One old proverb says that someone’s trash is a gold mine to others. The reality of the contemporary world is that this proverb is understood directly, turning it into a description of some people’s way of living. One of the numerous problems the modern world faces is dumpster diving. The best-known manufacturer of commercial trash bins, “Dumpster”, could not even think that the name of its invention would give a green card for the process that cannot but arise disgust with its observers.
The term “dumpster diving” stands for the practice of screening commercial or residential trash with the purpose to find items previously discarded by their owners which can then turn useful to the dumpster driver. Whatever the term may be applied to describe this process (urban foraging, garbage gleaning, skip diving, skelly-wagging, etc.) dumpster diving does not only speaks of the wastefulness of the society but leads to a moral lapse of those engaged into it.
In this respect, the work of the freelance writer living in Austin, Lars Eighner, On Dumpster Diving is very exponential. Though being light-hearted, the essay is imbued with a bitter irony over the existing state of affairs in American society. This is a story of a homeless man, who shares his experience in dumpster diving. The narrator offers numerous strategies and guidelines for surviving from dumpsters.
Though they sound quite reasonable, the reader of the essay does not focus his/her attention on it. One is more interested in the wasteful nature of the Americans so skillfully depicted by the author. The area the narrator found things for living contained several wealthy college students who used to “throw everything out when they move at the end of a semester, before and after breaks, and around midterm when many of them despair of college.” (Eighner ) The author claims that many items are discarded through carelessness, ignorance, and wastefulness. The lines where he speaks of peanut butter make the reader reconsider one’s consumerism habits: it turns out that most of the things we throw away are taken up by those who need it and, figuratively speaking, recycled by them. If others can benefit from what we throw away, a question arises: is it thrown fairly?
In addition to food (like yogurt, cheese, and sour cream) students discarded “drugs, pornography, spirits, and the like … when parents are expected – Dad’s day for example.” (Eighner ) From food to appliances, step by step, the author explains how valuable objects can be used.
The fact that many of the items are in good condition does not necessarily mean the level of economic development of the society, rather, it means that people are too careless about the things they cannot imagine their lives without. Where is the guarantee that one day we will not become indifferent to each other the same way that we are reluctant to care for the things around us? We believe that this is the author’s message.
We cannot but admit that the situation worsens when we realize that if the problem of dumpster diving is so burning for the American society, it appears to be drastic in the countries that yield to American development. Dumpster diving, in one form or another, exists in most parts of the world and this horrifies. Isn’t there any authority able of stopping this activity? We believe that this problem needs solving on a state level and the authority’s neglecting it gradually leads to the degradation of the whole society, not to speak of its failure in economics.
As far as economics is concerned, this is a twofold problem, as, on the one hand, those who live by dumpster diving cannot afford to live in some other way. On the other, it is often seen that dumpsters contain most of the things that are still usable and applicable. This only reflects that society at large is using more of what is available than what is needed.
Many of the items are discarded just because of slight imperfections here and there which only go to show how ready we are willing to unnecessarily throw away anything and replace those things with something new just because of the easy availability and abundant supply of those commodities. This is particularly true of the student community we have talked about above. This callous attitude only aggravates the prevailing environmental degradation and causes more health hazards. Incidentally, it is the western culture that gives rise to the idea that everything is dispensable. This in effect, has got an adverse impact on our resources.
It comes out that every society is sharply divided into two groups: on the one hand, we have those throwing away things just because they are in a position to replenish their supply when the need arises. On the other hand, some benefit from the luxurious lifestyle of others to the extent of finding almost everything from eggs to poultry to beverages, calculators, and even personal items from the dumpsters! Is there any promising future that such a society might have?
Scavenging, on the whole, does not reflect a healthy and egalitarian society. This phenomenon only brings to light the loopholes in government planning in so far education and employment are concerned. If those in a position of power would look into these aspects and provide for that under-privileged section of the society with a minimum means of livelihood, the question of dumpster diving or scavenging would be greatly minimized. Creating awareness among those who are forced to scavenge the health hazards involved in such unhygienic enterprise would also go a long way in reducing premature deaths and discourage the very idea of scavenging and thus, reducing the number of scavengers.
We hope that one day the problem of the dumpster will be solved. Of course, we do realize that the needed solution will not come by itself, reasonable and carefully thought over measures should be taken. The essay by Lars Eighner approached finding this solution. We want to believe that one-day humanity will forget about the horrific experience of dumpster diving and will recollect it as an example of its neglecting to solve the problem as soon as it appears. If we start thinking of the problem right now and acting appropriately we are sure to solve it.
Works Cited
Eighner, Lars. “On Dumpster Diving.” Web.