OMG, I witnessed DUMPSTER DIVING!

[Lightly Toasted]

some dumpster divers do so by choice:

Freeganshttp://money.howstuffworks.com/freegan.htm

I have a relative (he and wife are both have doctorate's degrees, goregous house, 3 grown kids with master's degrees, all have excellent jobs) who dumpster dives. Not for food......but around construction sites and office industrial areas. He happened upon a contractor's dumpster. It seems that this contractor was replacing the solid oak (or maybe it was maple) flooring in a high school gym. There was enough wood for him to do his entire house. He has found entire offices of furniture, gorgeous imported area rugs, and entire kitchens of appliances and cabinets.

[Connie Lea]

It's so sad that we've become a nation of wasters. It makes me sick to think of all the perfectly good things thrown away. I have a hard time throwing a broken appliance away. My dad could fix anything and I always think maybe somebody could fix this and use it.

[UnknownChef86]

Connie Lea wrote:
It's so sad that we've become a nation of wasters. It makes me sick to think of all the perfectly good things thrown away. I have a hard time throwing a broken appliance away. My dad could fix anything and I always think maybe somebody could fix this and use it.

I called Radio Shack today to find out if they have batteries for the phones we currently have. I bought the phones (set of 3) a few years ago at Costco. The clerk assured me they probably did, as they have a LOT of phone batteries. Turns out they don't have them. She suggested checking Amazon.com. There is NOTHING wrong with these phones except that they need the batteries replaced. I can't see the sense in chucking them in the landfill and buying new phones...or paying more for the new batteries than I would pay for a new set of phones...but I'm not sure I'll have any other options!

What the freak is wrong with our society's "disposable" mentality?!?

[Stella Mae]

UnknownChef86 wrote:
What the freak is wrong with our society's "disposable" mentality?!?

Greed. It'll come back to bite us.

I like the system they have in Japan. Once a month, any household item not wanted can be taken to a neighborhood dump -- usually on a street corner. Many Japanese have an aversion to anything second hand, but there were always a few Japanese and a gazillion foreigners at those sites! My friend outfitted his entire home -- TV, furniture, dishes, etc. -- from those places. I got a brand new set of dishes, once, and a small storage cabinet.

The next day, the trucks would come to collect whatever was left, and items were taken to second hand stores and other places.

Not here! We don't like to expend the effort for such projects. We like the dump and landfills in this country, and to heck with organized and methodical recycling.

[K9 Owned]

Stella Mae wrote:

UnknownChef86 wrote:
What the freak is wrong with our society's "disposable" mentality?!?

Greed. It'll come back to bite us.

I like the system they have in Japan. Once a month, any household item not wanted can be taken to a neighborhood dump -- usually on a street corner. Many Japanese have an aversion to anything second hand, but there were always a few Japanese and a gazillion foreigners at those sites! My friend outfitted his entire home -- TV, furniture, dishes, etc. -- from those places. I got a brand new set of dishes, once, and a small storage cabinet.

The next day, the trucks would come to collect whatever was left, and items were taken to second hand stores and other places.

Not here! We don't like to expend the effort for such projects. We like the dump and landfills in this country, and to heck with organized and methodical recycling.

Sounds like a great system!

Here (Ontario) we have many re-use-it stores. The items aren't free but a tiny fraction of what you would pay. Habitat for Humanity has wonderful places called ReStore. The money from the sale of the items goes at least in part to building homes for those without. Many businesses donate to Habitat their discontinued lines if they aren't sold. Friends of ours have completely renovated their home for less than 25% of the cost. They got windows, doors, paint, kitchen cabinetry and much more from there.

We will be moving this year and I expect to have to renovate. I'll be shopping at a ReStore!

[Stella Mae]

K9 Owned wrote:

We will be moving this year and I expect to have to renovate. I'll be shopping at a ReStore!

Yes, Jimmy Carter's idea was a great one! Habitat for Humanity is now in southeast Asia, and teams from the states and all other industrialized countries go there to build homes.

I like Goodwill, but at least in my city it's lost its vision. It no longer hires the handicapped, but hires anyone it chooses, plus the prices are sometimes a bit high. The one store that remains low in price is Saver's, and that is also a chain throughout this area, maybe throughout the nation.

I think a great thing to have hit the states is Dollar General and Dollar Tree where people can buy food, clothing and household items cheaply. These stores are the equivalent of the Japanese 100 yen shops.

[Okra]

[Here (Ontario) we have many re-use-it stores. The items aren't free but a tiny fraction of what you would pay. Habitat for Humanity has wonderful places called ReStore. The money from the sale of the items goes at least in part to building homes for those without. Many businesses donate to Habitat their discontinued lines if they aren't sold. Friends of ours have completely renovated their home for less than 25% of the cost. They got windows, doors, paint, kitchen cabinetry and much more from there.

We will be moving this year and I expect to have to renovate. I'll be shopping at a ReStore![/quote]

[Okra]

Here (Ontario) we have many re-use-it stores. The items aren't free but a tiny fraction of what you would pay. Habitat for Humanity has wonderful places called ReStore. The money from the sale of the items goes at least in part to building homes for those without. Many businesses donate to Habitat their discontinued lines if they aren't sold. Friends of ours have completely renovated their home for less than 25% of the cost. They got windows, doors, paint, kitchen cabinetry and much more from there.

We will be moving this year and I expect to have to renovate. I'll be shopping at a ReStore![/quote]

We don't have a ReStore in our small town, but there's one about 50 miles away where my son found some beautiful kitchen cupboards to replace the ones they lost in a fire. He's into recycling in a BIG way and has made some gorgeous furniture out of used wood.

Every spring the city sponsors a "city-wide clean up" when people can put unwanted items (except appliances) out at the curb and the city will come along and pick it up. Lots of people drive around picking up many of the things people no longer want. Pretty cool.

[K9 Owned]

We have 6 Bulky Items Pick Ups a year. We often put things out a day or so ahead of time. Very rarely does anything sit on the curb until the pick up date They also have an on demand (more or less) appliance pick up. You call and then they give you the date. They do this to avoid a refrigerator sitting on the curb that children can lock themselves in to.

I have a lot of respect for the people who drive around, find 'junk' and either fix it or repurpose it.

[Chicagoland Chef du Jour]

We have this once a year in my town too.

You can put almost anything out on the curb and it is taken away at no charge.

It's almost become a sporting event here. People have parties & sit on their porches and watch people "garbage pick"

Honest to goodness, people put out a ton of stuff. I often wonder, what's left inside that house?