Garbage Dilemma

johnsonri

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2007
Messages
390
Well, on my way in to work this morning, I was faced with a dilemma. I park about a quarter mile from where my office. There are several colleges in a 5 mile radius of my job. This past weekend must have been move-out day for the semester or something because the streets were just lined with furniture, tables, and just everything else you can think of.

Anyway, as I was walking to work, I came across a butt load of curly maple and oak on the curb, just waiting for the garbage men. I was like, 'holy four-letters'. I stopped for a moment and just stared at the pile. I considered walking back to my vehicle to pull up to the garbage pile to take my find. But then, how would I look in my dress clothes (not suit and tie dressy, but slacks and collar), going through someone's garbage and loading crap into my vehicle?

So, I paused for a moment, then continued my walk to work. I thought about that pile a few times throughout the day. After work, I walked back to my vehicle. All the garbage cans were empty and all the piles were gone, including the maple and oak...surely crushed up in the back of some garbage truck out there somewhere.

Would you have taken the garbage?

 
at $8-$10 a board foot, I would have gathered it all up and marched it home in a dress and heels. Clothes or job be damned
 
My shop is in a row of warehouses, mostly occupied by artists, three times now we've found a really nice steel exterior door with etched glass panel dumped next to the dumpsters, these things retail for several hundred dollars and someone keeps throwing them away (bless their little cotton socks).

Needless to say I feel no shame in trundling my dolly down there to pick them up. (just wish these arty types would discover Festools and start throwing them out too).

 
on a similar note

the british govenment has had a new idea

"lets have a new fine AND spin it as green  "

rubbish (garbage) collection is already paid for as part of the council tax (a local tax based on property value, not income)

just to HELP things

many local authorities are now saving money by doing a bi weekly collection, not weekly

who says the govenrnment shouldnt get a "fine" christmas bonus  ::)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2493788/The-110-fine-for-overfilling-your-bin.html

dd
 
second vote for screw the clothes and job. I'd wreck clothes for wood half that nice. I'd take off my clothes to bundle the wood and carry it home naked. Love hard rubbish day here, but nothing tops LA for consumer goods. Mar Vista was like shopping, but there's stiff competition. The great thing about living up in the Dandenong mountains in Oz is there's tons of people with HUGE trees to get rid of. Even my firewood is really nice. My secret vice is picking up wrecked IKEA flatpack stuff and recutting it into other things. Joe lunchbag buys it, snaps some fasteners with the little wrench, throws it out, I get miles of free laminate.
 
DD,

Will the G Gs (Garbage Goons) over there cause a massive
migration to the US of Brits seeking freedom of rubbish?
Refuge from Refuse.

LB  ???

 
When I lived in NY I found a pair of Prints that

I later sold at auction for $500.00.

Dumpster diving pays.

Bob
 
Sounds like the consensus is that I should have gone back and hauled the loot away. I'll have to remember that, the next time I am faced with a 'dirty job'.  :)

Eli said:
second vote for screw the clothes and job. I'd wreck clothes for wood half that nice. I'd take off my clothes to bundle the wood and carry it home naked.

Great...now I have a new image burned into my brain: a naked dude walking through the streets with an arm load of curly maple.  :o

Surely the locals here would look at a scene like that and say,...'those damned fraternities, what in the he!! will they come up with next'   :P

A sorority?? Now, that's something altogether different....I'll take that image.  :D
 
bob

it may make you cringe but

over filling your rubbish (garbage) bin, is a CRIMINAL offence

as is speeding

getting an american visa with a english criminal conviction is potentially impossible

dd
 
Oh there would have been no thought for me.  If it would have fit in my car it would have went home(so I guess there would have been some thought ;)).  I live in an area with older homes and people throw away a lot of old doors.  Garbage pickup is on monday and every sunday there are a lot of trucks that come and salvage things.  It is great that things get reused.  We remodeled a bathroom and put out the vanity, sink, toilet, amongst everything else and it was all picked up.  Someone gets to use it and we don't pay for someone to come and get rid of it.

JJ
 
Oh and another thing comes to mind with the garbage, with everyone so concerned about identity theft and stuff these days, I wonder if there would be some issue with the authorities for picking out the garbage of choice.

It would'a been cool though to show before and after pics of some great project.
Before shot: garbage pile
After shot: a table top with a diamond shine like that of Per's the Swenson's bar tops.

...if only...
 
Rey,

Swenson & Swenson's, Bob n Pers, if you call it just my top, oh jeez, ha, he will be back from the legion,

read that, and I am gonna have a miserable old geez on my hands. You seen his avatar lately?

On a more relevant note.

DD, Trophy trash and the search for ground scores is a national past time in this neck of the woods.

Some people have a sincere passion for it.

[attachimg=#]
 
Per Swenson said:
You seen his avatar lately?

[attachimg=#]
"With a name like Smuckers, it has to be good"  :D

After three "I'm not worthy" bows to Bob, the diamond tops mentioned above are now attributed to the Swensons, not just Per.  ;)
 
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