The Not So Secret Life of Alley's 4.23.2007 | 3 Comment(s)
I used to think the scavengers who roamed the alley's on trash days were an interesting, if not an odd, sort...I've changed my mind. This afternoon I pulled into my alley and saw a Saturn mini-van parked behind my neighbor's house. A kid, maybe around 12, had torn off the back of an old piece of electronic equipment that my neighbor sat out yesterday to be picked up during the Operation Brightside event. The bulk trash, for whatever reason, never got picked up on Saturday so everybody's bulk trash is still in the alley. The kid was digging inside the discarded piece of technology trying to get something out. An adult sat in the mini-van, arm out the driver's side window and instructions to the boy coming out of his mouth.

I sat behind the mini-van for a few minutes, these scavengers really don't care that the people's junk they're looking to make a profit off of are inconvenienced by their activities, before the kid was giving instructions to get in the van.

I don't think anything illegal is going on, but I don't like the fact that people from outside the neighborhood drive up and down our alleys filling their pick up trucks with trash and scrap metal. It's not so much that I care that they're taking the junk, but their trucks are unattractive and loud and I have no doubt that some of them are dumping illegally. Unfortunately, it's hard to catch them because if they see you looking they scamper off like dirty roaches.

I guess seeing somebody messing with stuff right outside my neighbor's back gate irritated me.
3 comments:

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:40 AM

There's all kinds of divers - as well as all kinds of other folks. There are some very messy intrusive visitors and some that are truly living this way (and are quite tidy and thoughtful about it). Check out Lars Eighner, "On Dumpster Diving" -
http://www1.broward.edu/~nplakcy/docs/dumpster_diving.htm

 

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:06 AM

While I agree with your frustration about illegal dumping that costs every city resident money, I completely disagree about the dumpster divers. Recycling in the city isn't exactly easy and I'm glad people are taking whatever they find valuable from our garbage and keeping it from ending up in a landfill. I also don't understand your comment "their trucks are unattractive...". Wow, I've even seen an unattractive vehicle or two in Chesterfield. Just be grateful that you can get by without scavenging from other people's discarded items. If someone was taking your neighbor's back gate for scrap metal, well, that would be something to be upset about!

 

By Blogger Brick City, at 1:42 PM

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