Friday, August 1, 2008

Pet Packaging Peeve

Why am I so skeeved out by the people who were going through everyone's recycling bins as I left the house this morning?

There's been a rash of it over the last few months. You put all your recycling out on the curb at night and when you're leaving the house in the morning it looks as tossed as your trash does when the raccoons get into it.

This morning I set my recycling out and looked up to find the dumpster divers. There were a couple of yuppie-looking types in Tie-Dye T-shirts who hopped out of their SUV and started bin-diving with big trash bags. As they were a cheerful looking bunch in matching shirts I'm tempted to believe they're part of some organization or charity. This however still files them under the heading "just nasty people" for me.

I took my recycling back in. It just bugged me that they were so nakedly riffling through my neighbor's garbage. I'm thinking I must be some kind of a tight ass (just some kind?) but I'm averse to their making money on the back of my empty empty-calorie containers. I know Rumpke does, and I know I'm being irrational, but at least I feel like I'm choosing where it's going, rather than the scavengers taking some sort of perceived "advantage." (After reviewing that sentence, I'm questioning if I don't need some meds, frankly.)

As I was getting into the car the guy called "Didn't want us going through your stuff?" and I really had to fight the urge to turn around and bawl him out for what really is pretty harmless... so here, I guess, is the question: am I offended that they were parasitically making money off of every one's refuse (illuminating that I could be doing it myself if I chose to go through the hassle) or that they were a couple of SUV-driving prats?

Or is it just one more offence piled on top of the random, ever changing junk yard that's being set up at the next door neighbors house? I look at their rusting refrigerators and shopping carts that pop up from time to time and feel powerless and disrespected (especially with all the work I've put into keeping the house in a show-able condition). Then, I get to turn around and find someone else literally "poaching" off of me. Maybe I'm just bucking for some social lice-shampoo...

1 comment:

  1. The same thing happens in my neighborhood, and I have the same issue. Logically, I tell myself that they're just taking my aluminum cans and such, and I try to shred personal items, but I still can't help feeling like it's a security risk. As far as I'm concerned, they can look through it after it's been smooshed and soaked in liquids and tossed around with the rest of the neighborhood's refuse.

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