It would be utterly shock to not find someone who does not find the term ‘Dumpster diving’ as a professional fancy kind of sport. Professional? Yes, though not quite fancy. Neither is it a sport, for the main job of dumpster divers is to scavenge through dumpsters and garbage cans with the hope of finding any paraphernalia of worth. It is more a daily routine just like the office job that any successful person wakes up for every morning. Dumpsters do this for a living and whilst many of them are homeless, some of them, it is said are not. Dumpster diving is normally related to hopeless people, who are dirty and are less appreciated in the society. Lars Eighner is such kind of a person and as such, falls in this category of people who are often not valued by the society because of who they are. In his article, ‘On Dumpster Diving’, Lars writes about his life as a dumpster and tries to make good some of the stereotypes labeled against dumpster divers like himself. In this article, Lars provides various methods that he uses and how they might change peoples’ perspective about the Dumpster Diving experience.
In his article, Lars begins by saying that he himself started dumpster diving a year before he became homeless. He goes ahead to say that he likes to call it scavenging since the former looks so fanciful with respect to the actual thing. He finds the word scavenging “sound and honorable” (pg.87), even though he admits that he would have loved to live a ‘comfortable consumer life’. Having been forced to inject all of his meager income into rent, Lars together with his dog, was forced into checking the dumpsters, for these provided their food and his clothing. He collected almost everything that he could lay his hands on, and says that sometimes, he even found change that amounted into useful dollars. His article provides an insight into life as a dumpster diver and methods he used to scavenge to ensure safety and usefulness.
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Dumpsters have more than a million times been associated with and claimed to be filthy beings who consume dirty food that is not fit for human consumption. Lars however, in his article, begs to differ, saying that, not all of the food that is found in dumpsters is unfit for human consumption. He claims that a good dumpster should be able to know what to pass fit as eatable while scavenging for food. He attributes eating from dumpsters “an act that separates dilettanti from professionals” (pg.88). He points out that in order to eat from a dumpster one has to be able to use common sense to evaluate what they have found, have knowledge of the dumpsters found in the area they frequent most since this helps to tell what is fresh and what is not and be sure to ask themselves why the said product was dumped. Lars credits dumpster divers by saying that unlike homeowners who once in a while might end up consuming food that is sometimes spoilt, dumpsters wouldn’t find themselves in such situations since they are always reminded that most food is dumped for a reason.
When people look at dumpster divers, they see people who only eat scraps but Lars is of a different opinion on this, as he cites canned food as one that turns up mostly in dumpsters and garbage cans. He says that canned food is always safe to eat but also recognizes that on rare occasions, they might be cause for botulism whose initial symptom is death. He advises that “food in cans that appear to be rusty, dented and spew when pricked should be avoided at all costs”. (pg.88). Since canned foods can still spoil while on kitchen shelves, Lars offers advise that if found in dumpsters, they offer a high risk to botulism hence not recommended. He goes ahead to mention cookies, cereals, chips and pasta as another bunch of food that should be inspected closely. If these foods are still crunchy and still in their original packaging, then chances are that they might still be safe.
Raw fruits that are still in their skins and obviously not rotten are considered by Lars as safe for dumpster divers to consume. “Leafy vegetables, grapes, broccoli, cauliflower, grapes and similar things may be contaminated by liquids and may be impractical to wash”. (pg.89). He says all these foods can be found in any dumpster and need to be judged by their appearance. Apart from these, Lars says that there are other foods especially prepared ones that need further information about them. For him, it is important that any smart scavenger keeps an eye on college calendars since students tend to throw away many good things including food. He says as much as one has to ask themselves why the food was dumped, its normally a no-brainer to collect what students throw since it is normally out of ignorance. He says that as a dumpster, it is important to collect frozen goods since they stay for quite a long time before they spoil and that some foods like yoghurt which was his favorite don not spoil that but then puts caution that liquids need extra care.
Another thing a scavenger should do is avoid poultry, pork and foods with egg whether raw or cooked. Lars says that for dumpsters who can afford means to cook, beef would be a good option to consider if they do not want running in trouble. Another no go zone for dumpsters is home leftovers which he says are not safe at all. He also advises that a dumpster should avoid ethnic foods that they are not familiar with. If one has no knowledge of how this food is supposed to look like, then they should avoid it altogether as they can tell if it’s bad or not. As much as Lars tries to paint dumpster diving as not a dangerous activity he admits that even himself would get sick at least once a month.
Dumpster divers are more often than not, viewed as despairing fellows who are out to make little monies and abuse drugs and hence, also are seen as destructive to the surrounding. Following this supposition, Lars goes ahead to say how as dumpster, he would think about his welfare first, by only collecting what he thought was good for him. He advises dumpster divers against restricting themselves to collecting small type of objects at a time and says that during the summer, it is smart to collect abandoned bedding since they will come in handy once winter sets in. He says that as much as it’s good to pick things, it is also smart “not to stash what is not useful”. (pg.91) to stash what is not useful. He welcomes competition, Lars says that it is not good to be like Can scroungers who must have some money in their hands since most abuse drugs. He says this group would destroy what a true scavenger would find useful just to get the cans. He also claims that they litter everywhere they scrounge and it is not a good picture to scavengers.
Lars also offers what he feels to be the best way to go through a dumpster, countering the accusations labeled against dumpster divers for littering; his suggestion asserts that says “by far the best way to go through a dumpster is to lower yourself into it.” (pg.94). He says this is because most of the important stuff lies beneath what the eyes can only on the top. He proves this by saying most of his companions have demonstrated this by coming with more material from a dumpster he has already gone through. He says that for those who cannot dive in, a long stick probably with a hook is good in turning and selecting what could be of use. Following Lars’s article, it’s easy to notice that his advice can apply to dumpster divers today. The reckless manner in which they go about dumpster diving is alarming and so this article can come in handy to see that they go about it the right way. More importantly, Lars provides two lessons that he has learnt throughout his scavenging life: first is to take what can only be useful in the sense that it can either be traded or used personally. The second lesson is briefness of material being. This means that a dumpster should pick something after envisioning when they will cast it away.
