The title of this post probably makes me sound paranoid, but there really are people picking through my garbage every Monday night. Honest.
I can’t stand it! It’s worse on recycling days which is every two weeks. I’ll be outside with the dog and I’ll see people going through one recycling bin after another looking for bottles and cans and whatever else they might be looking for in order to make some money.
I wrote about people picking through actual garbage back in April because I suspected those people were looking for credit card receipts or bank slips. I thought they might be identity thieves. The ones I’m seeing lately are mainly going through the recycling though.
Now when I wrote my first post about garbage pickers several people commented that they also had that happen regularly in their area. It’s on the increase here in Toronto.
Plus it’s against the law. once the garbage is on the curb it’s supposed to be the property of the city and our city is supposedly cracking down on these garbage pickers. The money that the city gets from the recycled material helps to cut down some of our costs and I presume our taxes (although property taxes have been going up every year!). I saw a news story on this a few weeks ago and it said that the city would be handing out hefty fines to anyone they caught picking through garbage.
You might be thinking – it’s garbage, you’re throwing it away so who cares what happens to it. While that might be true, I just don’t like the idea of someone picking through my garbage in front of my home. We never throw out credit card slips or paperwork that has account numbers on it. We shred that stuff and burn it in our Chimenea in the backyard. So we are probably fairly safe from anyone stealing our identity – at least out of our garbage, but anyone looking at what we’ve thrown out could still tell if we’d made major purchases etc … so it would give would be thieves an idea of what’s in our house.
Once it’s left my driveway I don’t care anymore as the contents are unlikely to be associated with my house, but while it’s sitting out front it’s just too easy to learn a lot about the people inside.
Plus … it’s just creepy! My neighbor, Alli , from across the street doesn’t like garbage pickers either.
On Monday evening Chris and I were both standing outside with our dog trying to get her to do her business when we saw a lady going through one of our neighbors recycling bins across the street. We decided to stay outside for a bit to see what she would do and while we were talking with another neighbor, still in front of our driveway, right in front of our recycling bins and garbage – the lady crossed the street and headed for our bins. Before she made it to our garbage she changed her mind and walked up the street around our planted boulevard and then turned and approached from the sidewalk. Then she changed her mind again and walked on the street towards our recycling.
I don’t know if she wasn’t sure if we were the owners of the house, perhaps she just thought we were a couple out walking our dog (in bare feet (Chris) and puffy slippers (me), right!). When she finally got close to our garbage, looking very much like a predator I turned to her and said “that’s illegal you know”. She just looked at me, said sorry and walked passed us and all of our other neighbors garbage and turned onto a side street when she reached the corner.
Is it strange that I think it’s creepy and that I feel a little violated when I see someone picking through my garbage?
I don’t think it is strange at all Tricia! I live in Seattle and have had my garbage dug through multiple times. Most of the time these “pickers” are just looking for bottles and cans from my recycling, but my friend across town has had her Social Security number come up on another persons record (hello! identity theft!) and she thinks its because she through some important documents in the trash. I think you are really smart to burn and shred the important stuff and just knowing that someone knows I eat Frosted Flakes and subscribe to People is creepy in its own way! 🙂
If they take every bit of garbage, that must be good.
This happens all the time where I live in San Diego even though it is against the law. You can make some good money by doing it so I can see why people do it, but I generally think that they don’t realize that what they are doing is illegal.
This happends all the time. People trying to make ends meet in the crazy lifetime. Funny how our garbage is someone tresure?
Yes this is becoming more of a problem where I live in Colorado as well. The thing is it just sort of creeps me out. I just would never do that. Guess I’m too much of a germ-a-phobe to even consider it! Things is..it’s not against the law here I’m sure…so there isn’t anything you can do other than just make sure there’s nothing in there you don’t want someone to get their hands on.
Once it is out of your house… it doesn’t belong to you. However, the better way to look at it, is that there are those much less fortunate than you, who need that little bit of income to survive. Feel proud that at least you are supporting those who wake up and make an effort to better themselves vs the scum who we simply had a check to for doing nothing.
I know what you mean. Aside from the possible sanitation issue, garbage cans really should get a scrub on occasion, it’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed. My garbage tells stories about me. I’m a very private person, though I talk and blog as well, I let it out, it isn’t taken from me. I hope that something gets done about that on your block. I hope that it isn’t happening in my complex.
When people are picking through your garbage, you do feel violated…and why not, there is many things they can learn about you from the garbage you have left behind. If that is what they are looking for. Many “Dumpster Divers” are not homeless, in fact they have very nice homes…of course you do have the homeless ones too. Sometimes if you confront these people, they really believe it is their right to pick through your garbage, even though it isn’t.
I would be totally creeped out by that, and paranoid too.
Hey Trica,
The garbage pickers are the reason I shred all my paperwork before throwing it out.
I noticed that on recycling days they swarm. I confronted one of them just a few weeks ago. He was looking for bottles to return the LCBO and scrap metal. Apparently it’s big business.
Steve
put in some grenades and landmines in your recycling bin, that’ll teach em
Maybe they thought you’re Brittany Spears and could dig up something for the tabloid…
But in all seriousness, there is a group of folks in the LA area who goes around “recycling” usable goods by picking through garbage. They’re not homeless, in fact, some of them are executives. But they “recycle” to save the environment.
Reply –
These are not homeless people picking through my garbage either and our garbage is already recycled. We have separate bins for glass, plastics and papers and one for actual garbage and yet another for “green garbage” like table scraps, tissues and things that will biodegrade quickly.
The people picking through the garbage are mostly going through the glass/plastic recycling bins and they aren’t doing it to save the enviornment as that’s what our recycling program is for … they are doing it to collect cans and bottles for the refund at a store or to turn it in for scrap metal.
It’s illegal here to pick through garbage as once it’s on the curb it’s owned by the city.
You must make sure you not only shred your bills but also anything with your name or address on it! You hear about meth addicts piecing shredding docs together more and more.
Scary stuff
I had a mestizo going through the bins on our street. I went outside with a pistol in a belt holster and a video camera in my hand and ordered him to leave. The mestizo looked surprised and ran down the street. I followed in my car and videoed him entering his car. I called dispatch and the plate returned expired two years ago however it had a current (stolen) tag on it. An officer arrived in the area and stopped the vehicle. The mestizo was an illegal alien with two felony warrants for rape and assault. The patrolman arrested and transported the mestizo to the jail while his partner impounded the vehicle. Don’t be a limp lemming. Take action and fight crime!