Have you noticed that more and more people are living from Trash Cans?
By umart13
@umart13 (841)
Ireland
February 8, 2009 10:57am CST
Have you noticed that there are an increasing number of people living from trash cans or bins? I have watched the number increase here every year, even before the recession started. Here the people are usually looking for bottles, where they can earn a little money from the deposit on returning the bottle. It started with a few people on the platforms at the stations, but now there are even more people and I watch as first one, then another person comes by looking through the same bin. One guy even had his own special flash-light to look in the bins in the dark.
I find it disturbing as it is never mentioned by politicians and never is in the papers. I saw it on a TV programme last night for the first time and it was very sad, as one lady clearly had fallen far in society and clearly had mental problems.
It is disturbing that politicians ignore this issue. What do you think?
2 people like this
2 responses
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
9 Feb 09
i havent noticed it increased but i do know of a lot of people really struggling right now
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
9 Feb 09
yeah i have been fighting this cold/sinus infection since jan 10th and it just keeps dragging on and on so i havent been on as much or as often so i am so behind on everything!! oh well i got meds now so hopefully it will kick it out for good so i can be active and up to date again lol
@umart13 (841)
• Ireland
9 Feb 09
Hi Moonlitmagikchild, how are you? Haven't spoken in quite a while!... I've been living in Germany for 9 years now and I noticed that the number of people collecting bottles in the thrash cans had increased over the last 3 years - even before the recession started. The economy was in the dumps here for nearly 10 years after the reunification and a lot of businesses went under, but the big change has been a recent change in the social welfare payments for the unemployed, which were cut drastically even though people had been paying high rates of taxes here for years. It's not been fair really and this is the end result, or the beginning of something worse!... Have a good week. Hope your studies are going well again. Umart.
1 person likes this
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
8 Feb 09
Well, there are a lot of people and the number is growing all of the time that are having to live off of food that they find in the dumpsters, or left on the streets, etc. and no one seems to really notice. Now with the recession it is continuously getting worse, and maybe a few more are starting to notice, but a lot of these people once might have been prominent people as well. Sometimes some of these are there due to their own choosing and never want help if offered, but what about the ones who just hit Hard times and have no where else to turn?
I know personally we will never understand why some of them are there, but I feel it is HIGH time that the Politicians and City managers, etc. wake up to the reality that more and more are ending up like this, and start finding ways to help some of them get back on their feet again as well.
@umart13 (841)
• Ireland
8 Feb 09
Hi KrausHoome, and thanks for your excellent comment. It is indeed HIGH time, as you wrote, that the politicians did something. Sadly these people seem to be completely ignored by polticians - as if they do not exist. I suppose it's because these people have in some way been excluded from the democratic process. I wonder how great the number have to become before society at large become concerned... Have a great week. Umart
