Economic Conditions Encourage New Careers in Michigan: Dumpster Diving, Pontiac, Detroit, and Michigan Urban Areas

Dumpster Divers are proud of their ability to provide for themselves and their families, without being forced to beg or steal. There are several different types of dumpster divers; some are actually looking for food! Others are looking for broken or discarded items that can easily be fixed and sold or traded. Some dumpster divers work alone; others team up in case help is needed getting to the bottom of a well packed dumpster. Dumpster diving is growing in popularity and is most commonly witnessed in urban areas. Many homeless people have their favorite dumpsters to hit at various times. They may not be able to afford to eat at your favorite restaurant, but you can bet they know exactly what time the establishment will be closed and what time the unused portions of prepared food is thrown out. If they are able to get to it in time, and it doesn’t get mixed up with cleaners and buried under other garbage, chances are it will be edible. One person’s trash is another’s treasure; the broken chair can be repaired; the coat with a broken zipper is better than none for someone who is homeless or otherwise less fortunate. Some dumpster divers have their own clubs or networking groups. That’s right; this is growing in popularity and becoming a career of choice for many people who have it down to a science. They know the trash service’s pick-up routes and they know when the dumpsters are full and when they will be emptied. They keep in touch with other divers to inform them of when something is discarded that they may be able to use. They team up to help each other when more than one person is required to carry the bounty away. Some will collect useable items they do not need, and trade them to others who do need them. Maybe one diver lives very close to a bakery and one lives close to a deli; they can get together at the end of the evening for dinner; one provides the main course, the other desert! Or, how about the one who has easy access to the building supply store or resale shop; he can get a good deal on a torn t-shirt or an old pair of tennis shoes, or the scrap piece of plywood that can be supported by two milk crates for a perfectly good table or shelf. The possibilities are endless; however, there is also the chance of injury and liability issues to be considered. Dumpsters should be locked and secured to prevent the possibility of injury leading to a costly lawsuit. Business owners should be sure they have a secure dumpster and liability insurance to cover them in the event of a break-in. This article was written by Sherman Rogers of All-waste, LLC, a dumpster rental company who provides dumpster delivery service and same-day dumpster pick-up service to residential, commercial, retail and industrial customers. Sherman has the size, shape and competitive priced dumpster for any size job. Other services include trash pick-up, hauling rubble, waste removal, delivery of landscaping supplies including mulch, sod, top-soil, crush aggregate and more. Contact:nALL WASTE, LLCn4751 22 Mile RoadnShelby Township, MI 48317-1515nHours: 8:00am - 5:00pm Eastern Time nMonday - Friday (Excluding U.S. holidays)nPhone: 877-524-1002 Fax: 586-254-9936 Web site: http://thegarbageman.com/ nEmail: sherman@all-waste.comnnn All Waste services Southeast Michigan, including the following counties and cities:nOakland County n--Addison Township, Auburn Hills, Berkley, Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Clawson, Commerce Township, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Ferndale, Franklin, Hazel Park, Highland Township, Holly, Holly Township, Huntington Woods, Independence Township, Keego Harbor, Lathrup Village, Lyon Township, Madison Heights, Milford, Milford Township, Northville, Novi, Oak Park, Oakland Township, Orchard Lake, Orion Township, Oxford Township, Pleasant Ridge, Pontiac, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Royal Oak, nSouthfield, South Lyon, Troy, Walled Lake, Waterford Township, West Bloomfield Township, White Lake Township, Wixom Wayne County n--Belleville, Brownstown Township, Canton Township, Dearborn, Dearborn nHeights, Grosse Pointe Shores, Grosse Pointe Woods, Hamtramck, Inkster, Livonia, Northville Township, Plymouth, Redford Township, Riverview, Romulus, Taylor, Trenton, Wayne, nWestland, Wyandotte. nWashtenaw County: nAnn Arbor, Bridgewater, Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester, Salem, Saline, nSuperior Township, Whitmore Lake, Whittaker, Willis, and YpsilantinLivingston County: Brighton City, Cohoctah Township, Deerfield Township, Green Oak Township, Handy Township, Howell City, Iosco Township, Village of Fowlerville, Brighton Township, Conway Township, Genoa Township, Hamburg Township, Hartland Township, Howell Township, Marion Township, Putnam Township, Unadilla Township, Village of Pinckney