I like to think I live in a relatively decent suburb. It's generally clean with mostly decent folks.

But occasionally I will see trash dumped on the roadside - old furniture like desks, tables, chairs. Not completely junk but unwanted.

Our waste company allows for free pickup of this stuff 2-3 times per year. Failing that, you can bring some stuff to a drop off about 5 minutes away. Rest of the stuff can be taken directly to them about 20 minutes away.

Presumes you have a vehicle that can transport but if you can get the junk roadside, seems like you have a vehicle.

What the hell compels people to be so lazy and inconsiderate that they can't drive 5 - 20 minutes to get rid of their junk?

Most people around here have at least 1 late model SUV / truck so I really doubt transport is an issue.

Stupid fucks.

Or, perhaps its folks from outside the area dumping it there?

I see is a lot on my commute home, one street in particular (near IAH) typically has 3-5 mattresses on the side of the road.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:

What the hell compels people to be so lazy and inconsiderate that they can't drive 5 - 20 minutes to get rid of their junk?

Asshole contractors not wanting to pay the disposal fee and instead pocket the amount that was earmarked as a dump fee.

Another related pet peeve is the same lazy contractors that can't seem to secure their load or all their crap that they've pitched in their bed/trailer, is blowing all over the road. This is what motivates busy body gov representatives to pass restrictive laws, in this case, requiring all vehicles to have hard-top coverings over their cargo areas. Various countries in Europe has this now due to all the gear that was getting strewn about on the side of the road.

My wife and I own a piece of property in Tennessee,we live in Florida. Our driveway in Tennessee is 600 feet long and goes up hill to the top of our property. On either side of our driveway are other peoples property.

About 5 or 6 years ago our family up living up there were checking our property and about half way up someone had dumped several pieces of furniture.
It was dumped on our neighbors property.
The neighbor went up with her truck and cleaned it up.
She told our family she did not know why someone would do this. The town lets you dump this kind of trash for free and if they already had it in a truck to dump it on her property all the had to do was drive a little further into town to dump it.

She was going to go to the local furniture store in town to find out who just bought new furniture but I never heard if she did.
Its a small town where everybody knows everyone.

After this I had a heavy duty cattle gate installed.

Years back, I worked in a major metropolitan area in a bad (drugs/gangs/prostitution/etc.) neighborhood running a factory.

The factory had an alley behind it and backed up to a major expressway. On the other side of the alley was a body shop and an empty lot.

Fly dumping of demolition and construction waste in the alley/empty lot was a HUGE problem. The dumpers would drop their load, the city would come in with an articulated loader and dump trucks and clean it up and the next day repeat the same thing.

The alley and empty lot were a magnet for stolen cars to be stripped in as well.

They don’t give a flying fuck because they are narcissistic ass holes. Ever parked in a parking lot and people just have dumped their drive thru filth food sack and drink container? They’ll do the same with an ashtray. It’s the same people who load up their groceries and just leave the cart right there to hit the wind and bang and dent someone’s vehicle. They don’t give a damn.

Probably the same idiots who dump their ashtrays in the parking lot and let their dogs leave a giant pile of crap in your flowerbeds.

Years ago I stopped at the local Hardee’s, back when they were good. I came out with my food and got in my van, (yes, surfer dude). Two babes in the black Smokey and the bandit trans am next to me with the t tops off. The one in the passenger seat proceeds to throw their trash out on the ground. I jumped out of my van, grabbed the trash and slammed back down into their car and yelled at them to throw their trash out at home, not in my town.

quote:

Originally posted by BOATTRASH1:
Years ago I stopped at the local Hardee’s, back when they were good. I came out with my food and got in my van, (yes, surfer dude). Two babes in the black Smokey and the bandit trans am next to me with the t tops off. The one in the passenger seat proceeds to throw their trash out on the ground. I jumped out of my van, grabbed the trash and slammed back down into their car and yelled at them to throw their trash out at home, not in my town.

Good for you!! Unfortunatly today you'd probably be sent to the electric chair for "shaming" them!!

A HUGE problem issue is people dumping trash, including old mattress, furniture, etc, on BLM land (Bureau of Land Management). Designed camp fire spots are full of cans, glass bottles, dirty diapers, etc.

BLM land is American federal land and costs nothing to little to camp on. It's mainly out West.

It's become so bad that areas are being closed to camping or boondocking, even to day use.

There's always some worthless shit head bastards who ruin things for the many.
.

quote:

Originally posted by MMSIG229:

quote:

Originally posted by BOATTRASH1:
Years ago I stopped at the local Hardee’s, back when they were good. I came out with my food and got in my van, (yes, surfer dude). Two babes in the black Smokey and the bandit trans am next to me with the t tops off. The one in the passenger seat proceeds to throw their trash out on the ground. I jumped out of my van, grabbed the trash and slammed back down into their car and yelled at them to throw their trash out at home, not in my town.

Good for you!! Unfortunatly today you'd probably be sent to the electric chair for "shaming" them!!

nah. They’d sue him for mental anguish. All that therapy cost moneys don’t you know?

People dump trash in the ditches of the country roads here, just outside of town.

Like the furniture lady's story, the town accepts electronics (tv's, etc). Always gets me when someone dumps a tv. All they had to do is drive by the city and someone would gladly take it for free!

Was driving in a larger nearby city, 4 lanes. I'm in the right lane and ahead of me, there's a car in the left lane. The asshole sitting in the passengers seat, rolls down the window and throws a whole Styrofoam container (12"x12") out the window! Hits the road and you see what's left of his fried chicken meal go flying. Chicken bones, plastic fork, everything.
I was pissed and had wished I was a cop that day!

In Tucson it's the Bus stops bench's. If there's a fast food take out only joint nearby, the Bus stop is the new dining area. Results are food and wrappers thrown around, in spite of a trash can nearby.

It seems the area Wash gullies are the preferred dumping ground for larger trash, furniture, etc.

All this trash and garbage laying about in the city and the Mayor wants to plant more trees which in her mind will fix things.

Last summer our county changed the rates that the landfill charged for bulk trash (mattresses, steel, dressers and such) and started charging for tires which had previously been free. I spoke to the Board of Supervisors and stated that if they started charging for tires, Bubba would just toss them out in a ditch. Not even 24 hours after the change took effect, I saw 8 semi truck tires, a dresser, 3 mattresses and a plethora of other garbage at the end of my little 4 mile hard top back road. They had an article in the paper about the change and the added trash that began stacking up on our roads. Showed a picture of a stack of probably 20 or so mattresses sitting at the entrance to the landfill. The board didn't care and of course we are having to pick the tab up to get the shit cleaned up. Recently, someone dumped an old fiberglass 24' boat at the opposite end of my road in the right of way of a Dominion Power substation.

I lived in N. Texas, between Dallas and Ft. Worth for 15 years. For a few years I commuted by bicycle to work. The long way, winding my way through neighborhoods and such, until I had to stop due to new roads turned shoulder into curbed highway, and worse and worse drivers.

Anyhow, coming off the big roads into the neighborhood route was a wooded turn somebody used for trashing their empty 6 pack in a bag before getting home. Some dude (or wife) obviously dreaded getting home and had to medicate before getting there.

How come we don't see this sort of thing in Switzerland??

That's actually a pretty good question ZSMICHAEL. While stationed in Germany I observed that most Euro countries have a lot of pride in the physical appearance of their homeland. It was astonishing to see the amount of trash on the side of the road when nearing a US Military installation. The Freisen exit to Baumholder on A-62 was a perfect example. Take out bags, drink cups, general travel trash....Instead of waiting to throw this stuff away in one of the Eleventy Billion trash cans on post, people would just toss it on the German country side.

I travelled pretty much all of western Germany and found this to be true of all areas where US troops were stationed. It was disgusting then and it disgusts me now to even think about why (American) people feel the world is their trash can. The only group of people I find trashier than us are those from Mexico on down to Patagonia.

I forgot to mention we've also had that problem here at the West end of the Destin bridge. The property there is part of the Eglin reservation. It had become a place for the tourists to park on both sides of the road and access the beaches under the bridge. Of course they left large amounts of trash behind.
Base commander limited parking on the SW end parking area to people who got a range permit.
That didn't work. So he closed off the entire area to any parking.
Then the pontoon boat vendors and other commercial boat interest started dropping people off on those beaches. So now it is all being closed off with a fence.
All because of a bunch of friggin' pigs.
I remember a Destin City council candidate several years ago would go out every Monday and fill his full size pickup to overflowing with trash. Every damn week!

quote:

Originally posted by mutedblade:
That's actually a pretty good question ZSMICHAEL. While stationed in Germany I observed that most Euro countries have a lot of pride in the physical appearance of their homeland. It was astonishing to see the amount of trash on the side of the road when nearing a US Military installation. The Freisen exit to Baumholder on A-62 was a perfect example. Take out bags, drink cups, general travel trash....Instead of waiting to throw this stuff away in one of the Eleventy Billion trash cans on post, people would just toss it on the German country side.

I travelled pretty much all of western Germany and found this to be true of all areas where US troops were stationed. It was disgusting then and it disgusts me now to even think about why (American) people feel the world is their trash can. The only group of people I find trashier than us are those from Mexico on down to Patagonia.

Funny you should mention this. My wife and I go to a large Mexican grocery store near where we live 2 to 3 times a month. The store is the anchor in a strip mall with other businesses.
They have a hot food section inside and they also have tables if you want to eat there. They serve cafeteria style from steam tables of you can order off a menu. Food is very good and cheap.

The parking lot is a mess there is trash everywhere. The owners have garbage cans everywhere yet most do not use them.
Perfect example, this past weekend we were going to get dinner. As we were walking we watched a gentleman remove the top off a drink can and throw it on the ground right in front of a garbage can. Makes no sense to me. There is a culvert where rain water runs off from the parking that has a least a foot of garbage piled up in it. It looks like people stand at the railing and just throw their empty drink containers into it.
I am sure not everyone from Mexico is like this. My wife and I have been to Mexico many times and the areas we visited were always clean and well maintained.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
How come we don't see this sort of thing in Switzerland??

I think I had been to Austria 20 times before I saw the first cigarette butt on the ground and that was outside a hockey game.

Littering goes to character. It should be mercilessly enforced and prosecuted.