What do you think of people who garbage pick?

[CowboyFrank]

Some people look for cans and bottles to get a deposit back for.

Others are looking for scrap metal. And some are looking for old furniture, clothing or anything else they find valuable.

I am a garbage picker. I look for cans and bottles people pitch on the side of the road to get the 10 cent deposit and I look for valuables people throw out in their neighborhood.

I recently found a case of sliced potatoes someone didn't want. I have found some great finds in the past.

What do you think of these people who garbage pick?

[Anonymous]

I lived in the streets for two years before I joined in the military at 21 to avoid jail. Dumpster diving was the difference between going hungry or eating. I look around and the homeless crisis is worse than it ever was. Seen a couple from years ago who were like why don't you bums get a job and called the police on me outside their diner, they are in their 60s now and on the streets, I gave them $200 dollars cash cause I felt for them.

Survival on the streets is tough, I found a place in an old sewer fof a while. Stole a bed and hooked up some power, lived there for a year with my girlfriend who was 15 at the time, she'd run away from home. She was such a sweet girl, she came from a bad home and her Foster parents were abusive to her and her father blew his brains out. For two years we lived like a real couple in love. She was truly beautiful. I still remember her pretty face and gorgeous little body and sometimes in my dreams its like we are still together in that sewer just lying in bed under all the blankets trying to keep warm when it's minus 15 outside her looking at md with those dark soulful eyes like i could never do any wrong. Anyway we lost our place as some junkies found it and forced us out. A month later she disappeared, they found her naked in the dirty river a weeks later, Police had refused to even search for her. She hadn't died of natural causes and they never caught the murderer, breaks my heart at her suffering and how afraid she must have been. Was a very hard time for me.

[CowboyFrank]

That is a deep story that really touched my heart. I haven't been through anything nearly as difficult as what you have experienced. Thank you for sharing your story.

[NamerOfStars]

I've been in a position where I had to harvest neighborhood dandelions because they were the only calories (and no, I don't mean *C*alories) I'd have that day, and who has fought raccoons for week-old pizza the neighbors threw out; I'm the last person who's going to look down on someone scrounging through other people's rejected stuff.

I mean hey, reduce, reuse, recycle, right? In the long run, it saves everyone money.

[Anonymous]

Whatever it takes to get by in this world. In some form or other, we are all garbage pickers.

[blackgaletiger]

Reduce Reuse and Recycle. Furniture, raw material or anything of use is fine. I see people doing it all the time. repurposing other people's trash and making it a treasure. Where I would draw the line is food related products. unless your using it for compost i dont really see the need to drive for it.

[jshm2]

It's called "dumpster diving" and is a right of passage for most teens.

Just don't do it in food places, is all.