We put our bottles out for a specific guy who comes around with a shopping cart laden with same. I know I have no control over what happens to the recycleables once they’re on the curb. But the other day I watched as, at the designated time we put them out, someone in a mini-van grabbed the bag and threw it into their van. They didn’t even stop long enough to get out – just to reach an arm out of the van. I saw this from my window, a minute or two after the bottles hit the street.
As I said, I know once they’re out there, they are garbage and anyone can have them. But people who can afford a mini-van, and afford to gas it up, don’t really need to take a few cents from someone who pushes a shopping cart around. Fuck you, mini-van bottle usurpers. Hope you enjoy the three dollars that might have helped feed someone.
This article appears in May 22-28, 2008.
I know they fine anyone caught using a vehicle to collect bottles, they generally leave the grocery-cart pushers alone simply because of the effort they put forward.Put out some more on the same day of the week, same time…but this time have your digital camera ready…get two shots of them…one of them taking the bags and one of their plates.
this happened in my community (Crichton Park, Dartmouth) as well, I was outraged! I couldnt believe this asshole, and then I thought , oh well maybe the bottle guy is doing really good and got an Equinox! but then I gave my head a shake.I pissed on my recycle bag next week, I hope some rubbed off inside his truck.
there’s a really nice guy trailing a cart with his dog in tow that is our regular…..yeah I’ve seen the cars pull up and do the quick toss and peel away thing, so now we have the guy come to the door on his rounds.he’s not embarrassed, nor are we. he looks after himself, and the dog…at least I know what little contribution it is, is doing something positive. not to overcome the rising cost of runninng the van.
They don’t leave the cart pushers alone because of their effort, get real. They know that they have no collateral and when they fail to pay the ticket, it would be a waste of money. The time it takes to write the ticket, the paper it’s on, the sommons when they fail to pay, they people they have to hire to clean up all the tickets they find on the ground becasue as soon as the enforcement officer leaves thats where the ticket would be going. These people don’t care if the cart pushers have enough to eat, shelter, live or die and IF they had anything of monetary value worth more than the cost of the ticket, the pay of the people processing the ticket and the collections (read repo-man) tickets would be issued and shit would be repossed. There is no blind eye being turned in reward for their effort or even out of guilt. Every decision is based on two things, and in this case it’s money pure and simple.
Actually I have spoken to an officer about it and you are wrong Shoes…they really don’t care if they take the bottles…as long as it isn’t with a vehicle, that is what gets them pissed. There is reasoning behind it (right or wrong) the amount that the cart pusher can take in doesn’t really affect the official collection company’s bottom line (at least not enough for them to care) but the truckvan drivers do, they can haul off enough that it effects the projected monthly profit of the official guys…so the cops go after them.I think you have been watching too many “badevil cop” movies…our Police are not uncaring monsters, most got into that line of work because they wanted to help people…so stop with your “HRMP are evil and uncaring” rant, sure there are a few that can be class “A” assholes…but they are the exception not the rule. And you told me to get real….LMAO!
How come being thrifty is rewarded when a person has accumulated nothing (shopping cart) but when a person’s thriftiness amounts to something (a car) they become an undeserving bad guy? Residents of the HRM are too quick to look down their long noses and judge other human beings. If the OP wants to help out one person down on their luck but not another I say the so-called-clairvoyant OP sucks and should stick his bottles right up his oh-so-tight ass. As for cops and enforcement, those people are pushing around STOLEN shopping carts. Put that in your bottle and recycle it!
The letters H, R, M and P do occur in my post I cannot seem to find where they appear together. I do believe the HRP are doing a great job if you conside the size of their force and the city which they serve. Many people here claim to witness the harassment and call our police every name in the book but I have not witnessed that personally. The few occasions that I have witnessed HRP in action (mostly taking care of drunks downtown) they have, in every instance been professional and gave atleast one chance for friends to take the person home, although each one ended in the drunk lipping off to them and being taken away. I also witnessed a police car with light flashing driving behind a shopping cart full of cans and the person pushing them down northwest arm drive, he could have easily just ignored him but he choose to drive at 3 km for what must have been a good 45 minutes to ensure the safety of this individual. Sure there are a few bad apples in the bunch as in any organization or group. I do firmly believe that if there was money to be made on ticketing, there would be pressure put on by-law enforcment to issue tickets. I doubt that it would be HRP as that would be wasting resources. It would be cheaper to pay the commissionair to do it and would leave the police available for higher risk enforcement which they are paid the higher dollers for. HRM simply would not let a chance to make money slip away. The individual guilt would be washed away be the idea of ‘just doing my job’ or ‘I cannot choose which by-laws to enforce’. Can anyone please provide examples of initiatives this city has put forward to help people in these situations beyond the minimum requirement of canadian society?
Police escorting a shopping cart? What? This is where are tax dollars are spent (car lease, fuel, wages, etc)? Escorting stolen shopping carts down highways? You MUST be kidding.
kay, you misseed the point.Simply put, there is no reason to ever ticket the shopping cart people, even if it is stolen. The reason they are collecting bottles is they dont have money. Giving them a ticket isnt going to matter one iota to them. Its not like they are going to pay the thing. Now, if someone has a vehicle, strong possiblity they. have money
kay, you misseed the point.Simply put, there is no reason to ever ticket the shopping cart people, even if it is stolen. The reason they are collecting bottles is they dont have money. Giving them a ticket isnt going to matter one iota to them. Its not like they are going to pay the thing. Now, if someone has a vehicle, strong possiblity they. have money
kay, you misseed the point.Simply put, there is no reason to ever ticket the shopping cart people, even if it is stolen. The reason they are collecting bottles is they dont have money. Giving them a ticket isnt going to matter one iota to them. Its not like they are going to pay the thing. Now, if someone has a vehicle, strong possiblity they. have money
Homie, I didn’t miss the point, you missed my post:”How come being thrifty is rewarded when a person has accumulated nothing (shopping cart) but when a person’s thriftiness amounts to something (a car) they become an undeserving bad guy?”
i never said that i agree about it being fair. Just saying you missed the point about why police wont ticket one, but will another. Personally, im indifferent as i dont care who picks up bottles, i just appreciate that they are doing it. That however is only in terms of the bottle pick up and from a legal stance. Lately, i have made it a personal crusade to help lower gas prices not by complaining about gas taxes, but by encouraging better use of gas. Driving around picking up bottles, isnt a great use of fuel and really isnt helping the conversation side of things.
Why not save up all your refundables and take them back yourself? You’d be surprised at how they add up. We take them back a couple times a year, and use the money to go out to dinner.
People using shopping carts to pick up bottles aren’t being “thrifty” they’re trying to make money to eat and survive. Anyone who can’t afford to eat but can afford gas for their van should sell the damn van and use the gas money to feed themselves.
Kay:The reason I think is because if the person has a car…they are not hurting that badly, whereas the individual that is forced to steal a shopping cart to help them make a barely sustaining income is probably operating on the very margins of our “society”. You may think it is ridiculous but how about spending just one day in that poor guys shoes, hauling around over a 100 pounds of cans only to turn a corner and see some bozo in a van sweep by and nab all the bags first. Kinda harsh when you think about it, some creep that can afford insurance and gas going around taking recyclables.Oh and Kay? The OP wanted to help the guy that looked like he was on the ragged edge yet he had still kept his manners and sense of community…whereas the low-life car driving bottle taker is clearly NOT on the edge of starvation…I wouldn’t want to give my change to some asshole who just pulled up and asked for spare change. SELL YOUR CAR if you can’t afford food and shelter!Shoes:Your use of “They” is directed to mean Halifax Regional Municipal Police…so no you don’t have HRMP in your post but you do imply that the local police force only ticket when there is a chance they will get the fines paid…which is just not the case.Your statement:”These people don’t care if the cart pushers have enough to eat, shelter, live or die and IF they had anything of monetary value worth more than the cost of the ticket, the pay of the people processing the ticket and the collections (read repo-man) tickets would be issued and shit would be repossed.”Implies a certain and distinct lack of empathy or level of care by Halifax cops, that they only care if you can afford it. But you have stated in a later post that you have witnessed only professionalism, patience and care taken by HRMP…so what is it? Evil or Caring?
They refers to HRM council. THEY wrote the by-law that the tickets are being issued against. Even after I specifically stated that I was not referring to the police you continue to tell me that I am. Once you get that the police are only the ones issuing or not issuing the tickets maybe we can discuss the issue, but if you still believe that I am attacking the police then by all mean, please tell me what else I am thinking. The bottom line is the police are ticketing one group and not the other for some reason and I doubt that anyone agrees that it is because one group pisses them off. You said it yourself in the same post, it all comes down to money. Money. HRM council is aware of the money the city is losing to recycle thefts. They pressure the Police to do something about it. The Police are smart and realize ticketing certain people is a waste of resources and other groups will more than likely pay because they have something to lose. (their car, house, trailer whatever). I am saying the police are discriminating here, it is similar to not issuing tickets to people who are speeding but are doing less than 16KM over. This is not because speeding 16KM and up pisses them off, it’s that the potential recovery will not cover the cost of the sum of the resources involved if you exercise your right to challenge it. They are using their discretion to use resources to the best of their own limits. Weather each individual officer makes the same choice or it’s an unwritten rule within the department, resource management including the decision to ticket or not base on any logic is part of their job. In a back and white world they could ticket for every infraction but in real life they do not have the luxury. Please Christopher have a re-read of my previous post, I have only personally witnessed one incidence of HRP being anything but professional and flexible and for all I know he was speeding to save a life or go to Tim’s.
Here’s how you sort out that mini-van knucklehead. Piss in the bag and secretly tie the back to a tree or pole with a long piece of string. When the douche bag does a drive and snatch the bag will rip apart spilling the contents inside piss and all!
Tugboat, That is exactly what we did (minus the piss)..We always leave our bottles in the back yard in a black garbage bag, until we have enough to make it worth taking back… That is, until people started stealing them….So now, we keep them inside until the bag is full, we tie it shut, and take them out to the normal spot.. We then slice the bottom of the bag, so when they try and take it, $10 worth of bottles comes crashing down on the pavement… ha!It wakes us up in the middle of the night, but its worth it to hear the pitter patter of bottleless theives running down the driveway…That will teach you for tresspassing!