So, do I own the stuff in my blue box or is it fair game for anyone who happens by?
The reason I ask is because I have a neighbour who goes up and down the street on recycling day, going through everyone’s blue box and commenting on what he finds there. His excuse is that he’s grabbing wine bottles because he makes wine, but why not just ask for the wine bottles, then?
I am extremely grossed out by this behavior. Am I being overly sensitive? I don’t have the nerve to confront him. I do have the nerve to write about it on my blog though!
I think this is terribly rude! Akin to going through your trash. A lot can be learned about a person by their trash and recycled materials. How mortifying if you end up in the supermarket with this person, and they call out, “Hello Marsha, I know how much you love those bottles of Jama-Mama-Fire-Me-Up-Strawberry-Beet Juice. Come on over and load up. They’re on sale!”
That said, I would also have trouble confronting a person like this. Is there a place you can drop off the materials, rather than leaving them out?
All frustration aside, this sounds like a terrific character to write into a book.
He’ll end up in a book, that’s for sure!
Ontario will be recycling wine bottles starting in Feb — ie — they can be taken to beer stores for a refund, so there will be no more in my box after that. If he still goes through it, I’ll confront him.
p.s…..this is from Anita
Aha! Hi Anita!!
When do you leave on your tour?
Hi Marsha! I leave tonight, just before midnight. I have my wee pillow, and my wee blanket, and have mastered the contortion needed to sleep on the bus. All set!
-Anita
enjoy!!!!
Ewwwww!
That’s so gross! he’s garbage picking! And the fact that he comments to you on what’s in there just makes it worse.
How about putting any wine bottles outside the box in a bag for him, and maybe he won’t go throughyour stuff. If he does, well, then you can call him on it, saying that you’ve already sorted it for him so there’s no need to go through your recycling!
Ick!!
Re: Ewwwww!
Ick is right, Julie.
I don’t want to encourage him by setting the bottles aside. He may take that as my approval.
The recycling truck only comes once every two weeks in our area and sometimes it comes at 6am, which is way before I’m up, so I put it out the night before, as do most people on our street.
If he was doing this for the money, I would be more tolerant, but it’s the nosey factor. He’s also the neighbourhood gossip.
Hey, people go around our street every garbage day routing through the boxes. They can sell the tins privately and isn’t the LCBO now paying if you return wine bottles? I’m sure I heard that somewhere.
Hi Barb,
That is so gross!!!
And you’re right — soon we’ll be able to take wine bottles to the beer store for refunds. I think I’ll do it just to keep my neighbour out.
Technically speaking, I think the stuff in the recycling belongs to the City once you place it at the curb. Some apartments and some cities have complained about garbage picking, which is a problem because newspapers and certain easy-to-collect items are actually quite valuable in sufficient quantity. For this reason, manhole covers have been known to disappear, and one Henry Moore sculpture vanished in the UK thanks to metal recycling pirates (hey, look, recycling works! a little too well).
Of course, the city isn’t going to be upset if you take stuff back from your blue box, but it’s not out of the question for you to call the police if you have problems with this behaviour. The city has a legal recourse, though they might look at you funny if you try to get them to exercise it.
I myself have been known to rescue items of furniture that have been left at the curb, though, and repair them for use. These items are still pretty prominent in our home, including the nursing chair for Vivian.
Hi James,
There was a huge sculpture of Taras Shevchenko (Ukraine’s poet-hero) from Oakville earlier this year that was stolen and melted down for scrap metal. Only the head was recovered.
I think it’s great when people recycle old furniture from the curb — saves it from filling up the dump. I wouldn’t mind if my neighbour asked for whatever it is he’s looking for, but to sort through each week and then comment on the various items in people’s blue boxes is just plain cheesy.