Dumpster Diving Essay

Lars Eighner describes how he has always been fascinated by Dumpsters and started Dumpster diving in Texas about 1 year before he lost his home in the chapter On Dumpster Diving. He considers himself a scavenger as he finds life's necessities, such as clothes, food, beverages, and bedding, in Dumpsters and not a scrounger that sifts through personal trash cans on private property. On the streets, Eighner has realized there are mental phases that Dumper divers go through as they start out. People often start out shy and disgusted and avoid the Dumpster during the day then progress to a true diver that finds food and will repair items. Through Dumpster diving, he as also discovered that trash tells a story; the items that people throw away reflect their personal life. Dumpster diving is an art and takes experience. Eighner lives on the streets in the U.S. with his dog Lizbeth, he searches Dumpsters across town to acquire the items he needs to stay alive. Surprisingly, there is a fair amount of still-edible food in Dumpsters, and Lars has no problem eating it. He has three principles when it

As the person gains experience they start to become more comfortable and will find useful items to keep or repair. One of a kind items can be found in the trash and all people, rich or poor, throw out useful items and good food. Lars does not think of himself as a scrounger, he does not trespass on private property to search personal trash cans. He only sifts through Dumpsters, which takes about the same amount of time to look through as small trash cans, to produce a little litter and avoid personal invasion. He often finds personal items in the Dumpsters, like bank statements, drugs, mail, and private documents and tries to avoid conclusions about these people. This trash tells a story, often a sad story, about the people who discard trash in the