[oaklandferndalegal]

Wake up Ferndale Michiganers! Garbage pickers or trash pickers should not be a crime. If you throw it out, it means you do not want it any more. If the garbage guys or anonymous humans take it away does it matter? As long as they do not make a mess on your yard or curb and they are quick about, so what! It could be food, clothes, or an appliance they might be able to use or sell. These anonymous humans are being ticketed by our city. As long as they are not causing any harm, they should be given the right of way. The right to pick and move on. No harm no foul! There is other crimes the city should concentrate on.

[Magnatomicflux]

Meh.......sometimes people go thru the trash to get credit card/personal info on folks. Granted, they should have been more responsable with the info.

I know what you're saying though. I'm not a garbage picker, but if I see a cool antique table/something at the side of the road, you bet yer a** I'm takin' that thing home. lol

[Coldjensens]

A lot of them take out the metals that can be sold and then dump the carcas in a river or a field. Otherwise I am all for it. Recycling things that woudl otherwise go into a landfill. People getting their drug money without stealing or begging. Why not?

[Retroit]

Hard to believe police have nothing better to do. Do you have a link. (No luck with Google search)

They are quite active where I live and I don't mind them one bit. In fact, I try to make any metal trash I have conspicuous for the pickers.

[us66]

Can't say I've never done it. Would you pass a recycling bin full of beer bottles?

Didn't know Ferndale was doing this. Hazeltucky next door passed something along these lines, never mind the fact that many of their residents need the money raised from doing this.

[Mihai V.]

Originally Posted by us66

Can't say I've never done it. Would you pass a recycling bin full of beer bottles?

Didn't know Ferndale was doing this. Hazeltucky next door passed something along these lines, never mind the fact that many of their residents need the money raised from doing this.

"Hazeltucky" (such an ignorant term ugh..) did it for recycling revenue. Cities receive credits for their recycleables which brings their trash bill down and Hazel Park was at the bottom of the list for recycling. You make it sound as if they're redlining people by making it illegal to garbage pick.

Now, I myself am a Hazel Park resident with an income under $30,000, a mortgage, a car payment, overseas student loans and other expense that is sometimes difficult to pay but never once have I went digging through somebody's trash looking for scrap metal to cover my expense. Nobody needs to "rely" on garbage picking to pay bills. It's called side work, go mow a lawn or rake some leaves if you need money. If you've a pride issue suck it up and call yourself a landscaper. Go downtown and sell water bottles or bags of chips, or coffee in the winter, that's how poor people in Romania made money.

Now I can understand if you're taking like a couch or a desk or non-metal furniture but I agree with the Hazel Park legislation that makes it illegal to take metal, because all cities are more restricted financially now than ever. The recycleing money does count because waste mannagement is expensive.

[Retroit]

Originally Posted by Mihai V.

Go downtown and sell water bottles or bags of chips, or coffee in the winter, that's how poor people in Romania made money.

Serving food without the proper permits can get you in a lot of trouble (in the USA).

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by Retroit

Serving food without the proper permits can get you in a lot of trouble (in the USA).

True, but it is better than hustling something else, if you know what I mean. I did see people selling bottles of water on the corner in Philadelphia before. So, it has been done here as well.