Trash Thieves: Should We Let 'Em Be or Stomp 'Em Out?
Categories: Crime
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| One man's trash.... |
Some of these so-called thieves prefer the cardboard set out on the sidewalk by mom-and-pop grocery stores, or glass bottles reserved for them from bars and restaurants.
But others go straight for residents' bins.
Ask San Franciscans about this phenomenon, and some will tell you that the poor dudes are just trying to make a living. But others are pissed off. Many have penned angry e-mails to Recology.
The company gets these kind of missives all of the time, Robert Reed, a spokesman for Recology, told SF Weekly.
He forwarded us a few complaints so we could see for ourselves.
Here's one person complaining about the "recurring nuisance" on the 700 block of 37th Avenue:
The night before every collection day (Friday for me) there is a roving group of people scavenging every recycling container on my block. I have observed them open the containers and remove items. They are noisy (with the sounds of cans and bottles being dropped and lids dropped closed) and leave refuse on the ground. This has become a recurring nuisance.
Here's one about the late-night trash thieves on the 900 block of Le Conte Avenue in the Bayview:
Two sets of people always come to raid the recycling bins for soda cans, glass bottles, and plastic bottles. This occurs on weekly basis, every trash night. Sometimes the thieves start digging in the recycling bins as early as 8-9 p.m. but most times they operate between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
And here is a recycler gone wild on the 1400 block of Washington Street:
My neighbor...explained to me that he saw someone rummaging through the garbage on our block. He yelled at that person to stop. The person then got angry he was being asked to stop and proceeded to knock over several garbage bins (mine) onto the floor. He then kicked some other bins on our block and started running up the street.
...I hope you can find a way to prevent this. It seems to be a rampant problem all across the city.Robert Reed told us this can be more than just a quality-of-life issue. It can lead to identity theft if these pirates get hold of the right document.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
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