Trash Poaching is Becoming a Problem in Many Cities Across the Country

The old saying that "one man's trash is another man's treasure" may be taking on new meaning. Before the recycling craze soda and milk actually came in returnable bottles. This became a moneymaking opportunity for neighborhood kids and the homeless. At 5 cents a bottle, (more for the milk) a carton could fetch a buck twenty. When I was growing up my older brother Larry wasn't adverse to roaming around the neighborhood and picking up bits of copper pipe and other scrap metal. He carried with him a large canvas sack and a magnet around his neck to tell which metal was valuable and which was not. A friend of mine is a "dumpster diver." He's not so much into recycling as he is picking up old TV sets, stereos, toys, and furniture that other people throw out. He then repairs the stuff as best he can and resells it at yard sales, auctions, and flea markets. He makes a pretty good second income out of it. Another friend who is a techno geek has several "trash can" computers. He monitors the trash dumpsters of several different businesses for discarded computer parts. Sometimes large corporations will throw away perfectly good computers when they update their systems.

With higher and higher prices being paid for all recyclable materials nowadays some trash is turning into treasure. According to an AP story, (www.ap.org) and reported on CNN, (www.cnn.com) trash theft is becoming a big business, if not an exactly legal one. A truck piled high with recyclables can fetch $1,000. Newspapers alone can get you about $600.

The issue has caught the eye of many state officials who fear that the pilfering is undercutting their recycling programs and taking cans, bottles, and cardboard from dumpsters is already illegal in some cities, including New York and San Francisco. In San Francisco, violators can face a fine of $500 and six months in jail and in New York the fines can range as high as $5,000 with arrest and vehicle impoundment. And California lawmakers are considering laws that will require picture ID's for anyone bringing in more than $50 worth of recyclable trash.