I know people over the course of their lives have peeked into a dumpster or two, as well as thrown something in one. What seems to be the mode these past ten years or so has been an increase in people believing that dumpsters that businesses pay for on a monthly basis are free to the public. Waste disposal has become a lucrative business due to our living in a more throw away world. The downtown dumpsters are not immune to this problem. In driving to and from my office many times a day, I see people freely rummaging thru garbage bags and often times some of the garbage ends up in the alleyways. Early mornings and evenings and weekends—especially Sundays are the high traffic times.
Most of the people who are “diving” are looking for bottles and cans to redeem. The dumpers are the ones that are either too cheap to buy the dollar tags to place on extra bags. The ones that make me the most angry are the people I see dumping yard waste in the dumpsters downtown. There is a business owner who visits another business owner’s dumpster at least once a week early in the morning and dumps grass clippings and yard waste. That is about the most non-earth friendly action on his part.
Since it is not my dumpster he is dumping in, I don’t feel I have the right to challenge him but I do hope the owner catches him sometime and gives him a tongue lashing. I would be one of the first to help promote a city-wide drive in educating our citizens in what it means to be Earth Friendly. I have a client who is amazing in how she minimizes the amount trash she sets out to the curb about once a month. She has a composting system that is to be lauded. If we don’t take care of Mother Earth, then Mother Earth will not take care of us. So, the next time you even think about freely dumping or rummaging thru someone else’s dumpster—don’t. Mother Nature will be watching you.
