Kepley 1
Noah Kepley
Professor Nancy Hindle
English 289
13 September 2015
The Art of Diving The article “My Daily Dives into the Dumpster” (Eighner 114) was an article that more or less gave the steps to go about retrieving things from a dumpster. First there is the ability to get many great items from the dumpster. Dumpster diving has even “become something of an Urban art” (Eighner 116). “Even the most respectable people can find something that they find desirable sticking out of a dumpster” (Eighner 116). Second the ability to eat from a dumpster is based on three principals, “Common sense, knowledge of area, and the reason why it was thrown away” (Eighner 116). And finally there is a certain amount of respect to dumpster diving. There is a difference between a scrounger and a scavenger. Being careful when going through dumpsters, with the thought of how someone else could possibly use this item so let’s don’t destroy it, is how a scavenger goes about diving. Scroungers on the other hand don’t care what they destroy in the process of looking for the next bit payout. So basically it is safe to say that dumpster diving is an art and takes skills, and it should be done with thought and respect. The second informational source researched was a very strong representation of the ways people dumpster dive and the ways individuals learn the differences between their wants and needs. It also distinguishes that there is a “social class” involved when it comes to diving. Kepley 2
Accordingly this is backed up by Lars Eighner in his article “On Dumpster Diving” there is a difference between “the term scavenging and the word scrounging” (87). He “likes the word scavenging because it makes him feel like a snail, living off the refuse of others” (Eighner 87). There also is the reflection on the steps to becoming a scavenger. The fact that first you go through “disgust and self-loathing” (Eighner 90) with the idea that he was even in this position and what other people thought of him. But learned with experience the “shyness begins to dissipate” (Eighner 91) and then comes the ability to determine what is needed and what is wanted. It seems easy to become lost in the ability “to acquire everything they touch since it is all free” (Eighner 91). However the more adapted scavengers quickly learn that they “must restrict themselves to items of relatively immediate utility” (Eighner 91). And finally the realization that there is in fact a difference between scavengers and scroungers. This comes from watching “can scroungers” (Eighner 91) who “must have small amounts of cash” (Eighner 92). Scroungers are the lowest of the social class of dumpster divers because they “tend to tear up the dumpster” (Eighner 92). They have little to no respect for what they ruin in their quest to find that can. It also seems that in the article “Freegans: The Refined Art of Dumpster Diving” (Lindeman 1) is in agreement. They to believe that there is specific way to dumpster dive. “Because freegans depend on trash sources for food, they tend to be as tidy as possible when they dive” (Lindeman 3). And “again freegans use common sense when considering what is safe to take from the trash” (Lindeman 3). They also deal with the social distaste when it comes to people who see them diving. However like scavengers, they are respectful of how they dive into a Kepley 3 dumpster. “Through close contact, freegans tend to cultivate a respectful relationship with the scavengers, as they depend on trash to survive” (Lindeman 5). Basically all sources agree that to be a diver, or freegan, it is important to respect that which you go through and those who come after you. The basic assumption that you can take away from all three articles is that it is indeed an art to dumpster dive.