Blackbird
Goat Whisperer
I think they're only so expensive because they are antiques (depending), not because anyone is going to use them.buckeye lady said:
Attitudes towards "Trash Picking"
- Thread starter Fairacre
- Start date
Farmfresh
City Biddy
I am sure you are probably right about the crib being a recall. I guess the last recall effected THOUSANDS of cribs. If people are going to dispose of them they should paint a warning on them or something. There are lots of us dumpster divers out there that might not know what they are getting out of the trash.
That is a rule to me like removing the door from an old freezer or fridge before disposal. Just safety common sense.
That is a rule to me like removing the door from an old freezer or fridge before disposal. Just safety common sense.
I wish our community would adopt something along these lines. Is there a fee to drop off, to pay the transfer attendant?inchworm said:
Our garbage haulers would lobby against your system; we have so many that the towns have had to designate one day per week for collections to cut down on noise.
Our twice per year free trash pick up has become a social event. We run into so many we know and exchange location info of what we saw where. Even strangers will note that we are only picking up wood and tell us of a huge pile.
patandchickens
Crazy Cat Lady
Quite likely it's a regional thing, but to me 'trash picking' is actually *going through* peoples' garbage cans (which I don't think is cool, unless maybe you are living under a bridge barely surviving); 'dumpster diving' is removing things from the inside of dumpsters, whether or not you actually go into the dumpster yourself (which I used to do in grad school but got rousted by the police and decided it was just not worth it); anything else is "secondhand stuff picked up along the curb" and I see zero wrong with it.
Unfortunately I think there is some legitimacy behind businesses (etc) not wanting you dumpster diving, both for liability reasons and for how easily it can turn into teenage mischief and/or Sad Events. I just wish people didn't put so many perfectly good things INTO dumpsters in the first place.
As far as picking things up from the curb (including asking for things that look like they're going to be thrown away even if they are not at the curb yet), there was an interesting discussion about this among the mommies at a local Early Years center last summer. Incomes ranged from 'food stamp' to quite well off. Those with very little money did not see anything wrong with it but did not want to be SEEN doing it, for pride reasons; those with a lot of money were not comfortable doing it, and one reported that her husband actually forbid her to ever put anything useful out by the curb for other people. (She did not agree, btw, nor understand -- she thought that his atttitude was a combination of not wanting others to have something free that he had to spend money for, plus a general feeling that this was not something that people with money Did).
All the rest of us were like "yeah baby, bring it on!" and had all lugged some great finds home from the side of the road or from the church or from talking to the manager at the big box store or etc.
I don't get rid of much that's usable and large -- the usable small things go to charity thrift stores -- but when I do put something out at the curb with "free" on it, there are certainly always takers, sometimes within the first 5 minutes
Pat
Unfortunately I think there is some legitimacy behind businesses (etc) not wanting you dumpster diving, both for liability reasons and for how easily it can turn into teenage mischief and/or Sad Events. I just wish people didn't put so many perfectly good things INTO dumpsters in the first place.
As far as picking things up from the curb (including asking for things that look like they're going to be thrown away even if they are not at the curb yet), there was an interesting discussion about this among the mommies at a local Early Years center last summer. Incomes ranged from 'food stamp' to quite well off. Those with very little money did not see anything wrong with it but did not want to be SEEN doing it, for pride reasons; those with a lot of money were not comfortable doing it, and one reported that her husband actually forbid her to ever put anything useful out by the curb for other people. (She did not agree, btw, nor understand -- she thought that his atttitude was a combination of not wanting others to have something free that he had to spend money for, plus a general feeling that this was not something that people with money Did).
All the rest of us were like "yeah baby, bring it on!" and had all lugged some great finds home from the side of the road or from the church or from talking to the manager at the big box store or etc.
I don't get rid of much that's usable and large -- the usable small things go to charity thrift stores -- but when I do put something out at the curb with "free" on it, there are certainly always takers, sometimes within the first 5 minutes
Pat
Farmfresh
City Biddy
All of the above reasons is why organized groups like Freecycle are so good.
If I have an item I need to get rid of I simply post and it is usually gone withing a few hours! Also if you are in need of an item you can post and someone may have just what you need and email you back. This saves a lot of the problems associated with true trash picking and dumpster diving. By the way true trash picking is how many bad guys get the financial information they need to steal your identity. No wonder many folks don't want their garbage picked.
I DO like the community trash system that you describe inchworm. We have a community "dump day" once a month here, but no place for that still usable stuff to be parked. If it comes in the gate it gets trashed!
Which is why I was literally chasing a truck a few years ago with a big old rocker in their trash pile. I finally caught up and that rocker (with a few repairs and some exterior gloss paint) rocked on my porch for many more years.
If I have an item I need to get rid of I simply post and it is usually gone withing a few hours! Also if you are in need of an item you can post and someone may have just what you need and email you back. This saves a lot of the problems associated with true trash picking and dumpster diving. By the way true trash picking is how many bad guys get the financial information they need to steal your identity. No wonder many folks don't want their garbage picked.
I DO like the community trash system that you describe inchworm. We have a community "dump day" once a month here, but no place for that still usable stuff to be parked. If it comes in the gate it gets trashed!
Which is why I was literally chasing a truck a few years ago with a big old rocker in their trash pile. I finally caught up and that rocker (with a few repairs and some exterior gloss paint) rocked on my porch for many more years.
patandchickens
Crazy Cat Lady
I am a big fan of Freecycle for basically valueless things, like a big box of yarn scraps or a structurally-sound chair with ripped upholstery. Be hard to find a good home for things like that otherwise!
However I have stopped listing things on Freecycle that have some commercial value, like a large box of expired-but-prolly-still-just-fine Kodachrome film, and ending up pretty sure that the person who picked it up was making up some total lie and is really just doing this as a moneymaker, scoring stuff on freecycle and reselling it for profit.
I have no problem whatsoever with people picking up stuff curbside, or taking stuff *knowingly* given to them to resell... but it just bugs me to have leeches sitting around at their computers not doing much of any *work* except for spinning lies. Possibly there is less of this in other areas, I dunno, and of course it is hard to know for sure about any individual case (especially when you are just communicating by email)... but, there just seems to be too much of it around here.
So things of commercial value, that I simply don't need anymore, either go to a charity thrift store, or get put at the curb for some lucky person.
Pat
However I have stopped listing things on Freecycle that have some commercial value, like a large box of expired-but-prolly-still-just-fine Kodachrome film, and ending up pretty sure that the person who picked it up was making up some total lie and is really just doing this as a moneymaker, scoring stuff on freecycle and reselling it for profit.
I have no problem whatsoever with people picking up stuff curbside, or taking stuff *knowingly* given to them to resell... but it just bugs me to have leeches sitting around at their computers not doing much of any *work* except for spinning lies. Possibly there is less of this in other areas, I dunno, and of course it is hard to know for sure about any individual case (especially when you are just communicating by email)... but, there just seems to be too much of it around here.
So things of commercial value, that I simply don't need anymore, either go to a charity thrift store, or get put at the curb for some lucky person.
Pat
k0xxx
Mr. Sunshine
I run our local Freecycle group, and I too get fed up with the number of obvious lies told by some to get anything of value. After a time you learn which people are being honest, and which are "full of it". However, I just filter through them and give the items to someone else.
I also run a Yahoo group for the local county that is specifically for things not allowed on Freecycle, such as general announcements, yard sale ads, for sale, etc. Several times I have given an item away on Freecycle, and then seen it posted for sale on the other group.
If no one else wants an item, and it is something that the local charities can't use, then the liars get it. It still irks me to give anything to some of these people, but at least it does keep the item out of the landfill.
I also run a Yahoo group for the local county that is specifically for things not allowed on Freecycle, such as general announcements, yard sale ads, for sale, etc. Several times I have given an item away on Freecycle, and then seen it posted for sale on the other group.
If no one else wants an item, and it is something that the local charities can't use, then the liars get it. It still irks me to give anything to some of these people, but at least it does keep the item out of the landfill.
patandchickens
Crazy Cat Lady
Yeah, but that only works if you spend a lot of time reading Freecycle. I only go there when I have something to get rid of, which isn't *that* often, so I really have no idea who the weasels are, sigh.k0xxx said:
Pat
noobiechickenlady
Almost Self-Reliant
The freecycle group where I am is pretty dead. I've posted things to get rid of & "wanted" posts and my post never even shows up. I don't think we have a good admin for our area.
I'm fairly shameless, I'll stop & load it up if it's worthwhile.
I've gotten tons of lumber, washtubs, milk crates, plant containers, mulch (I always ask if they spray their yard, and won't take it if they do) a wooden herb spinner with all the glass jars & lids, tables, chairs, a futon frame in perfect condition. My mom & dad have found TVs, brand new comforter set, bikes, toys.
Thankfully, people tend to set things out away from their regular trash, so no one has to "pick" through to get the good stuff. Plus, the "rich" neighborhood folks tend to set stuff out early in the week, so you have time to get it before the trash truck comes. Also, rural folk tend to dump things off the sides of our gravel roads (bad!) if they don't have a bulk pickup day (I roam through 4 counties, so there are different guidelines for each)
Those are great to look through. Cinderblocks, I mean really, who throws those away? I found 6 of those in perfect condition, never even been mortared in place, just tossed out among the tree trimmings & defunct washing machines.
I'm fairly shameless, I'll stop & load it up if it's worthwhile.
I've gotten tons of lumber, washtubs, milk crates, plant containers, mulch (I always ask if they spray their yard, and won't take it if they do) a wooden herb spinner with all the glass jars & lids, tables, chairs, a futon frame in perfect condition. My mom & dad have found TVs, brand new comforter set, bikes, toys.
Thankfully, people tend to set things out away from their regular trash, so no one has to "pick" through to get the good stuff. Plus, the "rich" neighborhood folks tend to set stuff out early in the week, so you have time to get it before the trash truck comes. Also, rural folk tend to dump things off the sides of our gravel roads (bad!) if they don't have a bulk pickup day (I roam through 4 counties, so there are different guidelines for each)
Those are great to look through. Cinderblocks, I mean really, who throws those away? I found 6 of those in perfect condition, never even been mortared in place, just tossed out among the tree trimmings & defunct washing machines.
The biggest problem we have with our two local FreeCycles is the people who dont' show up. I offered some rice therapy bags, had hundreds of them, and 32 people were supposed to show up for their 10, but only about 11 did. It was VERY upsetting.
I have been cleaning my garage the past month and have had a lot of things to offer, and about half of the people don't show. Yesterday, I had three things to be picked up, and no one showed at all.
And then there are the people who ask for very specific things, such as "8 megapixel digital camera, in box if possible." Do your Christmas shopping somewhere else....
I have been cleaning my garage the past month and have had a lot of things to offer, and about half of the people don't show. Yesterday, I had three things to be picked up, and no one showed at all.
And then there are the people who ask for very specific things, such as "8 megapixel digital camera, in box if possible." Do your Christmas shopping somewhere else....
