Taking advantage of the excess waste of others is a time honoured tradition, and collecting useful things from what other people throw away has always been a thing.
Collecting, scavenging and gleaning are useful occupations that help squeeze every bit of useable resources from the dump of human excess.
Enter the rag and bone man, an efficiency professional that has largely disappeared in North America since the 1900s, replaced by industrial waste management practices that largely eliminated the original independent operators.
Many were happy about this.
Those that turn trash to treasure have often been frowned upon by those that create the waste.
However, now we can watch for the return of the rag and bone people (early ragpickers were just as likely to be women) as resources continue to get harder to acquire.
Since this trend is unlikely to be resolved any time soon, you may once again see independent materials processing personal on your city streets, driving slowly by in an old van while calling out,
"Rags, bones! Rags, bones!"
Or perhaps they will call from a horse drawn cart. Or hand cart.
Or walking along with a well worn bag slung over the shoulder.
Most historical pickers could only afford a bag with which to fill with the findings of long, hard shifts.
This work was often done at odd hours so as to escape detection from people who didn't want the things in their trash, but didn't want anyone else to have them either.
Rags, bones, metal, and anything else deemed to be of use or sellable, are collected and eventually sold to a buyer.
While this occupation mostly disappeared in "developed" countries, they have never gone anywhere in more traditional areas.
As a matter of fact, in 2015 the nation of India officially honoured the work and contributions of their independent recyclers.
There, waste pickers, or 'kabadiwalas', are considered humble heroes, and are recognized for the important and often dangerous service they perform for society.
Will these original waste management professionals be returning to our streets as resources become more dear, and we crank up our level of efficiency and desperation?
And will we treat them as well as in India if they do make an appearance?
"Rags, bones! Rags, bones!"
...called out the former Wall Street trader as he negotiated his horse and wagon along Main Street.
"Rags, bones!"
We sang a song about that. It started in a doleful tone--any old rags? Practical Parsimony
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the bottle collectors we have here in the Nordics. They’re urban scavangers who do their rounds - often early in the morning - collecting bottles from public parks and trash cans for the return deposit. They’re often very poor and disadvantaged hobo-style characters. I’m not sure ’respect’ is the whole truth but people do give them a lot of space. We used to do it as kids in the 00s, there wasn’t nearly as much competition back then, of course I have some perspective bias I’m sure but still it’s one of tthe things that makes it seem things are getting worse… anyway, bottle collectors do inspire me and I certainly keep my eyes peeled for salvage of all sorts!
ReplyDeleteNot only is there the social stigma of collectors/recyclers/dumpster divers, but the ridiculous "laws" that prevent it. It's shameful what so many businesses and corporations do with their waste. They will put locks on their dumpsters, or keep their dumpsters behind chained or barb wired fences along with cameras on them to deter/punish anyone who would try and dumpster dive. They'd rather throw away perfectly usable food, clothes and other items and spend more money dumping them in a landfill to rot away than allow anyone to have them for free.
ReplyDeleteThe law is there to protect the system and the leeches, sometimes referred to as the 'elite', who benefit from it. Remember 'they' make the laws that are occassionaly just.
DeleteThe capitalist footprint is stomping all over everything. I think more people are beginning to notice.
Delete- Gregg