People picking through trash?

They are likely looking for recyclables for which they can claim the 5 cent deposit.  Quite common in urban areas - less so in SOM. 

I would say it is getting common. I have seen a lot of this in recent months. I am often out very early and that is when I have seen activity, so others may not have noticed. but today it was mid morning, 

I wasn't aware we have a deposit charge. I really don't care ... if people are so desperate they need to pick through trash for pennies, then they have my compassion. My only concern would be, does the town lose income from recycling from this practice? also, I wonder if these women are being exploited by somebody. I would also worry about things with identifiable info being taken from paper recycling for identity theft etc. we shred a lot but others may not.

HatsOff said:

I would say it is getting common. I have seen a lot of this in recent months. I am often out very early and that is when I have seen activity, so others may not have noticed. but today it was mid morning, 

I wasn't aware we have a deposit charge. I really don't care ... if people are so desperate they need to pick through trash for pennies, then they have my compassion. My only concern would be, does the town lose income from recycling from this practice? also, I wonder if these women are being exploited by somebody. I would also worry about things with identifiable info being taken from paper recycling for identity theft etc. we shred a lot but others may not.

We don't have a deposit charge on some cans and bottles but NYS still does.  I have read reports of people going through our recycling here and transporting what they collect across the state line to get the deposit refund.  Since I have been told our towns are currently paying for glass, cans, and qualifying plastics to be recycled, this practice may be saving the towns money while helping those in need.

ETA:  Regarding your identity theft concern, paper containing identifying information that could be used for identity theft should be shredded not placed in recycling.

They usually come out at night, it’s the 5c they get for plastic water bottles and soda cans. I usually put aside a clear plastic bag filled with those items to save them going through the recycle bin. But they keep switching up their timing, because…. Believe it or not… some people threaten them to call the police. I have spoken to some of them, they are scared. 
just imagine… 20 cans nets $1:00…I know there is a place in queens NYC where they take them all. 

Interesting...I did not know NYS has a deposit charge. I agree this is a difficult way to make money and I have only sadness for people who need to do this. If it saves the town money, these folks are not being exploited somehow, and as long as no mess is left behind, I have no problem. I was just startled to see it.

Joan, we shred everything that could even remotely be used for identity theft but I don't think a lot of people do. Maybe if others see this they will take it more seriously.

I don't think it saves money for the town. But it does cost income to the recycling company. Looking at my container recycling after they have rummaged through it, they are taking metal. The contracted charge to the municipality takes into account that the company will be able to sell metal to the metal buyer. 

Less metal means that the contractor will bid more in order to make up the loss of income from the bulk sale of aluminum.

Our recycled containers go to a material recovery facility (MRF in the business). There, it is put on to conveyers and is then hand sorted - plastic in one pile, glass in another and different metal stuff in other piles. It's an amazing thing to watch. 

I toured one as part of the Rutgers Cook College recycling certification course. I am certified to be a municipal recycling coordinator, having completed the 200 hour course in 1994.

Are they doing this curbside, or are these folks coming on to private property to look for items in the trash and recycling bins?  

This is a hard and slow way to make a very minimal amount of money. I also feel compassion for anyone who needs to do this to survive

I don’t know how they can collect enough recyclables here and then bring them to New York, where they can be turned in for deposits and actually come out ahead. Obviously, they have some way of making it work, or they wouldn’t be putting in the effort.

The financial implications for our recycling programs are also interesting. It does make sense that the most valuable recyclables are aluminum and steel containers.

FWIW, over here we have 10c on recycling certain plastics, glass and cans. I have a large canvas bag (a swag for camping) I fill every couple of weeks with hubby’s flavoured water bottles. I can clear over $10 easily each trip to the local collection point. 
Thing is, I regularly see other folk there with several big boxes and large garbage bags full of cans and bottles that they’ve collected from public litter bins in parks, sports fields, shopping mall bins, beach-side bins etc. They’re probably making upwards of $50 a week, easy. 
I can’t imagine rummaging through someone else’s bins, though. I don’t know how they do it…

mrincredible said:

Are they doing this curbside, or are these folks coming on to private property to look for items in the trash and recycling bins?

Curbside.

My only complaint, the one time we saw them months ago, is that with our whole street clear they parked their van in front of our driveway before fanning out with their bags, so we had to chase one down, who then had to chase the driver down, because we needed to head out somewhere.

They go all over with a cargo van. I’ve seen them in Montclair, Bloomfield, west orange, all over Essex county and Hudson County. They then load up a box truck to take it over to NYC or Connecticut. Up in New England area they get more for the bottles so I think it’s also going on up there also. 
maybe next time I see the woman with her plastic bag I’ll slip her a $10 bill. Because that is how desperate they are, can you imagine being an undocumented immigrant in this country right now? Just think about it…

joanne said:

FWIW, over here we have 10c on recycling certain plastics, glass and cans. I have a large canvas bag (a swag for camping) I fill every couple of weeks with hubby’s flavoured water bottles. I can clear over $10 easily each trip to the local collection point. 
Thing is, I regularly see other folk there with several big boxes and large garbage bags full of cans and bottles that they’ve collected from public litter bins in parks, sports fields, shopping mall bins, beach-side bins etc. They’re probably making upwards of $50 a week, easy. 
I can’t imagine rummaging through someone else’s bins, though. I don’t know how they do it…

Curbside. Also, they don't leave a mess or debris.

Yeah but it’s the thought of being in another household’s trash. I just couldn’t, even with gloves and covering my clothes - the thought makes me feel ill. *shudder*

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

Curbside. Also, they don't leave a mess or debris.

joanne said:

It’s all pre-sorted recycling in dedicated bins. It’s all supposed to be rinsed and clean before being put out. 

So they’re not picking through banana peels and half-eaten Vegemite sandwiches. 

joanne said:

Yeah but it’s the thought of being in another household’s trash. I just couldn’t, even with gloves and covering my clothes - the thought makes me feel ill. *shudder*

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

Curbside. Also, they don't leave a mess or debris.

Joanne, the women I saw yesterday were wearing latex gloves and face masks. We are required to clean out recyclables so it isn't really icky work, and they seem to have been taking precautions. I agree it is extremely unpleasant though. Difficult and icky and risky and the payoff is very small.

I find this very dispiriting... welcome to America in 2025, I guess. It gets more dystopian daily.

Has been happening for some time. It’s sad and annoying because the racket they make emptying the bins had woken us up on several occasions at 5am in warm weather when windows are open. Also a safety / crime concern for residents. Isn’t not wanting “looters” swarming into town one of the reasons why town wide bulk garbage ended? And town loses money because less recycling. I called the police non emergency number, they could not have cared less and said it was a DPW issue. There is a town ordinance that says something about recycling belonging to the homeowner/town or something like that but I guess police aren’t supposed to be up on ordinances- yes that’s sarcastic. 

The time I was at the recycling depot, there were several people  - mid-30s to seniors - with several cartons each that were overflowing with wine bottles. The seniors might have collected theirs by ferreting around in public bins along the long beachside roads (many bbq pavilions there, popular for daytime parties).  The younger folk, well their air of familiarity with the bottles gave the impression of regulars weekend and evening drinkers, at least a dozen bottles a weekend.  I’m trying not to judge, but it all seemed excessive and saddened me. 
Probably just as well no-one can judge how many brewed coffees I drink a week… 

[we’re meant to rinse anything we put into our recycling bins too. Bins still get grubby & stinky inside]

joanne said:

The time I was at the recycling depot, there were several people  - mid-30s to seniors - with several cartons each that were overflowing with wine bottles. The seniors might have collected theirs by ferreting around in public bins along the long beachside roads (many bbq pavilions there, popular for daytime parties).  The younger folk, well their air of familiarity with the bottles gave the impression of regulars weekend and evening drinkers, at least a dozen bottles a weekend.  I’m trying not to judge, but it all seemed excessive and saddened me. 
Probably just as well no-one can judge how many brewed coffees I drink a week… 

[we’re meant to rinse anything we put into our recycling bins too. Bins still get grubby & stinky inside]

So y’all worried that the town is losing some coins on aluminum recycling…unbelievable!!!

Jaytee said:

So y’all worried that the town is losing some coins on aluminum recycling…unbelievable!!!

It's less about the lost $, more about safety of the community and peace and quiet. These are not individuals, clearly an organized effort. No way to know if the pickers are doing their "job" by choice or by cohersion. Plus NJ does not have a deposit-return system.  We do not live in one of the houses in town that have hundreds of feet from house to sidewalk. Maybe you do and don't notice the noise, congrats.  

I will buy the peace & quiet argument. Right now we’re fortunate enough to live in a house that’s set back from the street and I had no clue that someone was going through my recycling bin until I glanced out the window last Thursday and saw him. But when we lived in our last house we were much closer to the street and those noises would have been a lot more noticeable. 

I really doubt there’s any kind of public safety threat from the people who are collecting the metal.  Does it make you feel uneasy or unsafe to have people at your curb like that?  My guess is the people who are engaging in this activity don’t want any kind of trouble or to attract undue attention.

I do agree that there could be an element of coercion.  The people doing the collecting must be in difficult financial situations. I can’t imagine how long it would take to collect enough aluminum and steel to make even a few dollars. 

Jaytee said:

So y’all worried that the town is losing some coins on aluminum recycling…unbelievable!!!

Well, it’s more about the contract with the  recycling contractor.  They make money by selling recyclables they collect. Aluminum is the most lucrative. So if they’re not making their anticipated revenue from selling aluminum maybe they raise their contract price or cancel it altogether. It’s more of a long-term problem for a town that wants to promote sustainability. 

The state does award grants to municipalities based on their recycling rates.
However, my guess is the number of recyclables these people collect would have a miniscule effect on recycling rates.

FWIW, yesterday I recycled almost $20 worth of plastic water bottles and maybe a dozen fizzy drink cans.  That’s 2 weeks worth in this household.  Next to me were 3 other people, with maybe $50 each worth of glass, plastic and a few cans. 
Today I’m lending my friend $40 for carfare to the hospital for an important procedure.  The recycling money doesn’t look like much but you can do important things with it esp when you’re broke. 

I wonder if it’s people who live in NY who are here for other jobs like cleaning or construction. If things are quiet they go metal scavenging. since they’re heading back to somewhere they can get a deposit on the cans. Just the toll payments and gas between here and NY state would eat up much of your revenue. 

yahooyahoo said:

The state does award grants to municipalities based on their recycling rates.
However, my guess is the number of recyclables these people collect would have a miniscule effect on recycling rates.

It does beg the question about how big these efforts are in the aggregate. Sure there’s only so many cans one person can collect. 

Joanne you make an excellent point. Even if you could scrounge 10 bucks in a day you can put some basic food on the table. 

Hong Kong has a recycling programme with futuristic recycling point retail shops. Residents or groups bring in clean recyclables and earn points that can be collected on their Octopus card or a group's card (eg, my Rotary Club accrues points from all members and transfers them to local non-profit groups for their community service efforts). The collection shop also serves as an educational centre. 

https://www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en-hk/waste-reduction-programme/greencommunity

Dave reminds me that if you use the recyclers’ apps, you can assign your $$ to a registered community charity. Clever way to fundraise. 

dave said:

Hong Kong has a recycling programme with futuristic recycling point retail shops. Residents or groups bring in clean recyclables and earn points that can be collected on their Octopus card or a group's card (eg, my Rotary Club accrues points from all members and transfers them to local non-profit groups for their community service efforts). The collection shop also serves as an educational centre. 

https://www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en-hk/waste-reduction-programme/greencommunity

I remember in the 80s in London we had reverse vending machines in large supermarkets that would give you store credit coupons for recycled bottles and cans.

Jaytee said:

So y’all worried that the town is losing some coins on aluminum recycling…unbelievable!!!

--- depends on the volume (value) of the "coins."   If it is substantial. it will be reflected in the towns' recycling contracts when they are up for renewal.

ridski said:

dave said:

Hong Kong has a recycling programme with futuristic recycling point retail shops. Residents or groups bring in clean recyclables and earn points that can be collected on their Octopus card or a group's card (eg, my Rotary Club accrues points from all members and transfers them to local non-profit groups for their community service efforts). The collection shop also serves as an educational centre. 

https://www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en-hk/waste-reduction-programme/greencommunity

I remember in the 80s in London we had reverse vending machines in large supermarkets that would give you store credit coupons for recycled bottles and cans.

Most chain grocery stores here don't have the square footage for that. There used to be recycling bins for glass and aluminum next to trash cans, but the collection trucks would dump them all into one collection truck. HK has been very behind the curve until recently due to no cash incentives. 

joanne said:

FWIW, yesterday I recycled almost $20 worth of plastic water bottles and maybe a dozen fizzy drink cans.  That’s 2 weeks worth in this household.  Next to me were 3 other people, with maybe $50 each worth of glass, plastic and a few cans. 
Today I’m lending my friend $40 for carfare to the hospital for an important procedure.  The recycling money doesn’t look like much but you can do important things with it esp when you’re broke. 

@joanne…so far folks on this thread seem to be more concerned with diminishing collection causing their recycling contract to be in danger…invaders from outside Maplewood mucking about…loss of revenue to the town…noisy, strange people disturbing the peace and quiet…etc

Empathy for the desperate, needy,  or enterprising  among us, not so much.