Critical Analysis of "On Dumpster Driving" by Lars Eighner

The essay on 'On Dumpster Diving written by Lars Eighner is about a

homeless man accompanied by his dog explaining the strategies and
guidelines oI surviving Irom dumpsters thereby exempliIying the wasteIul
nature oI Americans while explaining the etiquette involved in the process.
The author began dumpster diving about a year beIore he became homeless.
He used all oI his inIrequent income Ior rent consequently having to derive
all oI liIe necessities Irom dumpsters. He then goes on to share the valuable
inIormation he has learnt as a human scavenger.

He starts by outlining the guidelines oI what is saIe to eat. The main
principles involved are using senses and common sense to evaluate the
condition oI Iood knowing the dumpsters in a particular area and checking
them Irequently and always wonder why the Iood was discarded. He is
convinced that a lot oI perIectly good Iood is discarded. Canned goods turn
up Iairly oIten in dumpsters and are among the saIest Ioods. However some
canned Ioods can cause Iatal diseases like botulism. Dried Ioods such as
crackers cookies cereal chips and pasta are usually saIe to eat once they
are Iree Irom visible contaminates. Raw Iruits and vegetables are usually
saIe except Ior the rotten ones. ConIectionery like chocolate and other hard
candies are also saIe since candying is a method oI Iood preservation.
Carbonated beverages tend to be good iI they still Iizz and alcoholic juice
mixes were always appreciated. The author also scavenged pizzas Irom a
dumpster behind a pizza delivery shop. Prepared Iood was usually not saIe
but he retrieved the pizzas immediately aIter the shop was closed. These
extra pizzas were due to prank calls incorrect orders or customer rejection
and were perIectly good when discarded. The pizzas shop made eIIorts to
discourage the author but they were in vain.
The author was also wary oI a number oI items. He was cautious oI leaIy
vegetables grapes cauliIlower and broccoli because they may contain
liquid contaminants that are diIIicult to wash away. Fruit juices were known
to contain nasty molds and were usually avoided. The author avoided game
poultry pork egg-based Ioods and Iish which tend to spoil quickly. On rare
occasions he would Iind large amounts oI beeI that he was able to cook. He
also stayed away Irom leItovers since they were usually spoilt. Despite these
numerous precautions the author still got dysentery at least once a month
consequently showing the downIalls on dumpster diving. Caution was also
taken oI other animals that thrived Irom the dumpsters.
Cats, bees and birds were among the most common animals Iound in the dumpsters. However
the most vicious oI them all were the Fire Ants. The author`s dog (Lizbeth)
was very sensitive to the presents oI these Ants and alerted him oI the Ants
even when they were not visible to him.

The second main idea portrayed by the author was the wasteIul nature oI
Americans. The area the author scavenged Irom contained a number oI
wealthy college students. These students tended to waste a lot oI Iood at the
end oI the semester and during intermissions during the semester. Here he
would Iind a lot oI edible Iood like peanut butter Irozen Ioods yogurt
cheese and sour cream. In addition to Iood the students discarded drugs
pornography and spirits at certain times oI the semester like Dad`s Day and
aIter a big party.

The Iinal major Iocus on the passage was concerning dumpster etiquette.
The author explains that dumpsters contain many things oI value but it does
not make sense to acquire everything attractive you encounter. The things
that are not required should be leIt Ior the beneIit oI others. He only collects
things oI immediate use and restricts himselI to the collection oI one small
object like calculators sunglasses or campaign buttons. He also anticipates
his needs and would collect warm bedding Iound in August and essential
drugs like antibiotics. The author does not think scrounging is proIitable and
does not see the sense in going though individual cans because it is too time
consuming and messy. He tries to practice ethics when dumpster diving by
not drawing conclusions about the people whose garbage he scavenges
through.

The author concludes by emphasizing the point that you should acquire what
you need and allow the rest to go by. He explains that most possessions will
one day be discarded again so it makes no sense carrying it at all. He
discusses his attitude about possessions thereby equating himselI to the
wealthy because he knows that there is always more and pity the people
who try to acquire everything they encounter in liIe.

Dear Sir,

Thank you Ior giving us opportunity to submit our assignment via email.
I have attached the critical commentary on 'On Dumpster Diving by Lars Eighner. Please Iind
the attachment. My name is Lalit Mohan Joshi and roll number is BBA09408.