It’s no secret that the country’s cost of living crisis is “worsening,” forcing Australians to take drastic measures to make ends meet, and one practice has sparked a debate among neighbours over the etiquette of rummaging through other people’s bins in an attempt to salvage anything valuable from their kerbside rubbish.
Food bank and charity organizers across the country said this month they had “never seen anything worse,” describing long queues of people seeking free food and charity.
With many low-income Australians feeling the pinch, Sydneysiders this week criticised a man for deliberately trying to stop dumpster diggers from taking bottles and cans from his yellow bin by denying them refunds under New South Wales’ “return and refund scheme”, which requires the items to be in “good condition”.
Locals on the Northern Beaches posted images online of what appeared to be a person rummaging through bins looking for cans and bottles.
Residents alleged that while searching their bins, residents “roll bottles in their driveways and make a racket” and sometimes “leave rubbish on the ground” after the search is over. Residents said that to deter others from searching their bins, they now crush bottles and cans to make them impossible to reuse.
“I crush all the cans and bottles because I discovered they are useless when crushed,” this person wrote. “They open the lids, see there’s nothing of value in them, and run off like cockroaches. Is it cruel or just to stop people from roaming my property?”
“I’m actually helping them.”
The truth of the incident remains unclear, but while some residents of the affluent suburbs supported his stand, others harshly criticized his actions.
“Absolutely true!! And even though the bin is on your property, the contents definitely belong to you,” one woman replied.
“I want life to always be good so I don’t have to dig through other people’s trash looking for bottles and cans,” one person chided, while others seemed appalled by his attitude.
“I actually help them out by putting the 10 cent cans and bottles in a separate box next to the trash can and everything else in the city trash can. If they realize what you’re doing they won’t bother to empty the box and look in the trash can,” one person wrote.
This is not the first time Sydneysiders have complained about so-called “bin thieves” rummaging through their recyclables – after an incident in Moorebank, south-west Sydney, where people were caught, similar photos were shared online and sparked similar discussion.
Charity worker says bin raids are not uncommon
Salvation Army spokesman Andrew Hill told Yahoo News Australia that people should adopt a “more compassionate rather than judgmental response”.
“In our recent survey, we found that one in four people surveyed, or 27 percent, had had to consume expired food, and they were open about it to us,” Hill told Yahoo.
“One in 20 people said they had to pick food out of a trash can.
“That’s what we’re hearing from them. I think in desperate situations where people are really struggling financially, people will go to any lengths to get food, to find basic necessities.”
“When it comes to searching for bottles and trash cans, we need to show a little compassion. If someone finds 10 bottles in a trash can, that’s $1. It’s not uncommon to hear or see people doing that.”
Once on the street, trash is “fair game”
When it comes to scavenging in the neighborhood, Hill said, “Any trash that ends up on the street is free to be disposed of as you wish.”
“We’ve seen a 40 percent increase in people coming to our front lines,” he added. “This kind of desperation is exactly what we’re seeing. We’re seeing people who have never come to us before. People who were once donors are now reaching out and asking for help.”
Hill said there was little evidence that the “tide is turning” on the cost of living crisis and people were still being forced to choose “between keeping their home warm and eating”.
“People are going to bed earlier, so they don’t need to heat their homes,” he said. “They’re not going out, they’re not socializing, so that increases social isolation. So we’re not seeing any signs of the tide turning yet.”
Survey reveals dire picture of Australia’s cost of living crisis
Salvos’ research, published today, highlights the dire situation in the country that philanthropists have long warned about, with more than two in three respondents citing mental health as one of the biggest challenges facing the cost of living crisis, and 79 percent saying they are finding it difficult to live and carry out everyday tasks, including putting food on the table.
Two-thirds (67%) admitted that the financial situation is negatively impacting their mental health, over 70% are often losing sleep because of the economy, 60% admitted that financial difficulties have meant they are unable to spend time with family and friends, and 40% said they have stopped having guests over to their home to save money.
The charity says it provides support to someone every 17 seconds across Australia, provides more than 1.2 million nights of accommodation to people in need, and serves more than 1.63 million meals to people using homelessness services.
Readers seeking support or information on suicide prevention can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
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