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What a waste! Driving around light industrial parks, picking through dumpsters looking for something of value. Why not put a little intelligence into the dumpster, by adding a chip, a bar-code or other scanning system, so that the material being dumped can be logged and at least roughly categorized.
This info would be emailed to subscribing rag-pickers, dumpster divers and other pack rats, so that dumpster browsing can be made more efficient. All that small and medium-sized businesses lack in the disposal of their often valuable waste stream is a simple mechanism to let collectors of plywood, for example, know when there is scrap to be had. And, make it very easy for the business owner--so they don't have to log on somewhere, fill out a form, etc., as is done with borse websites or other borse services. Again, this would be for the smaller businesses which cannot devote much time and effort to this, and yet if they could do something useful with their nice scraps, it might reduce disposal costs. Not much can be done about the personal hygiene of the dumpster diver, but there are always trade-offs.
Freeganism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeganism
Freeganism is the practice of minimising one's impact on the environment by means of consuming food that has been thrown away by someone else (e.g. supermarkets). [LoriZ, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]
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"This info would be emailed to subscribing rag-pickers, dumpster divers and other pack rats, so that dumpster browsing can be made more efficient." |
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I think most types of these folk are Luddite by nature and might prefer the tabloid version. Especially since it doubles as a blanket. |
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There's a lot of tallk about manufacturing cheap flexible transponders that can be stitched into clothing. That's one third of the answer. (The other two being a scanner to read the transponder and access to the database to find out what the serial number represents.) |
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or perhaps just a sixth sense would suffice. |
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I always fancied proprioception as number six. Can you slot in the 'ability to scan through dumpsters by thought alone' as number seven? |
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[st3f] - That sounds like someone from the "Super Heroes" category. |
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Good point about the transponders [st3f]. Maybe that could be incorporated in a 'Dumpster Diver Divining Rod'. |
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You could really have fun with the DD's if you take the transponders out of objects, and just throw the transponders into the dumpsters. Got a new monitor? Throw the transponder away and watch the DD's dig! |
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"I think most types of these folk are Luddite by nature"
i dont think so. i dive in once in awhile. most recently last week. one aspect of the practice is the satisfaction that comes with being economical and logical (non wasteful), a satisfaction enjoyed by good programmers.
an interim idea would be a public database of where and when the best stuff (or certain stuff) can be found, when the collection dates are for different neighborhoods, etc. for example, last week i found six gorgeous lamps and lots of perfectly cut firewood, only two blocks from my apt. i couldnt take it all, and it was frustrating not to be able to "give" the rest to someone else. |
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We're on the way locally, in that one must schedule for a pick-up: branches, logs, hazardous waste, anything over about 125 Kilograms, and appliances or white goods. Never mind the already established rule that garbage cannot be mixed with recylables or hazardous waste (they got you no matter what). |
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From the "Luddite, and what of it?" department: We routinely rescue DD who've taken more than a passing fancy to a particular dumpster by turning it into an all-weather temporary shelter, but a memory of one stands out. A particular gentleman and his missus were semi-permanent residents of a rural dump. Someone had pitched out a old travel trailer that was never plowed in and buried. Completely furnished with items from the dump and supported, as nearly as we could tell, by charity. The find would have been as funny as it was disgusting, had it not been for the deplorable ill-health of the occupants, one of whom died from complications of an untreated respiratory condition. |
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It would have to be 'first come, first served', I guess. But there would be so many emails going all the time, that your driving around would be more targeted, and maybe quite often you would be right nearby when that favorite place let go of some great framusstats. |
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And three blokes with a woman are Garbage. |
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