On Dumpster Diving: A Wasteful Consumer

In the esteemed collection 50 Essays, the editors recognize Lars Eighner’s On Dumpster Diving through his capability of heightening the degree and compelling concept of dumpster diving etiquette. Eighner redefines words such as “Dumpster,” by making it its own proper noun, which brings a sense of formality. He cajoles the reader’s perspective towards Dumpster diving in a positive outlook by referring it as an art and that it’s not anomalous for “respectable employed people...find something tempting sticking out of a dumpster” and “brag that they found this or that piece of trash” (108). Eighner exposes the audience the truth behind homelessness; however he also depicts that not all homeless people are winos causing trouble in the neighborhood,

In Lars Eighner’s short essay “On Dumpster Diving”, he describes his experience of being homeless and the art of dumpster driving. Eighner prefers being referred to as a scavenger rather than a dumpster driver. Eighner stated “I like the frankness of the word scavenging. I live from refuse of others. I am a scavenger.” (383) He describes scavenging as a full time job, that requires a lot of effort. He believes that if one follows certain guidelines and rules, with doing so this could possibly help one to become efficient. One rule is knowing good place and time to look for food and other items, that could be useful. Another rule is knowing how to eat safely from a dumpster . Eighner said

Eighner states, “I have learned much as a scavenger... beginning with the practical art of Dumpster diving and proceeding to the abstract.” He begins here as introduction to his text, just before he states that it's, “an urban art.” Showing his views about the activity more as a craft than something gross. Later on, Eighner proceeds to say, “But in the case of discards from student apartments, the answer may be that the item was discarded through carelessness, ignorance, or wastefulness.” Eighner explains that dumpster diving isn’t all bad because there can be use of someone else's trash. As the old saying goes, “One's man's trash can be another man's treasure.” Eighner’s purpose of this text is point out that even though dumpster diving may sound gross there is a plus side to it.

The essay “On Dumpster Diving“, by Lars Eighner is based on a man who speaks of his survival as a homeless man accompanied by his dog named Lizbeth. Not only does he explain his strategies living out of dumpsters, but also the lessons he has learned as a scavenger. Most importantly I think the true message he was trying to get across is that we waste way more then we think we do, it’s in our nature.

Yesterday I threw out an old jar of peanut butter with only about an inch left. It no longer served a purpose, as I had purchased a new and improved jar. As I began to toss the jar towards the garbage, I was reminded of an essay I had just read. In his essay Dumpster Diving, Lars Eighner suggests that when we throw away items, homeless people can find a way to make use out of whatever it is. Therefore, if we don't want there to be bums on the street, it is inferred that we shouldn't throw anything extra out. I myself was not supporting the homeless community, or being wasteful, I was just trying to make room in the cabinet. If I would have kept that inch of peanut butter, it wouldn't have made the world's population of homeless people try

In the essay “On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner, Eighner talks about materialism and wealth. He explains his process of dumpster diving and the best places to go to dumpster dive. Eighner incorporates tone, detail, irony, observation, and ethos throughout his essay.

Homelessness is increasing every year and effecting Americans of different age, ethnicity and religion. In Lars Eighner “On Dumpster Diving” he explains what he went through while being homeless. He describes how and what foods someone should be looking for and to always be conscious of what one is eating because there is always a reason why something has been thrown out. He continues to go into detail about other items that can be found in the dumpster like sheets to sleep on and pieces of paper to write on. Things that can keep him busy through the day. Eighner carefully explains to his readers how being a dumpster diver has become a life style for the homeless and this is how they survive. It’s a way of living and they are comfortable

Eighner has written an article called “On Dumpster Diving” were he talks about the life of dumpster diving and about all the valuable things people throw away. In his article, he mentions college student and all the things they throw out. Mainly how they throw out fresh food and things they just don’t need anymore. Many college students do tend to throw out fresh food when the semester is about to end or when they are going on break, they also throw away things they don’t want their parents to see. Eighner makes his points reasonable when he talks about college students and the items they throw away, but it seems like he was being a bit harsh on his points, making college students seem selfish and like if they only go to college to act wild.

Wasting is something we’re all fond of doing; it has become a very popular issue in my city. Whether arising from lack of time to consume, or greed driven. The council is stopping land fill, and having household waste collected in groups i.e. Glass, metal, food waste, plastic and paper. This assures quick delivery to recycling plants to be materially

In today’s society, there is an abundance of waste. This is clear in observing how people live, we often throw out items because we want something better. Lars Eighner, author of "On Dumpster Diving," writes about his experiences being homeless and how he survived on the waste of others. This provides insight on how the phrase "one man's trash is another man's treasure," is true. Jeremy Seifert, who directed the documentary Dive!, also talks about how he survives off of other people's waste, but this was a decision he made. As they tell of their experiences, Seifert and Eighner both come to the conclusion that society is wasteful. While both individuals provided good information, I believe Seifert presented the better argument. Both of

Everyone is wasteful, but it doesn't have to be a problem. If everyone comes together to reduce

Throughout the history of America, there is no doubt that we have surpassed our expectations for technological innovations. In general, one would think of high tech phones, laptops, watches… (etc.) despite the fact that the technology for refuse disposal has advanced more rapidly, nobody really pays any mind to such an achievement. In “Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage” Heather Rogers emphasizes that people dismiss the aftermath of garbage due to the fact that waste has become easily deposed. Rogers hypothesizes that because such a convenience exists, it has corrupted the habits of civilians increasing consumption of manufacture products; consequently, we inevitably produce and throw out excessive amounts of trash without restrictions. Although Rogers makes a critical point about the increasing levels of junk, I am of two minds about her theory towards the habits people have adapted. On one hand, one can say that Rogers conclusion would have been spot on perhaps two or three decades behind because they did not have the privileges in products as we do now; accordingly, they would not be tempted to buy them. Not to mention there was a huge gap in poverty and wealth among the people. On the other hand, it would be difficult to imagine people nowadays avoiding new advances such as iPhone 's or PlayStation systems as a result of having to turn on an incinerator to dispose of the packaging. Granted, people do need to be educated on the importance of garbage and how it can

Commercials everywhere promote recycling whether it be cans, cardboard, old phones, or personal items you have no use for anymore. Recycling all these items is a phenomenal way to help reduce waste, but when I am referring to our wasteful generation I don’t just mean material things. I am also referring to money, time, and resources. People swipe a magical plastic card today believing they can practically buy their own happiness. They show up late and skip events

When we scrape off our dishes after breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and you're way too full to finish instead of putting it straight in the garbage think about putting it in the refrigerator and have it the next day.   It seems routine to us. If we have leftover food scraps that are unfit for eating, shouldn’t they be thrown in the garbage? Our routine practices, unfortunately, make it difficult for us to conceptualize the magnitude of global food waste.  The problem is bigger than we think.all food produced.

One day, while I was sitting in the park and enjoying the view, I pondered life. The garbage littering the ground had overtaken not only the park, but entire cities. A soda can next to my foot, a hot dog wrapper floating through the air, and a newspaper article lying next to the garbage bin. That struck me the most humorous of all. For, at a closer glance, it was an opinion article based upon this very issue - wastefulness. My friends and I read this article once, also. We were sitting in a cafe, half- finished bagels sitting in front of us, discussing how terrible society has become. While talking on this matter, the solution dawned upon me. Waste until there exists nothing to waste.