October 8, 2014. My poor confused neighbor R.M.

At this point in my career as an amateur garbage collector (is it week 3 already?), I really should not be surprised by anything I find on 43rd Avenue. However, despite the fact that I have picked up a wide range of nasty goodies, up until last night I was still under the naïve belief that I would be safe from having to handle a stranger's underwear. Alas, here is the scene that greeted me:





And....



 



Here's a close-up of one of the labels, with the addressee's
 name and addy obscured.

I don't know how long this pile had been there. I usually only walk the Avenue on Saturdays and Sundays, because I don't have time to clean during the week and seeing garbage piles upsets me greatly. However, I guess I was feeling wild and crazy last night, because I took a chance and stole a glance down 43rd Avenue. Even in the dark from down the block, and despite my deteriorating visual acuity, I could see a big pile in the usual dumping spot. In addition to the underwear, there was a stack of cardboard boxes and a big trash bag full of what feels like paint cans. Interestingly, the boxes all had address labels still affixed. This makes me think that (1) the person who dumped these boxes  (R.M., the addressee?) really isn't very bright, or (2) maybe the boxes were stolen from R.M.'s front step and it was the thief who left the boxes on 43rd. But I don't think this is the case. The boxes were stacked somewhat neatly. If someone were going to steal boxes from someone's property, would they want to keep them stacked together? It seems more logical to dispose of them in separate places, or just toss them over the fence to the railroad tracks. My guess is that R.M. was considerate enough to try to keep his or her pile of crap more or less neat and in one place, because that would make things easier for the magic garbage fairy. (FWIW, I picture a garbage fairy looking like Courtney Love circa 1995: a hot mess, furious but in possession of an indomitable spirit and a pure heart. When people see her at work they say "Thank you! I love you for doing this" and she snarls back, "How do you know you can love me?" as she tosses another Styrofoam takeout  bucket into her garbage bag.)     

 

 

September 19, 2014 conditions

I was so sad to see a new load of trash on 43rd Avenue tonight [Friday, September 19]. Actually, there were two new piles- one on either end of the Ave. These definitely qualify as "enough trash to fill a bathtub"- TWO tubs. I think I will try to tackle the smaller pile, as it looks "clean" (seems to consist of a huge flatscreen TV box* and a bunch of plastic planters). But I'm not touching the other pile, which smells like decomp. I'll put in yet another call to 311. I am grateful to the DSNY workers who respond to these disgusting dumping calls. I wish some power-that-is would help me implement a long-term solution to the 43rd Avenue dumping problem.

*Hmm, so someone can purchase an enormous TV, bring it home, and yet not be able to put the box out (in front of their own property, I mean) for recycling? I hate to make assumptions about people (e.g., people who buy moviescreen-size TVs for their living rooms probably spend a great deal of time with their wide anal regions glued to the couch and their eyes fixed on the pretty moving objects on screen, and probably haven't opened a book, um, ever). But come on, it's bad enough that you would want to bring such a hideous, neuron-zapping contraption into your home. At least have the decency to properly dispose of the box in which it was packaged.

Sunday, September 21, 2014, 8pm

UPDATE! I called 311 yesterday morning to report the garbage that is partially depicted in the photo above [Case number 2014-MLAA10185, called in 9/20/14]. This morning, I found that most of the pile had been picked up. YAY DSNY!!--same day service, wow! I am very grateful for their prompt response. This afternoon I took care of the scattered litter that was left behind. There was enough to fill two large black bags. But the area is currently litter-free!! (let's see how many hours this lasts). **Oh, and when I was picking up the stray litter, a man walking by with groceries (which would indicate that he lives nearby) said thank you! I can't tell you how grateful I am to receive thank-you's from the neighbors. Makes me feel like people actually appreciate- heck, NOTICE- the difference I am trying to make on this neglected stretch of land.

Ah, 43rd Avenue: keeping it classy!

Okay, this photo was staged: I found the bottle and the drug baggies in different sections of 43rd, not right next to each other.

I'm going to save the drug baggies from now on, and see how many I can collect in a week. Probably a lot. Maybe I'll make a collage.

The ubiquitous drug baggies were part of my motivation to start picking up garbage in my neighborhood. You see, there is a C.A. group that meets around here, and I always thought it was offensive to people who are actively struggling to OVERCOME their addictions to have to walk among drug paraphernalia.

 

9/26/14 Update (and tangential scribblings): The sad thing about being a human being is that you are just one of however-many-bazillion other human beings; as such, the likelihood of having a unique idea is low. I just read that someone already came up with the idea of collecting drug baggies. Though I was disappointed to learn that I'm not  as ground-breakingly brilliant as I thought, I have to admit that I find this guy's project pretty neat. You can read about British photographer Dan Giannopoulos's project here: http://gianphotography.com/discarded-drug-baggies/

 

I haven't seen such a variety of drug baggy designs in Elmhurst. But I do remember finding an autumnal-themed baggy last year-- I think it featured pumpkins. I wish I saved it, or at least photographed it. I thought it was very quaint, and wondered if MStew had expanded her vast empire to include drug baggy production. After all, if there is a buck to be made somewhere, Martha will sniff it out in no time. Did you know she sells her own line of pills now? For real! Didn't she learn anything from Dr Phil's foray into the diet pill scene in the early 2000's??