Reciprocity

There is a growing trend outside my apartment building: people going through the recycling and trash bins. I've heard grumblings from fellow tenants that "those homeless people should go bother someone else," and I find that statement a tad harsh.

I'll concede that having a mother and children searching through my trash isn't the most elegant sight to see. I'll also concede that shouting and excessive noise from the dumpster searching is inappropriate at 6 am. But the pejorative attitudes based on prejudice seems somewhat extreme.

I actually don't really mind the "dumpster diving." Over the last few weeks I've seen some pretty amazing stuff come out of those dumpsters. Kids' bikes, couches, bar stools, TVs. Why wouldn't someone go in there and pull out some stuff for their family? Tough times are tough times, you know?

I would be lying if I said I've never pulled out something from our dumpsters: I have two 10-pound dumbbells I found, gasp, in the dumpster. And a few months ago, I helped clean out a garage full of soda cans. There was $350 worth of cans, and my take was $100 for half a day's work. So how can I impugn people who also wants to capitalize on recycling benefits? If the cans and bottles are there, it's fine with me if they want to take them.



The pile of cans equaled my 5'5" father.







The problem arises though, that while the people going through the dumpsters, they are haphazardly throwing the garbage—rotten bananas, dog waste bags, food wrappers—into the street. I understand sometimes items need to be taken out of the dumpster so the items at the bottom are more accessible, but the garbage needs to be returned to the dumpster when finished.

No joke: I had to throw away my garbage twice yesterday. Once when I took it out of my apartment, and a second time when I picked it up out of the gutter. And to that end, I will have a pejorative attitude about the people searching in the dumpsters.

Dumpster diving is fine, but dumpster divers shirking responsibility for the mess is not fine. Take my cans. Take my old TV. But please, put the trash back into the dumpster, so I don't have to pick up the mess.

I'll politely tolerate the shopping cart rolling outside my window. I'll politely tolerate the shanty town made across the street. I'll even politely tolerate the occasional razor shards of glass preventing me from wearing sandals in my own neighborhood. So can there please be some politeness reciprocity regarding the littering issue?