Dumpster Diving has become a way of life in the U.S. Unfortunately, for some people, it is also a matter of survival.
I was in a business networking group yesterday and they were discussing the quality of sticker needed to survive the elements and rough handling of dumpsters. Someone joked about needing a sticker that said, “No Diving” for dumpsters… a cartoon idea was born.
As I drew the cartoon, I had several choices to make. Did I want to focus on College kids in the process of furnishing their off-campus apartment or someone looking for food? Was the person to be portrayed as desperate or simply looking for a treasure? I decided to take the middle road and let the viewer fill in the blanks.
In reality, it made me think… I reflected on the fact that even on my worst days, I never had to consider dumpster diving for survival. How desperate would I have to be to go looking in a dumpster for a meal? Or clothing? Or a place to sleep on a cold winter night? The fact that we have the term “Dumpster Diving” in our language says something about us.
If we want to put a positive spin on it, we call it “Re-cycling”… part of going Green. Going Green is not always a good thing, especially if it’s the meat on the burger you just fished out of a McDonald’s dumpster. We live in the wealthiest country in the world and seem to ignore the plight of a growing segment of our society that considers dumpster diving as a viable way of survival. What’s wrong with that picture?
Part of what we CAN do is support ongoing efforts to attack issues of poverty, hunger, obesity and diabetes by supporting efforts to provide basic needs of food and shelter for everyone in our great country. Support local Food Banks, Homeless Shelters and other organizations that make a difference. The greatness of a country is defined by how it treats its population that is the most at risk.
I would love to see the day when dumpster diving becomes a matter of choice instead of a necessity. A treasure hunt, not a last resort…. We can make it happen.