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Region moves to outlaw scavenging

Oshawa Councillor Nester Pidwerbecki, who chairs regional council's works committee, says the primary focus of the bylaw is "professional" scavengers who troll neighbourhoods in pick-up trucks scanning for loot -- not the homeless or disadvantaged.
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I would have expected to see some sort of health and safety angle to this as well, surprised it wasn't played.

We have lots of pickers out here, even in the sticks where I live.
 
flopticalcube said:
I would have expected to see some sort of health and safety angle to this as well, surprised it wasn't played.
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Insofar as they might leave the curb a hazard for the recycling guys, yes, I can see that.

It's becoming more and more like "One man's garbage is another man's treasure."

Another sign of tougher times ahead?? Perhaps.
 
not sure i agree with things being on the curb belongs to the city yet if your part of the world is like mine, as per maintaining those sidewalks when it snows is suddenly the responsibility of the resident lol
 
dukebound85 said:
not sure i agree with things being on the curb belongs to the city yet if your part of the world is like mine, as per maintaining those sidewalks when it snows is suddenly the responsibility of the resident lol
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True, they "own" the side-walks, but get around that little glitch with a bi-law.

Everything from the side-walk to the other side-walk is municipal property. I suspect that items left there become their property by the "possession is 9/10th" school of thought.

Better not leave your car out on pick-up day. :p
 
To the best of my knowledge, no such statute exists in my town.

BTW: Another good reason to own a decent cross-cut shredder for all discarded papers.:D
 
wow. I find this idiotic and greedy on the part of the city.

So what if some folks go around on the nights before or morning of garbage nights just b/c the householders are too lazy or too busy to sell the stuff on their own. Heck, I don't even know where I'd sell scrap metal (although I'm sure I can find a place).

Brutal line about the region losing money so money has to come from somewhere which is taxpayers. What!!? Then don't hire 2 more bylaw people and save that taxpayer money. I'd sure like to know how the region is making from scrap metal.

Seriously....another idiotic move from another form of government trying to rule our lives just a wee bit too much.
 
I chase off the aluminum thieves every week on trash day. They come around and empty the aluminum recycle bins in their trucks and drive off. Nothing but scum as far as I'm concerned. I wish I could get the sheriff to arrest them.
 
I used to completely downright hate scavengers. They still annoy me, to no end, driving up and down alleys with their rusted out pickup trucks, overflowing with junk. I can’t say how many times I have had to deal with my tires being punctured by nails and screws that have (probably) fallen off their trucks.

What's kind of funny is that there are also multiple scavenger gangs out there. I remember seeing, in the course of a day, three separate scavenger trucks come down the alley. Competition among the scavengers.... Who need's that Got Junk? company that you have to pay to take away your stuff? A scavenger will be through your alley in a few days and will take the stuff for free.

Though they annoy me, I don’t “hate” scavengers anymore. When I started thinking about it, the stuff they scavenge would definitely be ending up in a landfill. When a scavenger picks something up out of the trash, at least that item has a better chance of being recycled. Which nobody can deny is a good thing. However, they should never be allowed to take from recycle bins. The money from that recycling goes to the city. So taking from those bins shoudl amount to theft. Scavenge from the trash all you want…but don’t touch the recycle bins.
 
I have always wanted to drive around town in the early morning, collecting all the discarded chairs and sofas on my flatbed trailer. Then a few months later, I would find a random field and neatly arrange them all in rows.

But then again I like playing "airplane" in the rows of chairs in furniture stores. ;)
 
Aeolius said:
I have always wanted to drive around town in the early morning, collecting all the discarded chairs and sofas on my flatbed trailer. Then a few months later, I would find a random field and neatly arrange them all in rows.
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Sounds somewhat like Urban Art.

Aeolius said:
But then again I like playing "airplane" in the rows of chairs in furniture stores. ;)
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Are you talking them in for a landing?

You've obviously seen Pushing Tin a few too many times.
 
Here in the Netherlands there was no problems with scavenging until the late 80's. People where taking bags of clothes that had been donated to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. The bags were clearly marked as being for these charities. These clothes were then sold as waste to paper makers.
There was a TV programe, public outrage followed, the government of the day passed a law within a week.
 
macquariumguy said:
I chase off the aluminum thieves every week on trash day. They come around and empty the aluminum recycle bins in their trucks and drive off. Nothing but scum as far as I'm concerned. I wish I could get the sheriff to arrest them.
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Hmmm. City picks up aluminum cans to recycle the metal for money = okay. Other people picking up the cans to recycle the metal for money = not okay?

I'm sorry, but I don't understand your logic. Maybe you just don't like the kind of people who come by and take your aluminum cans? Are they vagrants or gypsies?
 
aarond12 said:
Hmmm. City picks up aluminum cans to recycle the metal for money = okay. Other people picking up the cans to recycle the metal for money = not okay?

I'm sorry, but I don't understand your logic. Maybe you just don't like the kind of people who come by and take your aluminum cans? Are they vagrants or gypsies?
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It is more they are stealing from the recycle bins that city taxes help pay for. The money the city gets for those cans helps off set some of the other stuff in the program. That means cost and taxes get raised for everyone to pay for the theifed. They are taking from the city bins.
 
aarond12 said:
Hmmm. City picks up aluminum cans to recycle the metal for money = okay. Other people picking up the cans to recycle the metal for money = not okay?

I'm sorry, but I don't understand your logic. Maybe you just don't like the kind of people who come by and take your aluminum cans? Are they vagrants or gypsies?
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If the "other people" who take the metal for money, start assisting with every other aspect of waste management - then that would likely be just fine. Except that, they don't - and the city whom handles ALL the waste, uses recycling revenue to offset the operating costs of the materials that cost money to process.

Edit: I wish RP was a slower typist...
 
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