BEST BITS – Council Cleanups are insane! What is wrong with people?!

#councilcleanup #respect #scavengers #TTMS #LocalRadio #2ssr

TRANSCRIPT:

And as always I like to start the show off with a little bit of a personal story and this week is no different.. as this week, the unit block I live in down at Cronulla had our annual Council Clean up … and it was wacky!

I took the experience to social media, to the Anything Sutherland Shire Facebook page, and I tell you what, some of the responses I got were even weirder than Council Clean Up itself.

The post read: Council Cleanups are insane! What is wrong with people?!

We have had people digging through the pile of trash into crazy hours of the night, tearing through garbage bags leaving mess everywhere, pulling apart neatly stacked piles, neighbours adding to the pile with no care for where they put things (or the damage they do to the front of property), and worse, the erratic driving of scavengers hitting parked cars in the street!

I understand times are tough, and people might be looking for something to help them through what ever they are going through, but have some respect for the block you’re making a mess of and the poor collectors who have to clean it all up!

Also, is there an app or a page where clean ups are announced? I’m on a not very busy street and there has been a steady stream of people coming and going for the past 24 hours.

Well it turns out there are many Facebook pages that scavengers post pictures and address to for other scavengers to go visit, and that they did!

You know we’re a pretty organised unit block, we actively meet, discuss things, like our council clean up, we’re all in a group chat and communicate there too, renters, owners, we all do our bit.

And we had a pretty well organised clean up, we helped each other move heavy items, we stacked it all as best we could as per council requirements… but not long after we had taken stuff out, is when the carnage happens.

The worst, despite the parked cars being hit by bad drivers, were the people who tore open the garbage bags and threw everything around without cleaning up after themselves, and that was the point of my post, the disrespect, I have no issue with re-homing peoples unwanted items as apposed to going to landfill, but have some respect people, I would have rebagged the rubbish that was thrown all over the place 3 or times in the less than 24 hours the rubbish was out there.

But the comments under the post! I tell you what, some people need to read what was written and show a basic level of understanding of what they ready before commenting and projecting their own, what ever their problems are, in the comments section. Because that was clearly evident. So many people posted off track, missing the point of the post and worse, mostly men, just being douchebags with their comments.

When I say projecting, I mean comment like this one, it reads How about instead of relying on council to dispose of your rubbish you find a way to re-home, reuse and recycle all your own waste. Personally I find it shocking how many people just dump their unwanted household goods, personal items onto the curb not caring that it will go to landfill – then complain about people collecting their trash. Think before you Buy and buy less #waragainstwaste.

That is projection of their own moralistic high self worth and grandstanding on an issue at the highest level… the high road is being took!

But the problem is, as a comment under a post, it has nothing to do with the post, I replied.

I wasn’t complaining about people “collecting” the trash, I have no issue with that, by all means re-home and recycle. If you read the post again, the issue taken is the disrespect displayed after going through the pile.

Worse comments come from those who try to “advise” to only put it out the day before, which of course we did, but that doesn’t stop the scavengers from posting photos and addresses that bring on the onslaught of people arriving by the truck and trailer load to go through the trash, something maybe for Council to consider. Because even after Council came and collected everything, we were very lucky that they did collect everything because you always hear stories of non-residents adding things to the pile that are not part of the list of things that get collected, leaving you with the responsibility of getting rid of it – absolute nightmare of a situation.

Of course there were some great comments and helpful advice, one guy suggested that you put all the more desirable stuff towards the curb, and the bags of trash at the back on top of a large drop cloth to make it easier to clean up after the inevitable scavenging.

The point of this mini rant at the beginning of the show, if you are one of these people who goes around collecting stuff from council clean ups, have some respect for peoples property, i don’t mean the trash, but the physical front of house or unit block, and have some respect for the people who have to clean everything up after you tear through everything and spread it far and wide.