Bulk trash pickup in Germany is depressing.
The craigslist "Free" section beloved by Americans is pretty empty around here unless you happen to live near a U.S. base.
A friend reported the other day that a neighbor had a sofa and two matching seats out and when asked how old the furniture was, got the response: six months, we bought a new set, so this can go.
Then there are old items, for example, a wonderful 1950s chair in perfect condition. Which we schlepped home.
Until a couple of decades ago, we are told, there were regular bulk trash days in Germany, and the recycling conscious, the recent immigrants, or folks with an eye for value would drive around with trucks and vans and help themselves to usable items.
We understand that some scavengers were inconsiderate and sloppy, tearing apart the neatly German stacks of bulk trash, spilling items onto the street, making a mess in this orderly country,
We are told that many German burgers were offended by such nuisances or by the scavengers as people and that in some towns the burgers would even send the police after scavengers to cite them either for traffic violations or theft. Legally, it appears that the moment you put bulk trash out you relinquish ownership to the town or the waste management company, who can then prosecute scavengers.
The current system of bulk trash removal is an on demand system, just like ours back in the U.S. For scavengers this is bad news, you don't have the sidewalks of whole neighborhoods to pick through anymore on a regular schedule.
The local waste management company has recently added an "exchange/for free" section to their website where customers can give away bulk trash items or offer stuff for sale or barter.
They call it progress.
No comments:
Post a Comment