborhood. I was asked politely to leave and I did without much fuss, but not before grabbing a, what appeared to be,  seven hundred year old lamp, still fully intact with a light bulb and everything.                                                            

 The art of garbage picking isn’t a very hard skill to ascertain. There are three qualities you must master before embarking on your first rubbish-filled evening on the town. One is that you must be very quick. Owners of the trash generally don’t feel comfortable with a complete stranger digging throughtheir garbage cans and recycling bins, trudging through their leftovers and odds and ends in search of gold. They also don’t like the idea of a “garbage picker” hanging out on their lawns for too long. If there’s nothing out of the ordinary, move on. Chances are it’s just a bunch of real garbage anyway. Two, you must be confident in your work. Don’t be timid or embarrassed about what you are doing. Be proud. It takes a very open minded person to be able to poke around in someone else’s rubbish. Think of it as buying things on the clearance rack. If it’s in decent shape, go for it. And don’t forget the manners your mother taught you. They still apply in the garbage-picking field. Ask before you haul it away and say thank you, even if they slam the door in your face. And three, you must have a strong gag reflex. There’s no telling these days what folks are throwing out. Hold your breath, puff out your cheeks and dive in.

Garbage picking isn’t just for those who are homeless, or less fortunate, as they say. “Street shopping” is becoming more and more frequent in areas everywhere, including right here in America. Think twice before turning your nose up at the sight of one of these street spendthrifts, and if it’s me, stop and say hello.

It seemed to go over pretty well. I got some laughter from the class, despite my obvious nervousness. But hey, I have about 6 more speeches before the end of the class in July, so I have alot of time for improvement. Now for that math test Wednesday...keep me in your prayers. And if you're of the agnostic faith like myself, keep me in your pocket for safe keeping.